Rugged Knits Pattern Highlight: Textured Wisp

Last weekend I got the chance to talk to a whole lot of knitters about Rugged Knits at Beehive Wool Shop. Thanks so much to those of you who came! I helped knitters pick out yarn for a bunch of projects, but I had a lot of fun figuring out the best yarn to substitute for this vest since the Imperial Yarn Bulky 2 Strand wasn't available. We ended up going with yarn from a local friend of mine - Hinterland Watershed.

CONSTRUCTION

- Worked bottom-up in the round to the armholes, then front and back are worked back and forth.

- Shoulders joined using 3-needle bind-off for a firm seam that adds durability.

- The armhole and neck edgings are picked up after joining the shoulders and are worked with short row shaping for a flattering sleeve cap look that's reflected in the neck trim.

FIT

- Wear this vest with +1-3 in/2.5-7.5 cm of positive ease. Avoid going too oversized - you don't want the relatively thick fabric to stand out from your body.

- Gentle waist shaping and short row shoulder shaping make for a great fit.

YARN

Imperial Yarn Bulky 2 Strand (100% wool; 200 yd 183 m/116 g skein) is an un-spun roving yarn that is very delicate as you knit with it, but creates a gorgeous and amazingly light fabric.

- I chose this one particularly for its loft, and it's why the pattern is called a "Wisp."

- It knits up at a very chunky gauge - the recommended gauge is 12 sts = 4 in/10 cm and I knit it up with the textured stitch pattern at 9 sts = 4 in/10 cm.

- This yarn is really soft and the resulting fabric is incredibly cuddly.

TIPS FOR SUBSTITUTING

- Like last week's pattern, Elderberry Road, the textured stitch pattern used in Textured Wisp spreads out more than Stockinette fabric would, so I suggest choosing a yarn based on the recommended gauge of Bulky 2 Strand (12 sts = 4 in/10 cm) rather than the listed pattern gauge (9 sts = 4 in/10 cm) to get the desired fabric.

- I recommend a super bulky yarn that's spun loosely rather than something super dense. That'll give you the lofty fabric that's shown in the sample. Dense, smooth yarns like Malabrigo Rasta are likely to give you a heavier vest that's more likely to grow out of shape over time.

- The yarn I picked out for a knitter last weekend at Beehive could be a great substitute: Hinterland Watershed is a 50/50 wool/alpaca blend (a singles) that's spun fairly loosely. It's pretty wooly and soft without being too smooth for this project. (Plus, the alpaca is produced right here in Victoria by my friend Hanahlie's alpaca herd and the wool is all Canadian. It's even milled in Alberta!)

- Another super bulky yarn I love is Quince and Co. Puffin. It's 100% wool, and soft while still feeling lofty and a bit rustic. It's a singles and it's sturdy, but the spin is still fairly gentle.

- Another option is actually another Imperial yarn: Native Twist. It's actually spun as a singles, unlike the un-spunBulky 2 Strand, but it puffs up a lot after wet blocking and calls for a similar gauge range. (I used it for the Surging River shawl.)

MY FAVORITE DETAIL

I love that this vest looks chic, but is super fast to knit! It was probably the fasted garment I ever made - my sample size only took about 400 yards of yarn!

GENERAL TIPS

Like last week's sweater, parts of this vest are worked in the round and parts are worked in rows, so be sure your gauge is the same for both. It's helpful to swatch both in the round and in rows to confirm that you're getting gauge.

Be sure to use the hashtags #RuggedKnits, #TexturedWisp, and #AndreaRangelKnits when you post pics of your Textured Wisp projects!

PATTERN DETAILS

Finished Sizes

32 (35.5, 41, 44.5, 48, 51.5)” (81.5 90, 104, 113, 122, 131 cm) bust circumference and 25 (25.5, 26.25, 26.25, 27, 27.5)” (63.5 65, 66.5, 66.5, 68.5, 70 cm) long.

Shown in size 35.5” (90 cm).

Intended to be worn with 1–3” (2.5–7.5 cm) of positive ease.

Yarn

Bulky weight (#6 Super Bulky).

Main Color (MC): 296 (330, 378, 410, 442, 475) yd (271 302, 345, 375, 404, 434 m).

Contrast Color (CC): 69 (74, 88, 95, 106, 111) yd (63 67, 80, 87, 97, 101 m).

Shown here: Imperial Yarn Bulky 2 Strand (100% wool; 200 yd/4 oz cake): colors #02 Pearl gray (MC), 2 (2, 2, 3, 3, 3) cakes; #46 Quail (CC), 1 cake.

Needles

Size U.S. 11 (8 mm) 16” and 32” (40 and 80 cm) circular (cir).

Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions

Markers (m); stitch holders; 3 size U.S. 11 (8 mm) double-pointed needles (dpn) for shoulder bind-off; tapestry needle.

Gauge

9 sts and 16.5 rows = 4” (10 cm) over Broken Rib patt.

Errata:

Page 26, Stitch Guide in top left corner: Broken Rib worked in Rnds should have Rnds 1 and 2 switched as follows:
Rnd 1: K1, p1; rep from.
Rnd 2: Knit.

Be sure the first waist shaping row takes place on an all-knit row.