Monday 13 October 2008

Pentagons are so cool



and so is this pullover!
Pattern: Swirled pentagon pullover by Norah Gaughan from Knitting Nature
Yarn: Approx. 605g (I just needed to begin 7th skein to finish 2nd sleeve) New Lanark Aran in Natural Black
Needles: 5mm
I loved knitting this. I've been knitting for more than 25years and I have to say Norah Gaughan is one of the few designers that really never stops to impress me. Her designs are so special and distinctive. There is this mathemathical/ geometric side in them that makes them different from any other designers' work. I enjoyed knitting those pentagons, seeing them grow into perfectly fitting yoke and then keeping rest of the pullover really simple - just stockinette and some 2-by-2 ribbing.

I liked the pattern so much that I hardly did any changes to it. Of course I needed to recalculate all stitch counts as my gauge was way off, but apart from that I only changed edge ribbings from 1*1-rib to 2*2.rib, and added some really subtle shaping to body. And I knitted the whole thing round. Sleeves too. The original pullover in the book is made from some soft angora-blend, but I wanted a wholesome, outdoorsy pullover that could take years and years of wear. So I chose New Lanark Aran as yarn. It is a very coarse yarn. Which is why I think it was perfect for this particular pattern. Colour is good as well - undyed "black", which is dark brown in real life. Spartan but nice.

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