Aran Links
Posted on 12.07.05 by lucia @ 9:37 am

Janet Szabo, owner of Big Sky Knitting and moderator of the Aran Knits yahoo groups email list, will be leading a top down Aran Knit-A-Long beginning in January, 2006. Guidelines for the knit-a-long are posted at Big Sky Knitting's FLAK knitalong page. Janet is a wonderful designer and teacher. So, if you follow along, you'll be able to read some really good tips for designing and knitting a custom Aran to fit you.

As it happens, I designed a saddle shoulder Aran and knit it top down last fall. Even though my basic design is a bit different from Janet's, some knitters might be interested in finding my tips and techniques. This list may simplify that task:

Aran Knitting Stitch Patterns, Tips and Techniques.

  • Sleeve Knit Top Down
  • General Design of Aran. Design tips for motifs.
  • Scaling Up Sizes. Design: Discusses increasing the size of an Aran design.
  • Sleeve Cap. Design: How to design a sleeve cap for a semi-fitted sleeve.
  • Sleeve Length. Design: Sleeve Length.
  • Sleeveless Aran. How Aran looks before sleeves are attached.
  • Finished the knitting. Progress: How the sweater looks with one sleeve missing.
  • Aran to Underarms. Progress: To underarms.
  • Full Twisted Rib. Stitch Pattern for ribbing on Arans.
  • Trinity Stitch. Stitch Pattern: A traditional Aran stitch pattern.
  • Stitch Pattern: Half Twisted Rib. Stitch Pattern: Interesting variation or Rib. (I advise using full twisted rib though.)
  • Twisted Column. Stitch Pattern: Knit a twisted rib stitch to make it pop.
  • Moss stitch. Stitch Pattern: Popular background stitch pattern.
  • Seed Stitch. Stitch Pattern: Popular background stitch.
  • Celtic Flourish. Swatching the major stitch pattern.
  • Pick Up Stitches for Back. Technique
  • Increase 5 stitches into 1. Technique used in Celtic Flourish.
  • Pillar Decrease. Technique for Celtic Flourish stitch pattern.
  • Knit Sleeve Top Down. Technique.
  • Join front to back. Technique.
  • Phoney Seams. Technique: Create crisp fold lines at side seams.
  • Attach sleeve to body. Technique: Graft saddle, mattress stitch rest of sleeve.
  • Cross without a cable needle. Technique: How I cross medium wide cables.
  • How to use a pull skein. Technique: Illustrated with Plymouth Galway.
  • Wicker work. Technique: Read to learn to twist two stitches without a cable needle.
  • Shoulder Strips. Technique: Saddle shoulder strips illustrated.
  • Binding off. Technique: Smooth bind off when knitting rib circular.
  • Pick up stitches for neck. Technique: Useful if you cast on neck using waste yarn.
  • Provisional Cast On. Technique: Useful if you want to work sleeves separate and graft later.

    • Based on questions I'm reading Aran Knits, visitors may want to know these tidbits:

    1. Jim's Men's extra-small sweater was knit using Plymouth Galway. I bought ten 50 gram skeins and used roughly 8. I had enough left over to knit a flying spaghetti monster and a spiral ear flap hat. I still have more left over.
    2. I think Janet recommends Cascade 220, Elann Peruvian Highland and Knitpicks Wool of the Andes. The guidelines at her site list required yardages.

    Stumble it (and place in Knitting/crochet!)
    Please leave comments!

    6 Comments »

    1. I am knitting an aran sweater and the pattern reads yarn forward and then later yarn back.How do you do this?
      Thank you
      Anna

      Comment by Anna Cooper — 3/13/2006 @ 10:52 am

    2. As far as I can tell, the term “yarn forward” is the most inconsistently used term in knitting. I’ve seen several “definitive” definitions.

      I discuss yarn over forwards and backwards here:
      http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/379

      Comment by lucia — 3/13/2006 @ 10:54 am

    3. [...] Lot’s of people posts questions about how to make the final bind off look good when knitting circular. I may show how I do that more detail sometime later; then you can decide if you like my method. But, I need to wait until I knit the collar, or cuffs, because I forgot to take pictures! This is filed with stitch patterns and Aran Knitting. Previous posts: ( Ready For Ribbing. | Home | You gotta admit, this is cool!)   Please leave comments! Filed under: Hand Knitting and Knitting and Knit and Aran and techniques Trackback URL for this knitting blog post: http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/445/trackback/ Lucia Liljegren: Copyright 2005-2006 Rights to all site content including knitting patterns, generators and haikus reserved. [...]

      Pingback by The Knitting Fiend » Blog Archive » Half Twisted Rib — 12/3/2006 @ 9:47 pm

    4. Can someone knit mine for me? Iv given up!

      Comment by Glenys Bowes — 1/13/2008 @ 2:31 am

    5. In Jane Snedden Peever 2003 “Crocheted Aran Sweaters” - Green Mantle p.50 I am at 5 and 6. My problem is with hdc2tog and sc2tog. I have tried decreasing by joining 2 tog (hdc and sc) but I am not getting the right angle needed on the right side of Side A. It seems the decrease has to be more severe. What I am getting is a 45 degree angle and not a 90 degree angle. Can you help me? Thanks much.
      Marilyn Milkins

      marm 3700 @comcast.net

      phone: 610-670-1364

      Comment by Marilyn Milkins — 10/27/2009 @ 3:29 pm

    6. Hi Marilyn. I emailed you privately.

      Comment by Lucia — 10/27/2009 @ 4:09 pm

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