ABC = Arans, Braids, Cables! ;-)
Thank you all for your kind interest and supportive hearts & words!

29-04-2013. This sweater is my top performance in improvised/experimental knitting so far. It consists of bits & pieces collected (in time) from many different places. I’ll try to link them now to the original sources of inspiration. It is not an easy job to find all exact points of ignition after words, for I am improvising “on the go” (most of the time). Well, here they are, top down:

1. The idea of the collar (btw: it was the last but not least garment’s element) - comes from St. Brigid by Alice Starmore.

2. The central Cable Panel (I have 4 of them: front, back and both sides) is very common (42 st. cable). If you can’t find anything like that at all, there is a very simillar one with chart and explanation. Actually, the central Cable Panel is also used in Louisa Harding’s design, which is published in Jaeger Handknits Book Pattern JB34, it is the beautiful model called Hazel!

3. The rest of my small ABCs are just some two-stitches twisting improvisations (here is a tool for hm-hm … beginners) and there are about zillion charts on the web).

4. The huge stranded aran-like-pattern on my hem comes from a miraculous book “Borders and Yokes” by Iris Bishop. The charts in this book are meant for the knitting machines, but who forbids us to compete with these soulless creatures? And if you don’t have this super-book and can’t find it anywhere (for it is out of print now), try this beautiful Rav-pattern by Joannie Newsome (it is free). ps: after many requests I’m adding the aran-like chart (12 st x 30 rows).

5. Courage and lots of fun come from the improvised knitting process itself!

ps: Hopefully my notes will help (at least those of you who asked me for the charts and directions).