ChicKnits

ChicKnits has been around since 2001, long before the knitblog explosion of the last few years. Recently, designer Bonne Marie Burns revamped her line of ChicKnits patterns and has made them available in printed form. The photography and styling are beautiful and the patterns are printed on heavy cardstock. We recently received seven ChicKnits sweater patterns at Close Knit.

The patterns are very clearly written, making them ideal for a first sweater project. Several are knit from the top down, involving minimal seaming or finishing and many provide options for making your own design choices, including alternate sleeve lengths, necklines, and trims. The large cable motif on the Mondo Cable Cardi, Pulli and Vest would be a good choice for those just learning cables.

Several of the sweater designs are knit up at 4.5 stitches per inch. For these, you could use some old friends like Cascade 220, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Malabrigo Worsted or Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Or, if you’re looking for something new, try Spud & Chloe Sweater, Manos 5-Ply, Dream in Color Classy or even the fabulous new tosh vintage that Elizabeth mentioned earlier this week.

As an added bonus, the ChicKnits website includes a list of appropriate yarns for each design. If you are unsure if a certain yarn would be well-suited for a particular project, take a look at the list. Or, stop by Close Knit, where we would be happy to help you choose the perfect yarn for your new ChicKnits project.