Style…..

All things books, All things craft, , ,

Style – a form of appearance, design or production. source


Most of my knitting these days is for the baby & toddler programme of a local charity but recently they’ve been asking for larger sizes – so I’m looking through this pattern book and this caught my eye.

It’s one I’ve made a couple of times previously in a 2yr size – described as ‘a child’s jumper with yoke patterning front and back’

I found it a ‘relatively easy knit’, the shape reminded me of a fisherman’s Gansey. Patterned yoke, drop sleeves, straight up and down.

And the instructions are available in sizes up to 8yrs 😊


(Use of the word jumper (or other options such as “pullover” and “jersey“) is largely determined by the regional version of English used.[1] In the case of Ireland, Britain and Australia, “jumper” is the standard word, “jersey” is used in South Africa whereas “sweater” is mainly found in tourist shops and in North America. The word used in Irish is geansaí (“guernsey”). Source)

There’s just one problem – one that probably only I see – my plain stocking stitch knitting is becoming very uneven. And there’d be an awful lot of it to be seen on a four/six year old sized jumper 🙁

Sometimes I’ve used other stitches or cables to ‘cover part of the ground’ but that doesn’t always work. Remember how uneven the fronts of those little shirts were…..

I’m not sure why, it was the same brand yarn I’ve used before. Of course it’s possible my hands are losing their grip/strength and I’m getting sloppy in the way I hold the needles so that’s something I’ll have to work on.

However…..

I think I might have found the answer to my dilemma

Do what I’ve done before

Knit Aran style or similar

No (or very little) stocking stitch to worry about

Here’s a couple from my collection – vintage now, fashionable when I bought them!

Last week’s book was set aside when a friend loaned me this
The Night Tiger – Yangsze Choo

“A captivating and magical story set in 1930s Malaysia about a dancehall girl and an orphan boy who are brought together by a series of unexplained deaths and an old Chinese superstition about men who turn into tigers.”

Much writing about customs superstition expats life in Malaya  Brought back memories of life as expats during the 1960s when we lived in that part of the world.

Oh and I have a rather nice Royal Blue waiting in the wings
That’d be the big boxes in the garage 😊
I’ll keep you posted
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Wednesday’s Words & Pics hosted by Denyse ….. Denyse Whelan Blogs.
is on again

…..  Unraveled Wednesday  hosted by Kat…….As Kat Knits……
is also on again!

Click/ tap or finger slide to enlarge

http://www.ganseys.com/ganseys/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aran_jumper

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aran_knitting_patterns
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_knitting

https://blog.tincanknits.com/2022/07/28/cable-knitting-without-a-cable-needle/

27 thoughts on “Style…..”

  1. I was always afraid when my dearest dearest grandmother knitted me a garment. Maybe her knitting was bad or her sense of style not good but I only ever wore what she knitted when she was around. ‘Andrew, go and put the lovely jumper your grandma knitted’. Maybe your knitted garments are better suited.

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    1. Andrew, I’ve found once boys reach the age of about 8/9 hand knit clothing is not going to be tolerated. Where my knits end up unfortunately the recipients often don’t get a choice – it’s wear it or be cold. I hope they like what they’re wearing but that’s not the aim

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  2. I am always amazed at what you can do with your knitting needles and I do know that my hands are not working quite as well as they used to so that might be the problem

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  3. I am always impressed at your work and will have to (reluctantly) take you at your word about its inadequacies.
    Like Andrew I have memories of a jumper (made by my mother) that I only wore when pressured to do so – though it was not the knitting but the colour/style that I objected to.

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  4. I think your knitiing is wonderful. My knitting is very uneven. I try to break up stocking stitch with a few plain rows or changes of colour. Not that I knit big garments now. Rows and rows of stocking stitch are so boring.
    I’m popping over to see the others. I love to see what other people knit

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  5. Jersey in NZ too. Guernsey usually used to describe fishermans pullover, which is also called a Gansey. Along the Yorkshire coast they knit ganseys so firmly they are effectively skin tight and waterproof. Nothing wrong with your knitting that a damping and steam press won’t fix.

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    1. Because of ‘unknown circumstances’ (not knowing where the garments are going etc) this particular charity asks for acrylic, not wool to be used. That makes it difficult at times to block/steam press the woollies. They end up flat and out of shape. Dry pressing under a dry towel works sometimes.

      And of course the thing is when they arrive at the charity’s premises it isn’t exactly ‘handle with care’ they end up all together in big tubs. Maybe my thoughts of being presented nicely and looking good are not needed…..but then I do like to think I’ve done my best.

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  7. I think they all look amazing
    Oh how I wish I could knit jumpers that are as fancy as yours.
    Maybe I’ll put that on my, new thing to learn list.
    It’s now getting rather long lol

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  8. I went down the Internet rabbit hole with your comment about “The Night Tiger” by Yangsze Choo. It’s on Amazon but is $11.99. I guess I’ll wait for it to be offered for free. Thanks for letting me know about it. It’s definitely on my ‘want to read’ list!

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    1. It was a good read Carol….lots of twists and turns and red herrings. My interest was there because of the expat content- I could see and smell the life. Try your local library – you never know, they could have it (and for free 😊)

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  9. My mum made the red/ yellow/ green one on the Panda book for my son. She even made it in those colours. What a nostalgia trip you’ve given me.
    I wouldn’t worry about uneven knitting, most of us just love a hand knit but wouldn’t realise it wasn’t “perfect”
    I like cables, too. They’re always in style

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    1. Charlotte- As I mentioned above, some charities prefer acrylic to wool. I find they are easier to obtain (and better on my bank balance as well)

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    1. Thanks Kay, living where you do there’s not much demand for woolies is there. Best to have some at the ready for your trips to the mainland tho’

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  15. I’m a jumper girl. I love how you share such lovely hand crafts. Me, hopeless, so I admire anyone who is this good at all you do. Thanks for being part of the link up for Wednesday’s Words and Pics and sharing your post. It’s always great to see you join in. See you next week…and it’s November already! Denyse.

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