How to Design an Irish Knit Sweater to Knit
Traditional Irish sweater designs feature complex cable patterns, fields of textured stitches and natural-colored wool. These sweaters, commonly known as Aran sweaters, are part of a recent knitting tradition; only in the early 20th century did individuals from western Ireland begin producing and wearing the garment. But since their introduction to the commercial market in 1935, they have become synonymous with Irish heritage and craftsmanship. If you want to participate in the Aran sweater tradition, you can create your own Irish Aran sweater design.
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Things You'll Need
- Wool yarn
- Knitting needles
- Book of cable motifs
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
- Graph paper
Instructions
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1
Take measurements. If you know your measurements, you can create a custom fit. The most important measurements to take are bust circumference, shoulder width, neck width, torso length and arm length. Since most traditional Irish knit sweaters feature drop sleeves and little shaping, you shouldn't need any additional measurements.
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2
Decide what cable designs you would like to incorporate into your sweater. In order to produce the fit you want, you need to manipulate these designs to suit the garment's finished shape. You can find design inspiration in knitting reference books that feature cable motifs.
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3
Choose a yarn. Most Aran sweaters feature slightly coarse, natural-colored yarn. If you can't stand itchy wool, choose a natural colored merino or targhee wool. Find three-ply or cable yarn. These yarns feature excellent stitch definition, and their multiple plies make them sturdier.
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4
Knit gauge swatches in each of the stitch patterns you want to feature in your sweater. You probably will need a seed stitch gauge swatch, a stockinette gauge swatch and a cable gauge swatch. Knit a 6-inch square in each of the stitch patterns, wash, block and count the number of stitches and rows that fit into a 4-inch square to determine your gauge.
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5
Decide how you want to knit the sweater, as your approach will determine how you draft the design. If you want to follow the traditional method strictly, you will knit the sweater in pieces and seam them together after knitting. if you don't like seaming, you can choose to knit the sweater in the round.
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6
Chart the sweater pattern. Now that you have your gauge, you can begin to make a chart of your sweater on graph paper. Each square of graph paper represents one stitch on your sweater. Use the measurements obtained in Step One and the gauges you determined in Step Three to plot a design that works. As you chart the design, make sure that decreases don't throw off your cable pattern. Also pay attention to the placement of the cables. Many Arans feature a large, centered cable pattern flanked by smaller cabled and textured panels on either side.
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