Desperate Housewife is a treat for your wild and wonderful side. This slouchy, grandpa-fit cardigan is the perfect project to knit in those stray moments you steal away for yourself. Desperate Housewife is a top-down, one-piece cardigan with a circular yoke, ideal for lounging or throwing on for a splash of color when you run errands. We suggest using Drops Alpaca, which comes in a multitude of colours and is currently ON SALE!
Notes
Because it’s knit top-down this cardie is easy to modify, and can be made shorter or cropped, with or without pockets. You can even make it as a 3/4 length or short sleeve top for spring.
The pattern does not specify using smaller needles for the ribbing, but when you knit 2×2 ribbit it is customary to go down in needle size; otherwise, otherwise the stitches can look a bit loose and untidy.
Sizes
Designed to fit with 4 – 8” / 10 – 20 cm of positive ease at the bust, less for larger sizes.
We posted a couple of weeks ago about the sensationally pretty Rosie Sweater (which we have cast-on for the store), and I think her little sister, the Rosie Mittens. The Rosie mittens are a small, manageable project that doesn’t require much yarn, so you might even have some leftovers (or you can cast on for the sweater too and get a little bit of extra yarn for some mitts). The Rosie Mittens would also make a great holiday gift! My favourite yarn for this project is a combination of Drops Alpaca and Drops Kid-Silk held together, but we also list some alternatives too.
Construction The Rosie Mittens are worked from the cuff up. You start with the ribbing, then work in stockinette, with increases for the thumb gusset. The thumb stitches are put on hold, and the pattern is worked. The top of the mitten is worked with decreases. Finally, the thumb is knitted.
I’ve eyeballing some of the prettiest sweater from LE KNIT on Ravelry this week … she designs delicious sweaters with simple shapes and elegant colourwork. The Rosie Sweater and Facet Sweater are making my hands itch to knit! Combine Drops Alpaca and Drops Kid-Silk to make these delicious tops.
Rosie Sweater by LE KNIT
Who doesn’t appreciate a bouquet of roses? The Rosie Sweater has simple, wearable elegance!
Construction The sweater is worked top down. First, work the upper part of the back piece from the slanted shoulders and 9 cm down on the back. Then, pick up stitches for the upper part of the front piece along the slanted shoulders on the back piece. Once the upper part of both the back and front pieces are completed, stitches are picked up for the sleeve tops on each side and the yoke is worked in the round with raglan increases. Body and sleeves are then worked separately. Finally, stitches are picked up along the neckline, and the neckband is worked in rib.
Note
The entire sweater is worked with two strands of yarn, 1 of each quality. Wash and block the swatch before measuring the gauge.
Make sure the gauge is the same in width (21 sts in 10 cm /4“), whether you knit in single colored stockinette stitch or colorwork pattern. Use a larger needle for the colorwork if the colorwork is tighter than the stockinette stitch. I recommend the larger needle size if you are unsure about your gauge.
Size
Rosie Sweater is designed to have approx. 20-32 cm 7.75-12.5” of positive ease. The sweater is designed with a large amount of positive ease in the smallest sizes and gradually less positive ease in larger sizes. Rosie Sweater is shown with approx. 30 cm 11.75” of positive ease, meaning the sweater is shown on a model with a bust circumference that is 30 cm 11.75“ smaller than the sweater’s bust circumference. The length is measured at the center back excl. the neckline.
(XXS/XS) S (M/L) XL/2XL (3XL/4XL) 5XL
Finished Bust Circumference: (103) 114 (126) 137 (149) 160 cm OR (40.5) 44.75 (49.5) 54 (58.75) 63 inches
Length: (54) 55 (55) 57 (58) 59 cm. OR (21.25) 21.75 (21.75) 22.5 (22.75) 23.25 inches
I love the mod, classic 60s style of the Facet Sweater … so simple, so gorgeous!
Facet Sweater is a raglan sweater with a small, graphic pattern. The pattern uses three colors but is worked with only two colors at a time. Floats are kept short, making it easy to knit. Since you don’t need much of the contrast colors, Facet Sweater is perfect for using up leftover yarn. You can also play with the pattern and use more than two colors.
We’ve restocked Drops Alpaca for the season and I thought I’d share some Alpaca-Inspiration and some great projects I’ve seen on Ravelry made with it.
Drops Alpaca is a great sportweight, 100% alpaca yarn. It knits beautifully on its own, held double, or held with a strand of laceweight mohair (like Drops Kid-Silk) or an aran weight brushed alpaca (like Drops Brushed Alpaca & Silk). I’m still knitting up my little swatch sweaters, testing the tension on different needles and with different yarns. When you blend you can match the colours closely or choose a contrast to get a marl going on!
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PetiteKnit No Frills Sweater
Details
The No Frills Sweater is a simple raglan sweater with neckline shaping at the front. The fit is slightly oversized, but the wide rib edges and the shorter length give the sweater a feminine silhouette. The No Frills Sweater is worked from the top down, which makes it easy to try it on along the way, so you can customize it to fit your body and end up with the perfect sleeve and body length for you. If you want to make sure that the rib neck edge keeps it shape over time, you can sew a thin elastic thread along the edge. Start by knitting a swatch to determine which needle size gives you the correct gauge.
Size
Sizes: XS (S) M (L) XL (2XL) 3XL
Bust circumference: 100 (104) 108 (114) 120 (130) 137 cm OR [39¼ (41) 42½ (45) 47¼ (51¼) 54 inches]
Sleeve circumference: 36 (39) 41 (44) 46 (46) 47 cm OR [14¼ (15¼) 16¼ (17¼) 18 (18) 18½ inches]
Length mid back: 52 (54) 55 (56) 58 (60) 62 cm OR [20½ (21¼) 21¾ (22) 22¾ (23½) 24½ inches]
Hold 1 strand of Drops Alpaca with another strand of something fuzzy like Drops Kid-Silk for a lighter knit, orDrops Brushed Alpaca & Silk for a heavier, denser fabric. You’ll need approximately 1050 (1050) 1260 (1260) 1470 (1470) 1470-1680 m of each yarn.
The Cumulus Blouse is worked from the top down in stockinette stitch with two strands of thin mohair/silk yarn held together throughout. The design has a deep rounded V-neck. All edges are finished with i-cord.
Size The Cumulus Blouse is designed to have approx. 10-15 cm [4-6 inches] of positive ease, meaning it is designed to be approx. 10-15 cm [4-6 inches] larger in circumference than your bust measurement.
The Oslo Hat is worked from the bottom up in stockinette stitch. The first part of the hat is worked on a 40 cm [16 inches] circular needle, while the top of the hat is worked either on double-pointed needles or on a circular needle using the Magic Loop technique.
Size
Sizes: baby (child) junior small (junior large) adult S (adult M) adult
Measurements: Fits head circumference 47-48 (49-50) 51-52 (53-54) 55-56 (57-59) 60-63 cm OR 18½-19 (19¼-19¾) 20-20½ (20¾-21¼) 21¾-22 (22½-23¼) 23½-24¾ inches
