Fun
Bang Out a Sweater: Dreaming It Up
If you have never Banged Out a Sweater with us, well, it’s good fun.
It’s pretty much the most exhilarating, pedal-to-the-metal knitalong. The premise is simple: during the shortest month of the year, we all knit a sweater, start to finish.
It all starts on Friday, February 1.
In recent years, we Banged Out a Stopover. We Banged Out a Hadley. We Banged Out a Carbeth.
This year, we are going to Bang Out a Revolution.
The designs that Norah Gaughan created for the new MDK Field Guide No. 9: Revolution are uniquely delicious sweaters to Bang Out. The yokes and garment silhouettes are all interchangeable—if you like a certain cable pattern and a certain garment style, well guess what: these patterns make that very simple to do.
The sweater shapes are versatile and flattering.
Cardigan or pullover? Short sleeves or long? It’s up to you.
When you consider the additional designs in Norah’s new collection, Interchange (ability), you’ll have even more options for yokes and sweater shapes.
Patterns from Norah’s COLLECTION Interchange (ability)
Yarn: A Large Part of the Fun
Now would be a good moment to choose the yarn with which you shall bang out your sweater.
We encourage you to use whatever yarn you like to Bang Out Your Revolution. But we’d be bad shopkeepers if we didn’t point your attention to the special yarns in the MDK Shop for the designs in Norah’s Interchange (ability) and Field Guide No. 9.
Periwinkle Sheep Merino DK. All these colors are wearable semisolids that let Norah’s cablework shine.
Pine Forest, Ballet, Hydrangea, Olive, Geranium, Dove, Bisque, Cadet, Beaujolais
Julie Asselin Hektos. The six shades all feature Julie’s signature sophisticated color sense. I’d love a sweater in any of these colors.
Alcott, Week-end, London, Sherwood, Biscotti, and Sauge Argentée at the bottom
There’s a lot of interesting color shifting in these skeins. Beautiful for a sweater.
Spud ’n’ Chloë Sweater. Equal parts cotton and wool, 100 percent soft and warm. Seven shades in the Shop now.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Beluga, Toast, Skydiver, Moonlight, Red Velvet, Chocolate Milk, LAKE
If you’re eyeing one of these, we encourage you to order it up from the MDK Shop. We’re getting better at anticipating interest in our yarns, but we’re still surprised when yarns disappear quickly.
It’s not too soon to share your strategies, schemes, ideas, and questions about what you’ll be Banging Out. Conversation is under way in the MDK Lounge at Bang Out a Revolution, and the Instagram hashtag #BangOutASweater is ready and waiting for you to share your process.
The Delicious Joy of Dreaming Up a Sweater
Scheming up a sweater can be one of the most diverting parts of knitting. Choosing a design and yarn? Intoxicating!
Please put Bang Out a Sweater in your thinkerator and let it marinate and grow and be something really fun to think about during the coming days.
We’ll be talking more about these designs. We’re really excited.
I’m in! Going for the Calligraphy Cardigan with 3/4 length sleeves. Now I’ve got to get cracking on finishing my January projects!!
Same with me, the Calligraphy Cardigan and I have the Periwinkle Sheep in hydrangea. Can’t wait to start. Just finished a Humulus for my Speedy Sweater with the Grocery Girls. I only have a little time for personal knitting, too many grand children who love all knitted items from Mimi.
I couldn’t wait to get started. Already to the hip shaping section .I LOVE the Periwinkle Sheep yarn! So soft!
I’m going to make this project but first need to finish the Hadley pullover. If anyone has made this pattern can you tell me whether there are 7 or 8 rows of stock st between decrease rows in the waist shaping?
7 rows between decreased rows after the first decrease row, so 1, 9, 17 etc are decrease rows.
I’ll go look. I don’t remember.
I have chosen 3 different options from stash and I need to swatch. The plan was to swatch in December but I was working on finishg my Double Wide Parallelogram Scarf. I’m going to do my best to Bang out a Revolution!
I’m swatching for the Calligraphy cardigan. The February start date will give me time to perfect the cables!
I will once again be cheering from the bleachers! Getting out my poster paints for sign-making now 🙂
I’ll join you in the cheering section, Quinn!!
Me too! Still too intimidated to try and knot a whole sweater with cables in 28 days. I give those who are in my highest respect for their craft
I’m doing the Calligraphy yoke as a pullover using Hecktos in London and couldn’t be more excited! I’ll be posting swatches on Instagram next week at Nellknits, if you’d like to take a look at how I’m planning to merge the 2 patterns together.
going to do the Hugo Poncho in Berroco Ultra Alpaca as soon as I finish my SIL socks.
I also want to make a simply boxy sweater to wear with jeans too before March so I gotta get going.
Sure wish I could see the designs on larger, bustier models . . .
I am a 42″ bust and made the 45.5″ size Calligraphy cardigan (with 3/4 sleeves). I’m very happy with how it came out. You can find my project on the Ravelry link below or on instagram
Gorgeous!
As another bustier (bustiest? 48″ ) knitter, I was excited by Calligraphy because in the photo,the front cables seem to form a vertical, rather than diagonal line, and I find those diagonal raglan lines very unflattering. I have purchased the booklet, but am not state my anything until several hibernating projects have been awakened and completed. I am looking forward to seeing other people’s projects.
As a larger, bustier participant, I hear you! There are some #mdkfieldguideno9 projects popping up on Instagram that might give you some guidance making choices and also Ravelry projects: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/mason-dixon-knitting-field-guide-no-9
I’m planning on Elaine’s Cape cables on the cardigan model–with sleeves.
Oh this is perfect! I was planning on making myself a sweater, and yoke sweaters are my favorites! I actually already have some bare Peruvian worsted wool (KnitPicks WoTA) coming, and plan to dye up a fade. Now to decide dark to light top to bottom, or the reverse? Then there’s the color… dark purple into a pale green or burgundy into a soft blue?
Comments? Suggestions?
I’m partial to the purple into green. I’m thinking a dark periwinkle into a medium sage or celadon. It makes me think of my favorite flowers – hydrangeas
I agree with Cristina.
This sounds amazing, Islay. Burgundy to soft blue since you’re asking! My inclination would be to go from darker to lighter top down. Can’t wait to see your progress!
I’m in with the swirl topper with long hemmed sleeves. I’m hoping to use some Verdande in stash—either red or a wine-ish color. I think I have SQ of both.
Can’t wait!
I’ve stalled out on my knitting since feverishly finishing some items for a vacation at the end of October, this is just what I need to get going again! I’ve got some work travel coming — so I hope my seat mate on the plane likes sweater parts draped over them.
Although I have banged out all three previous sweaters, I’m considering participating unconventionally this year, and banging out an Ironworks beret (already have the yarn!) and using the extra time to finish a sweater that’s been in my WIPs for 3 years…..
Any chance you will be getting more Periwinkle Sheep in Hydrangea?
I have three sweaters in my 2019 Ravelry Challenge queue. Sounds like a good opportunity to bang one out! I’ve been meaning to do Purl Soho’s Botanical Yoke Pullover for ages, and I decided to try it in doubled Jaggerspun Zephyr. Four skeins of that are somewhere around, anxiously awaiting their destiny.
I, too, will be cheering this endeavor from the sidelines. Two notes, though: 1) this has inspired me to select the theme of “Cables” for my 2019 knitted gifts, and 2) I WILL be banging out a more basic sweater during February, just not one of these. I’ve only ever done baby sweaters, so this will be the first time to do something for myself.
I’m all set. I have the pattern and will do a pullover, I think. Will use yarn from stash. But WHERE will this be going on – where do I sign up. On Ravelry? Where do I get to see what others are doing? Sorry to be such a lamebrain.
I’m so excited! I will lead a KAL at my LYS- The Perfect Blend in Saugerties, NY! For sure I will do Rope and Braid! I fell in love with it the minute I saw it! I’ll assist other knitters choose their pattern and yarn! I’m on the fence which yarn I’ll use! I’ll go this weekend to look and feel! I can’t wait to cast on!
Thank you all!
I’ve want to be a part of your “Bang out a…” since last year when I didn’t Bang Out A Carbeth, so when I saw your announcement, I ordered the Field Guide. However, my knitting sensei announced in class that she is offering a Friday/Saturday workshop. The sweater she will be teaching is Arboreal (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arboreal) which is quite similar to last year’s March Madness winner, the Humulus. So, if it meet with your approval, I’ll be banging out a sweater in February, just not a Field Guide one. I’ll have the Field Guide, so I can bang out one of those later in the year!
I am doing Calligraphy, maybe with longer sleeves. It depends if I have enough yarn to go further. I am using Blacker Lyonesse Pure wool with linen – it swatched perfectly and I can’t wait to see how it comes out. I considered changing up the sweater – I bought Interchange as well so tons of options. But, there isn’t anything I don’t like about Calligraphy as it stands, so that is what it is. Intriguing to design my own still, next time.
I’m in! Swirl top✨
I’m going for the tree of life seater. I have enough yarn from my stash to make it. A blend of merino wool and alpaca . in purple my favorite color. It a light color so the cables should be seen.
Has anyone thought about a provisional cast on since we have to pick up those neck stitches? I’m looking forward to the starting bell, and I usually overthink it. Let the games begin!
Yes someone mentioned that and I think it’s a fantastic idea. Kudos for reading the pattern all the way through!
I’m doing mine in alpaca. In a purple color. I am on my 4th rd.
Getting ready to do increases for the hip, but it appears increases are only done on one side (from total stitches at end of increases) Why not both?