About Woolly Wits

I am a hand-knitting designer and teacher. See and purchase my published designs on Ravelry.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Plaid is Busting Out All Over

In the past week, two of my plaid designs have been released - a shawl-collar cardi for Twist Collective and a men's vest for Chicago Knits.  Both of these are new publications for me, and I am excited to be part of both.
http://www.twistcollective.com/2014/fall/magazinepage_040.php
Twist Collective Fall 2014

The Twist sweater is one of my more accessible plaid designs.  No intarsia here, just some knitted in horizontal stripes and applied crochet chain vertical stripes.  I simplified it even more my keeping the raglan sleeves plain.  Working the edging in one of the plaid colors ties it all together. 

The style, a shawl-collar, raglan cardigan is a universally flattering design.  The extra weight of the collar is especially nice for narrow-shouldered bodies.  The belt is knit, but you could easily substitute a purchased belt, or leave it off altogether if your waist is not a feature you choose to highlight.

http://chicagoknitsmag.com/
Chicago Knits Summer 2014

The Chicago Knits design is for their men's issue.  I used the same technique as the Twist sweater (applied crochet chain), but we made it a little funky by fading out the plaid at the lower front edge.  You can either follow the chart to replicate my exact fade, or experiment with your own.  The traditionalists could also work the vest in full plaid.  My handsome husband was recruited as model here, although in real life he rarely wears sweaters.  (His metabolism runs fast, while mine would lose in a race with a slug.)

I've got one more plaid design awaiting release, and it's really gorgeous.  Can't wait to share it with you.