It's 'colorwork-sweaters-every-freaking-where-you-look' season so let's CELEBRATE with five colorwork motif styles that aren't your usual suspects and that always seem to catch my eye. Enjoy! PS: Please leave links to your own favorites as well!
My Danish grandmother only did Danish colour work sweaters. The yokes were stunning, with a minimum of 4 or 5 colours! I was 15 when I did my first Danish colour work sweater.
You have the best knitting podcast. No rambling just get to the point and always always interesting topics. I have been knitting at least 70 years but still learn from your podcasts.
I made the Double Date sweater & I absolutely love it. I used Brooklyn Tweed Arbor which was ideal. The colors are not stranded colorwork, it is even easier than that! There are so many ends to manage though.
My next cast on! Just finishing off another project and there I go 😊 I tried to swatch and absolutely adored how it is actually not stranded colorwork even of it looks like it 😎
I would love if you could make a video on combining/holding two differrent plied yarn. For example when you spoke about the porcelain sweater and the pattern calls for it to be knit with one strand fingering and one strand mohair, this meant that the weight for the pattern can be knit with dk weight yarn? Should I buy fingering or dk? I hope this explanation makes sense!! I personally dont like to knit with mohair, and a lot of patterns I want to knit always pairs a base yarn with mohair. This makes it hard for me to interpret what alternative yarns I could substitute with 😭
Jessica McDonald has wonderful patterns. They are step by step and she has videos to show how to knit them. Great for beginners. Fletching is a great beginner pattern and she has a lovely flower pattern yoke sweater.
Tayler! I have to say I could watch videos like this for hours. Your taste is always perfection and the patterns you highlight are lovely. Honestly, it’s so relaxing and inspiring to watch you scroll and discuss the images we both see. ❤
My mom insisted on having a colorwork sweater knit for her this winter and she chose the Obba by Aegoyo Knit with the Kordy by Kiyomi Burgin and Sachiko Burgin as a close second. I also highly recommend the Flaten Genser by Birger Berge. It's my favroite one to wear.
Hi! That's me in the anemone sweater :)) Can confirm that the project is a blast and I finished it in less than 2 weeks because i couldn't put it down. I also made the porcelain sweater and loved it!
If color work is new or scary, try a Doodle Cowl from Pacific Knit Co. Each deck is a set of color work motif selections and you decide on the order that you use for your cowl. Very fun and genius! I made one for Christmas and added beads.
The Porcelain sweater is the colorwork sweater of my dreams! I was just looking yesterday it finding that beautiful yarn here in the US to knit an exact replica
I started a stranded colour work sweater in dk weight yarn and my menopausal self is deeply regretting it. Those things are crazy warm. I think I may have to steek it in the end and turn it into a zippered cardigan in order to wear it.
The colorwork stripes discussion reminded me of a pattern that's been in my queue forever: Ashland by Julie Hoover, which she did years ago for Brooklyn Tweed. It's fingering weight so will take longer, but such a timeless and wearable sweater.
Well of course I had to stop the video multiple times and go check out the patterns on Ravelry. I was particularly struck by the modern elegance of Time and immediately added it to my queue. Of course I also had to continue to scroll down through all the other patterns with Time in the name and came across Dino Time by Rose Marinne. ADORABLE if you have a kid or adult in your life who loves dinos. It looks like a colorwork yoke but also had graphic details like color blocked sleeves. So cute! The Marvej Sweater by Andreas Ruthemann is another drool worthy pattern, with a similarly inspired theme as the Porcelain. It has less actual colorwork, which appeals to the newby in me and looks very modern. Great roundup as usual, thanks!
LOVE the selection of colorwork options you put together! I saved them all to my favorites. I might need to knit the Spot Sweater this fall. Thanks for all the great content. I truly appreciate you!
One favorite all over color work sweater I knit last year was the Laurel sweater by Along Avec Anna. It has that geometric striped looked you were talking about and it was a really fun knit. And I love a fingering weight sweater, especially here in SC where our winters are quite mild. Love all your sweater choices, hope you get to knit some of them. 😻
Great choices Taylor! I’ve had that Porcelain sweater in my queue for ages…one day I will get to it…? I look forward to seeing what you decide for your first colorwork adventure!
I love hearing about “new to me” designers, thanks! Two sweaters that came to mind, and have been in my Ravelry favorites for a while, are the Laurel by Along avec Anna and the Stalactite by Camille Roselle. Now that I’m feeling more comfortable with colorwork, the Stalactite will be on my needles soon!
I’ve done color work and find it fascinating because you get to work both in continental and English styles while you knit. The floats can be a bit challenging but it’s still fun. Looking forward to the color work pattern you decide to do. Also I love the patterns you highlighted ❤
The Anemone sweater is so cute.I agree it’s just the right amount of floral design. Also I like the sweater Time. I did add that one to my Raverly library. Yikes another pattern in my library. Thanks for another great ramble. Until Sunday.💕. Iris
Love the Jeol and Porcelain sweaters!! I just wish I didn't run do hot and live in Northeast Tennessee!! Maybe someday if my thermostat gets sets at a much lower setting!! Thanks for showing us some great colorwork sweater ideas Taylor!!
Two color colorwork designs are a great place to use those wildly varigated skeins of hand-painted yarn that are so alluring in the skien but baffling for projects!
I’ve done some Ruke jackets and cardigans that are easy. The styles are really nice. My dilemma right now is our used about strings for a June top by Petiteknit which I gave to my daughter and looks fabulous but I ended up with four balls left….and now I’m contemplating buying more to make another project or trying to find something small to use up what’s left I’m leaning towards buying more and making a sweater but I have so much to work with and lots of sweaters in the queue. I bought the yarn on your recommendation and I love it is a great feel…knits up really well and the stitches look lovely.. I used colour way Cocoa. One thing I like, is to keep making the Petiteknit Sophie Shawl and scarf for a travel project or a palate cleanser especially when I’m working on something that’s very difficult and I need to stop and take a breath. It’s an easy project that I like to have on the go and there’s always someone who can use one.
I absolutely love the TIME sweater. I think that looks very elegant. If I were to make a sweater, that one would be it. Once I take a break from my Tunisian crochet, that I am completely addicted to at the moment. I am thinking about that sweater.
My Saturday mornings are now dedicated to watching your podcasts and knitting. I just love your creativity. You inspire me to step out of my comfort zone in a classy and trendy way ❤❤❤
Thank you for all this colourful inspiration 🤩 I have not tried a stranded colourwork project yet, but have just bought the Night Owl cowl and sweater by Meghan Regan aka Bad Wolf Girl Designs - she has some great autumn/Halloween designs too 🍁🎃. I do have a mosaic knitting blanket project on my needles at the moment and really like the finished colourwork look while only working with one colour at a time 🙂 Love love love that your mug and sweater reflect the styles/motifs in the Porcelain sweater and the Jeol sweater! 💛
I love that you included Rachel Illsley’s design; I’ve knit three of her designs so far. The Lost City was the first one I made. It’s not too daunting, done in DK/ worsted weight, and the colorwork is in bands with plain knitting in between. I used a long repeat multicolor yarn for the designs, looks awesome.
I've already purchased the pattern (and yarn) for the Jeol sweater. It's next on my list to knit! Now you've got me looking at even more patterns. Great list, thanks!
I would listen to you talk for hours! You’re so good at expressing yourself and you have so many interesting thoughts and ideas, amazing to follow along!
Great pattern roundup. Going to have to knit that Anemone sweater for my granddaughter. I have a couple of suggestions as well. The Kerr sweater by Creabea, and the Gemini jumper by This.Bird.Knits. As always love your podcasts.
I had a really good time doing a super low contrast jumper (my own design) with black floral motifs on a dark green background. Very clear stitches in the light, looks solid colour in the evening unless you're up close. Also had a good time making a traditional yoke jumper in green. As someone who doesn't want anything too festive, it was a nice way to get something which looked like I was getting involved and making an effort, while also being wearable throughout winter :) Some kind of versatility or contrast options might help you narrow it down 😊
Love these so much! ❤🧶 My favorite colorwork piece I’ve done is the Halibut Sweater by Caitlyn Hunter. It’s a fish motif in a circular yolk. It gives me the coziest winter coastal vibe. I highly recommend for colorwork beginners!
Like yourself, I have yet to do a colour stranded sweater. I love the examples you showed. They speak to me as well. A bit more modern and wearable. I will definitely take a deep look in Ravelry. Thank you for the jump start!
I have recently been drawn to color work sweaters, so this post hit the spot for me. I just finished a Mosaic cowl, the pattern is from Lyrical Knits on Ravelry, Killer Queen. It was such a fun pattern to knit, I am going to make another on for a Christmas present. Just like most people, I have a very long list of things I want to knit….
Hey Tayler, the Double Date actually isn't stranded colorwork 😉 but yeah I def wanna knit at least one colorwork sweater this fall/winter! Need to finish my Rumble Raglan and want to knit the Okkult Sweater.
About flowers 🌸 Pressed flower sweater comes to my mind, all over flower, modern and not too feminine! The shawl version was very popular, check it out!
Such a great roundup!! Thanks for sharing! I also have yet to dive into color work in my knitting journey, hopefully one day I will! Maybe I just need a knit along to motivate me *hint hint wink wink* 😅😍
Taylor you could 100% do a Marie Wallen! I made a Lovage last year, and it's all only 2 colours at a time, totally addictive and looks waaaaay more complicated than it actually is. If you ever do a push-yourself-colourwork-KAL I'm in!
made a ramble and then went immediately to make another one :) biggest mod: instead of knitting the colorwork on the sleeves on same or larger needle - made it on smaller one and cinched the sleeve at that part. it is sooooooo excelllent
If you like the anemone sweater, you might like the pressed flowers collection. There’s a cardigan and pullover, along with socks, shawl, and cowl. I think it’s mosaic knitting.
If you like that non-traditional colorwork placement on the body of the sweater, you may want to check out the Kerr Sweater by Rebecca Clow on Ravelry. I just did my first stranded colorwork projects a couple months ago (a hat and cowl set) and loved it. Looking forward to getting into colorwork sweaters soon! Thanks for the pattern inspiration! Love that Porcelain Sweater, but I can see from the construction that the top colorwork section is knitted flat so It may be a while before I try that.
I've had the Ixchel sweater by Catherine Clark on my queue for years now! I even purchased yarn to make it up, but I want to make sure I can knit the colorwork and not have it be too tight before I dive into a big one like that. So gorgeous though!
You do find some of the most unique, and, yes, chic and classy sweaters! Re: the floral motif--Have you seen the Pressed Flowers cardigan by Amy Christoffers? That one catches my eye. Thanks for sharing these with us!
You said that correctly 👍 jeol sweater by aegyo knit! Jeol means to bow 🙇🏻♀️ (traditional way to greet) in Korean and aegyo is cute affectionate attitude of young girl/women! The designer makes most of her sweater names in Korean for some reason and the designs are special and gorgeous ❤
I have the double date sweater saved in my faves as inspo. However, I believe I have yarn in stash for the Stalacite sweater by Camille Rosselle. I hope to cast it on during my maternity leave. 😊
Ohhhh, some beautiful examples! Right now I’m working on Throwover by DreaReneeKnits. I’m doing it in only two colors, to wrap my brain and fingers around colorwork. It’s worsted. I could totally see a Fisherman’s Wool version!
Hi Taylor, I just love your podcast - As a Dane, Its just so cool your showing all of these gorgeous designs from Danish designers - they are indeed amazing! Looking forward to seeing your spot sweater - it’s on my dream knit list✨ All the best from Denmark, Karin❤
It’s my pleasure Karin! Thank you so much for watching. Some of my favorite designs are coming from Danish designers. The simplicity and elegance gets me every time. So good. ❤️
Just such a pity that most of them are not size inclusive. Danish designers are generally quite poor with that - which annoys me a lot, as I’d love to support Danish designers. Gotta buy locally.
@@julianesrensen3129 I have heard about that problem in general with designs - I do notice quite a lot of the the Danish knitwear designers updating their patterns with more sizes. So hopefully they will keep up with that demand.
@@karingranlien5656 yes, it’s great that some are making an effort to update the sizes they provide in old patterns as well. I hope they continue to do so! :)
Ooh! I love Danish Musing's spot sweater version, with a gradient of colour... You should check it out - I would personally love to do a version like that.
I’ve knit a few color work sweaters. I’m working on my first Rachel Illsley design right now. I’d suggest making sure that there are only 2 colors per row. Way easier. I think that Anemone sweater has sections of 3 colors. I can’t tell you how much harder that is. Love the Porcelain sweater.
"Aegyo" (eh-gyuh) is a Korean term for a personality of cuteness/coquettishness/propriety and is considered a desirable trait. :) The sweater would be pronounced "juhl" (That's about as close as you can get with English sounds)
Omg I love ALL of these designs. I love to do color work knitting and a sweater is next on my horizon. I agree with you on not wanting to wear a “too” traditional style of sweater, since as a south Asian I would feel a bit like a poser appropriating another culture’s attire.
When I finally finish the cable sweater I'm making, my next one will be the Moraine sweater by tincanknits. I wanted to learn traditional patterns like the snowflake and lice stitch, and the added color blending sort of sucked me in.
Have you seen the color work being designed by Teti Lutsak? Very interesting designs. I just bought yarn for Pictus, but am super intrigued by the Ornata blouse. All the stranded work is in the sleeves.
Oh my! Guess what? That vintage Bestway floral top is a pattern that I have in my vintage pattern stash and uploaded on the Ravelry database - my ravelry name is "NakoaKnits". I recognised the image immediately 😊
The first "big thing" I knitted, not mittens or doll clothes, was a stranded vest/slipover. It was inspired by embroidery patterns, with the front made up of "stripes" as you call it, sections of motifs, borders, letters, numbers, one of birds, one of tulips and so on. It took me a while (early teens), but what took me the longest was the back (I wisely began with the front), because that was just plain stockinette, like forever on 3.5 mm needles. Today I think about redoing it, but knitting it in the round, with stranded knitting all around, or maybe begin at the shoulders ... and now I sort of find plain knitting relaxing, but then I could not stand it.
I love your mid-week rambles! I am going to do a similar thing with cardigans, because living in a very cold climate, I need layers! Do you have any favorite cardigans? Do you like steeking?
