An Aran for my husband
I’m starting the new year off with a bang! I’m conquering two knitting resolutions at once. Not only am I finally knitting my husband’s sweater, but I am also cabling. This should be quite the adventure.
After much hemming and hawing, my husband and I finally picked out which pattern to use for his sweater. Because we had already bought the yarn, we knew whatever we chose had to use worsted weight yarn, so that narrowed down our choices a bit. We ended up settling (not really settling because it’s gorgeous) on An Aran for Frederick by Kathleen Dames featured in Jane Austen Knits, 2011.
I’ve always been a fan of cabled sweaters. I love the intricate design. When I found out that each cable has a meaning, too, well that just about blew my mind. Now, I have no idea what cable means what, but it’s just a lovely idea. Sweaters made way back when for fishermen and sailors weren’t just beautiful, they were personalized and told a story about that man.
The yarn we’re using isn’t the loveliest, but I think it’s awfully appropriate. Ken chose Lion Brand’s Fishermen’s Wool in Nature’s Brown. It’s not the softest stuff, but I’ve had fun in the past dyeing the Natural color. I will say, it works up a bit softer than when it’s just in the skein. And it’s certainly nowhere near as rough on the hands as Red Heart Super Saver.
I haven’t gotten a lot of work done on it yet, but I blame our baby kitten Amp for that. I’ve done just over an inch of the cabling, so I really am just in the beginning stages. Little Amp has been having fun trying to pull stitches off the middle of the needle and trying to run away with it. He’s even pulled my post-it notes off that were marking my place off of the pattern. It’s been a bit of a slow-go, but he’s only about 4.5-5 months old. My dad says he’s in his terrible twos, and I believe it!
I have no idea how long this is going to take, but I’ve found I’ve become a much more patient person over the last couple of months. The fact that this project will likely take several months isn’t bothering me like it would’ve before. I’m just enjoying the project. What’s better is at the advice of the pattern, I’m learning how to cable without a needle. It’s so easy! I had no idea. That’s been a lot of fun to learn, and I’m slowly being able to recognize how to do the cable by the image on the chart, which was another thing I struggled with in the past.
Oh! And it’s too early to say too much, but a friend of mine has requested a girl Minion to give someone for a baby gift. I don’t know if you’ve seen Despicable Me or not (if you haven’t, you really should!), but the minions are my favorite part! I’m super excited about this project, but I’m still trying to figure out which pattern on Ravelry to choose. I’m kind of leaning toward a crochet amigurumi one, even though I’m not super strong on crochet. I did make a couple of cute amigurumi in the past, so I might be able to pull this off!
Happy Wednesday!
For the Knit of It 
Aran for Frederick is an interesting pattern and I like the yarn color. I especially like the cable design at the back shoulder. Looking forward to watching your progress.
It’s a bit intimidating, but the outcome looks so gorgeous. I just had to try this pattern.
I love the looks of that pattern. I wanted to knit it for the BF, but he doesn’t wear sweaters. Hrmph.
I am making this sweater right now, too! A word to the wise: be sure that your guage is correct. I had about 4 inches of it done when I realized it was way too small. Grrrrr…. My own fault, as I did not do a swatch first.
I love the fact that it is done in circular needles, since making it in separate pieces did not appeal to me at all. I am knitting it for myself even though it is “technically” a man’s sweater. The intricacy of the cabling is absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait until it’s done.
I am using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Alan in Sage (very expensive, more than I have ever spent on yarn before), with a single row of Cream color on the bottom of the body and the sleeves just to make it a little more feminine. I love your choice of the Lion brand fisherman wool. That yarn is nice quality and a great deal, as well!
Looking forward.to seeing your progress. Take care!
**Aran, not Alan** haha
That yarn sounds so gorgeous!
This was definitely one of the first swatches where I did the whole thing when it came to swatches. I tried a couple needle sizes and made sure to also wash and block the piece. I’m still a little nervous, though!
Wow, you are definitely way more organized than I am! I get impatient and too excited to start new projects that I rarely do watches. I’ve been lucky most of the time, bit this one came back to bite me. At least it was good practice for all of the various cable stitches. I would love to see how your sweater is coming along and show you mine, too, but I don’t know if I can post pics here.
Also, I forgot to mention, if you are looking for some knitted monsters, Rebecca Danger has a great selection of adorable little creatures if you haven’t seen her patterns before!
I absolutely love Rebecca Danger’s designs! I made her Chadwick the Shakespearean Caterpillar a few months ago. Her designs are so much fun!
I love them, too! 🙂 I have a Pug and was thrilled to find her knitted Pug pattern. I made it in Lion brand organic cotton and larger needles than called for and absolutely loved the way it came out!