A Texture Wave is Here!

by Ariane Hurley

Hello there!

My name is Ariane. Some of you may know me as the gal that helps out at Knit House on Main on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I am enamored with all things knitted (and sheep!) and spend a lot of time not only engaging in this craft but also reading about it. It is my pleasure to share some of my findings with you through the Knit House on Main blog. Every week, I will post what has caught my eye. Please chime in at any time! I am always interested in hearing what has piqued your interest! 

Looking through IG and Ravelry lately and it is hard to miss all the beautiful textured sweaters that have come from many top designers. Have you seen Stephen West’s Dustland Sweater

 and Petiteknits’s Ingrid 

sweater? They quickly went into my favorites.

But there is also Oska by Caitlin Hunter and the one that is on my needles now, Bretema from Portuguese designer Lola Dacosta. Another one is Sweater No. 18 by My Favorite Things. Not sure why texture is suddenly so popular with many sweater designers, but I love it!

I first tried textured stitches with the Guernsey Wrap By Brooklyn Tweed's Jared Flood. Not only does it look good, it is fun to knit and encourages me to keep on knitting to see what the next pattern will look like. Textured patterns are also usually easy to knit. The 3 dimensional effect is produced with only knits and purls performed in a specific sequence.

One of my favorite yarns in the store for crisp, neat stitches without too much bulk is the Scottish Lalland by DiGilpin. This woolen spun yarn incorporates lots of air, making it less bulky and a delight to wear. Don’t be fooled by its slightly rustic feel; it makes a soft finished garment. A tightly spun yarn works too, as it helps with stitch definition. Anzula’s Cricket comes to mind right away!

On a completely different topic... It is hard to ignore all the atrocities going on in the Ukraine right now. It is difficult to watch and my heart goes out to all in Ukraine who are suffering through this. There are quite a few free patterns on Ravelry right now in support of Ukraine. Not only are they cute knits, but one in particular caught my eye because of its suggested donations sites. It's not always easy to know where your money will be most useful during a crisis like this, but Casapinka has some great suggestions with her: 

Ripples Makes Waves hat:  World Central Kitchen, Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Global Giving (Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund).

Check out their websites.

 

 

4 comments

  • Hi Ariane! Great post! I have been just getting into textured knitting and it is fun. Thanks for the new yarn ideas. And I appreciate your words of compassion for the country and citizens of 🇺🇦 Ukraine. I recently bought the Mallow Shawl on Ravelry by Ksenia Naidyon, a Ukrainian designer. She released the pattern to raise funds for her home city in Ukraine that was under attack. She also lists charities on her Ravelry site. 💙

    Diane L

  • Ariane, I enjoyed your post! My eye has been picking up on texture also, including brioche (it’s so much more than 2-color rib!), tuck stitches, and Austrian twisted stitches. So much to knit, so little time…

    Linda Cronin

  • Hello Ariane! What a great first post and I will look forward to what you write about next. Thank you for your notice of all things textured and you’ve picked some exciting examples of that. It’s nice that you also give some ideas of possible yarn choices there at KH! When I saw Caitlin Hunter’s Oska I knew it was something I wanted to knit so I purchased the pattern right away! I haven’t decided what yarn but leaning towards the same yarn that’s used by Caitlin herself, Woolfolk Får.

    Kathy

  • Ariane your post is excellent. Thank you for sharing these beautiful textured ideas, the sweaters are gorgeous.

    I didn’t even think of looking on Ravelry for ways to contribute to the Ukraine crisis. Thank you so very much ❤️❤️❤️

    Cynthia Trader

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