I wanted to have a range of project in this book. Many current knitting books focus on one area only; women, men, kids or accessories. I wanted to buck the trend and cover the lot!
Can I introduce you to my little boy projects; Ballinagree and Caherciveen. (modeled by my two youngest sons).
Ballinagree
This raglan for little boys is knit from Cushendale DK in the round from the bottom up. It is knit at a tighter gauge than normal for this yarn which is a great way to help make cables ‘pop’. You also get an extra warm garment!
The body and sleeves are worked in the round from the bottom up and joined at the yoke. You can see from this photo how the raglan shoulder shaping is worked using decresess all the way to the neckline. The collar is split at the front and worked fairly short to give a standing collar. As this is at the very end of the garment it would be easy to make modifications here, if you split the front further down you can have a larger opening, and possibly include buttons on the placket (which is knit afterwards). Another possible variation would be to knit the collar for twice as long so that it fold right over on itself. Just remember to have extra yarn!
The criss cross cables on the front and back of this jumper/sweater have a bold, medieval quality about them; just right for little boys! The chest sizes for this piece range from 22.25 -31.5″/56.5 – 80 cm” which will fit approximate 2-10 years. To figure out the correct size for kids, measure their chest size and then add the number of inches you want for ease. If you’re unsure how much ease you need take a look at some of the clothes they wear (ideally in a similar weight material) that you like the fit of and measure. You probably want around 2-4″/5-10 cm but that depends entirely on personal taste (yours and the little person!)
Caherciveen
The second little boy pattern in the book is Caherciveen. Knit in the round from the bottom up using aran weight Kerry Woollen Mills yarn you’ll find that this top (depending on where you’re from, vest in the US, sleeveless jumper in Ireland/UK!) just flies off the needles. The cables used are a variation on the staghorn cable. Generally cables are worked using a reverse st st background, however for this cable I’ve left the background stitch st st which means the cables are not as prominent and it creates a much more subtle effect. As with Ballinagree above the neck opening can be moved to suit your own personal taste. I have kept the opening low but you can move it to a higher position if you wanted to without much difficulty.
This garment is knit with more ease than Ballinagree above, the finished chest size is 24.25 – 31.75”/61.5 – 80.5 cm. I liked how this garment looked with a little more room but you should make your own personal choices about amount of ease. That is why I’ve given as much sizing information as possible in the patterns, so you can make informed choices. For each pattern actual finished measurements are given (including a schematic), the suggested chest size this will fit and the approximate age this corresponds to. I’ve also given the ease shown on the modeled garment so you can decide if you want more or less ease in the garment you’re knitting.
When the body is complete you separate the front and back at the armhole and work them separately. They are then joined at the shoulder using a three needle bind off (I just love how easy and smooth this join is!) The hood is continued up from there (with the separated staghorn cable at each side) and joined at the top. When you are finished the front edging (with the buttonhole) and armhole edging are all finished with my favorite applied I-cord. It can’t be beat for a good finish.
Classes
I’ve got a few upcoming classes in the next few weeks. You can see the full details of them all here.
Saturday 17th of September I’ll be at Crafty Alley in Killarney. Class can be booked here. I’ll be bringing my complete book trunk show so if you want to see the garments in person come along for a look after the class (after 4). Cathy will also have the book in stock so you can pick up a signed copy on the day!
Sunday October 2nd I’ll be teaching at The Yarn Room in Wicklow. Class can be booked here. Trunk show will be available to view in the shop on the day.
October 21st-22nd I’ll be at The Glasgow School of Yarn. Classes can be booked here. This should be an exciting event, I’ll also have my trunk show with me for this so come along for a look.
Competition!
On my group at ravelry I’ve been running a raffle for a copy of my signed book (or some Donegal Yarn!).
From the 22nd of August until mid-day (Ireland) on the 14th of September anyone who buys one of my self-published patterns will be entered into a raffle. I’ll have two prizes (your choice), of either a signed copy of my book or Donegal yarn. The Donegal yarn I’ve got here is a sweater quantity of a dark grey/black (no. 4582) Aran Tweed or enough for Rossbeg girl’s cardigan in the orange (5530) Soft Donegal.