Show Your Bias with this Sweater Knitting Pattern

I’ve been knitting for a really long time, and I know a lot of different knitting techniques, but even for me there are things I either don’t know or don’t do all that often.

So I decided this would be the year that I delved into some techniques a little more deeply. It might be things I know how to do but don’t do often, like double knitting, or things I’ve never tried, like helical knitting (more on both of those soon!).

One thing I do know how to do that I don’t normally do but that I also didn’t think about when I was thinking about things I wanted to do was knitting on the bias.

Bias knitting is accomplished by starting with just a few stitches and increasing to your desired width, then increasing on one side of the work and decreasing on the other to the desired length. This makes a fabric that leans to one side, and when you also work this kind of design in a self-striping yarn, it makes a really fun diagonal effect in your project.

If you want to try it out, the Tunic-on-a-Bias pattern from Yarnspirations is a great way to see it in action. This boxy dropped shoulder sweater is worked in pieces from the bottom up letting the stripes shine. It’s rated for intermediate knitters.

It comes in six sizes, with a finished chest measurement ranging from 39 to 62 inches, or 99 to 157.7 cm. The smallest size is meant to fit a chest from 28-34 inches, or 71-86.5 cm, but the amount of positive ease goes down considerably as the sizes go up.

The project calls for Red Heart Super Saver Bitty Stripes, an acrylic yarn that has what they call “blurry stripes,” which have a bit of a marled look. Any self striping yarn you like would look great in this project.

The pattern is a free download from Yarnspirations, or you can buy the yarn and supplies direct from them.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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