If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you know it’s still hot, but days are starting to get shorter, a reminder that in a few weeks, the fall weather will be upon us. I would like to talk about a few options for our knitted items that are perfect for in-between seasons, both yarn and patterns.
Breathable yarns like cotton, linen, hemp, and blends of these fibers are the best for transitional knitwear, and most yarn providers have a large selection of these yarns. The new yarns come in a variety of solid colors or multicolored, thick or thin, and even structured yarns.
Layering pieces like shawls, shrugs, cardigans, or vests is a good option for your transitional knitwear project, as you can easily adapt to weather changes.
This week I’ll take you along in the making of transitional knitwear using a new yarn: UNIVERSAL YARN Tango, a vibrant and textured blend of cotton (82%) and polyamide (18%). The thick and thin yarn comes in a variety of colorful patterns formed by twisting together beautiful, strong colors.
A ball of UNIVERSAL Tango yarn (82% cotton, 18% polyamide), colorway Barrida.
Because I started knitting with fall in mind, I chose the fall colours blended in the Barrida colorway, earthy tones with speckles of orange, red, and yellow.
A strand of UNIVERSAL Tango thick and thin yarn, Barrida colorway.
Even before choosing any pattern, I started swatching using the needle sizes recommended on the ball band.
I used circular needles size US 6, 7, and 8 [4mm, 4.5mm, and 5.00mm].
The yarn is forgiving with the stitch tension, the thick and thin structure hides the variations in tension, and as the yarn is stretchy due to the way it is twisted, the various sizes of needles give almost the same stitch count. I will make my decision based on the feel of the fabric and on the pattern I choose.
I won’t choose a shawl pattern as I prefer my shawls to be more drapey. The swatch shows me that I’ll be able to knit a soft, not too thick, piece. I believe a cozy shrug or cardigan will best match the yarn I chose.
My swatch is knitted using three different sizes of needles.
I’m certain I’ll knit up a cardigan, an ideal transitional knitwear worked in UNIVERSAL YARN Tango, Barrida colorway. Join me tomorrow, and I’ll share the pattern with you.
This is part 1 of 5 in this series
