Irish Aran Workshops

Designing Seamless Arans: A Three Day Intensive Workshop, 18 hours

Level:  Intermediate: Students must be proficient with double pointed needles.

Students will learn how to construct an Aran, those beloved garments from Ireland. A small scale seamless sweater will be knitted using traditional motifs (cables, bobbles, traveling stitches, and more), and classic construction techniques including the saddle shoulder with perpendicular joining and knitted-in sleeves. Once the sweater is completed, students will then explore alternative construction methods and apply all the techniques by planning, designing, swatching, laying out, and charting the students' own designs for their own garment. This is an intermediate level knitting class. Students must be experienced and comfortable working with double pointed needles. I will have books of motifs and patterns to share, but feel free to bring your own as well.

Class Supply List:

•     Sampler Yarn:  Three oz. worsted weight wool yarn for the sampler

•     Needles:  US sizes 5 and 7 (3.75 mm and 4.5 mm) single point or circular needles (and whatever needles you need to work your new sweater).

•     Notions:  Stitch holders, st markers, scissors, tapestry needle, cable needle, sticky notes or magnetic board to keep your place on the chart

•    Sweater Yarn:  1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds of yarn for full sized garment--bring to class at least 2 skeins of the yarn you will use for your sweater.

•     Books:  Bring any reference books you would like to work from (stitch pattern libraries). I will bring some of my books too!

•     Garment:  Optional!  If you have a sweater that fits you the way you'd like your new sweater to fit you, bring that along to determine your measurements.  (It can be a store bought garment.)

Homework:

• With the yarn intended for your design project, work a stockinette stitch swatch of 4" x 4". 

• Optional:   you may knit other swatches of pattern motifs you may like to include in your garment.  Work 2 rows of garter st at the beg and end of each swatch, and 2 sts of gater st at either side.  Lightly steam these swatches before class.

• To get a jump on the sample  sweater, work the ribbing as follows:

PRE-CLASS WORK FOR THE ARAN CLASS

The Ribbing (or "Skirt"):

With dp needles, cast on 56 sts.  Join, being careful not to twist sts, place marker at beg of round, and work ribbing as follows:

Round 1, 3, 4: *K2, p2*

Round 2: *Cable 2, p2*

Two Ways To "Cable 2" Without A Cable Needle:

     1. True Cable- Knit into second st on left needle, do not remove from needle, knit into first st on left needle, slip both sts off.

     2. Barbara G. Walker's Baby Cable- Knit 2 sts tog, but do not remove from needle.  Knit into the first st again, remove both sts from needle.

Repeat rounds 1 -4 once, then 1 -3 once.  Total: 11 rounds.

Leave sts on needles.