Fun
Bang Out a Daytripper: It’s Go Day!
Dear everybody looking for fun,
Ready set go! Today is the day we begin everybody’s favorite 28-day dash: our annual effort to knit an entire sweater during the shortest month of the year.
Bang Out a Sweater? You bet. And this year, the sweater is already a huge favorite.
Mary Jane Mucklestone’s Daytripper Cardigan.
It is the star of Field Guide No. 17: Lopi.
Come Zoom with Us Today!
Mary Jane Mucklestone is our special guest today for a free Bang Out a Daytripper launch party, today at 5:00 pm Eastern.
A bunch of you are new to making a sweater, working colorwork, and steeking. We’ll spend our time giving you an overview of the pattern and the techniques involved. Bring your knitting!
[Editor’s Note: Did you miss the Zoom party? Watch the recording here.]
An Overview: Why This Is Something You Should Do
It’s not too late to jump in on this knitalong.
Over the years, we have seen first-time sweater makers and seasoned veterans jump on this bandwagon to amazing results. Sweaters completed. Friends made. Goals achieved. The exhilaration of making a beautiful sweater to wear cannot be overstated. It’s just so satisfying.
This year, there are even more reasons to join us:
Cute pattern. Mary Jane’s Daytripper Cardigan is a jolly thing, a mood lifter if ever there were one.
Classic yarn. Léttlopi is the worsted weight of the famous Icelandic yarn, lopi. It is airy. It is lofty. For Mary Jane’s design, the gauge is 13 stitches = 4″ (10 mm). In other words: big stitches = fast knitting. We carry 38 colors of Léttlopi, so there are endless options available.
A steek! This thrilling bit of work will make you feel like a genius.
Caring and sharing. We’ll provide tons of support and encouragement in the MDK Lounge, our virtual rec room where you’ll see what everybody’s working on and get answers to your questions.
Prizes! We’ll randomly be doling out prizes of Léttlopi kits and an Icelandic Yarns Sample pack from Berroco Yarns to knitters who post their progress in the Lounge and on Instagram tagging pics #BangOutADaytripper.
How to Join In
It’s easy.
Get the pattern. Many of you already have Field Guide No. 17: Lopi, so you’re already halfway there. If you need the pattern, you’ll find it here, in print and ebook editions.
Get yarn. We suggest that you’ll want to get Léttlopi yarn for this sweater, given the way Mary Jane has designed the gauge to work on larger needles than typical. All yarns are welcome, as with all our knitalongs. But we think this pairing of pattern and yarn is ideal. Kay and I have both knit one of these babies; we’re back for more.
Join the conversation. The MDK Lounge is our forum where you’ll find fellow Daytrippers discussing strategy, technique, color thoughts. You’ll find the Bang Out a Daytripper topic right here. A friendly group—come join in!
Picking Your Colors
What will your seven colors be? Here to help, as always. Check the pattern here for the quantities needed of each color. Basically, it’s one skein each of five colors for the yoke, then 2-3 skeins for the trim and 6-9 skeins for the main color.
Want to see 117 color ideas? Ravelers have posted all kinds of combinations.
Want to get out your colored pencils? Jen Geigley’s blank Daytripper templates let you try out color combinations. Find the downloadable PDF links in this post from Kay.
Love,
Ann and Kay
that’s the number of colors I’m using see you soon!
apricot, barley, glacier blue, mimosa, celery, lagoon
Will be at Zoom in spirit. Casting on tonight!
Waiting on yarn so my bang out will be in a few less days.
Ooh! Those blues and gold in the cover photo are beautiful!
So beautiful- I wonder what they are? I would wear that every day.
Thanks Kimberley and Milou. That sample is mine! The color numbers (some discontinued) are here: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/philacraftina/daytripper-cardigan Gold (MC), Rust, and Oatmeal, and Navy Blue are in stock. Stone Blue and Heaven Blue–also in stock–would make great subs for the discontinued colors.
Unfortunately I work late on Tuesdays but I’ll be there in spirit. I’m still swatching so I’ll be a little late casting on but I hope to be able to catch up quickly.
Will the Zoom call be recorded if we can’t make it?
Definitely–look out for the Vimeo link in Snippets and in the homepage banner later this week.
Thank you! Silly work is getting in the way of me joining today!
I’m banging out the Destination Pullover instead, but I’m with you in spirit.
I may have cheated a bit by starting early on Jan 22 when my yarn arrived–but I’m slow and there’s already no way I’ll finish by the end of Feb. But I am almost done with the yoke and am delighted with how it looks (on the outside–the inside is a mess).
I’ve been swatching for gauge and I have to say this is some very scratchy yarn. Does this soften up at all?
@Debra, I had some improvement in the scratch factor when I soaked my finished Solbein sweater, also knit with Lettlopi, in hair conditioner. Give that a try!
Cast on over coffee this morning, and I’m rocking my way through the yoke. I’m completely tickled with my MDK-guided color choices. Thanks for the inspiration!
The Zoom link says it’s invalid! Help/
I want your hat!!! Love it!! New so info on it pls. Dot
I haven’t made the sweater, but the “hat” looks like the yoke squeezed on the circ cord on top of her head! Silly hat trick!
I’m wrapped up in another project and can’t join the bang out a sweater fun, but after 12 years of knitting, I’ve still not done a steek. I’m telling myself 2022 is the year to do one. I have watched several videos and read a lot about it on this blog and I’m really looking forward to it – I just haven’t made any cardigans with this technique and it’s time.