Wenlan Chia, the designer behind the Twinkle sweaters, accessories, yarn and more, shares knits for a weekend away from the city in her book Twinkle's Weekend Knits.
Of course these projects aren't just for people in ski lodges and cabins in the woods, but would be great for anyone looking for a cozy knit to relax in.
Almost all of the patterns are knit on large needles (15 US and up), meaning that even the biggest projects are relatively quick knitting. Not only are these projects the perfect things to wear on the weekend, they're also great choices for weekend knitting.
Big Knits
Wenlan Chia loves chunky yarn. She calls knits the "comfort food" of the fashion world, and you can see from looking at her designs that she's the kind of person who likes to get swallowed up in a giant knit sweater (using one of the yarns in her own line, of course).
She also aims to play with texture by adding a lacy element to a chunky garment or making something a little finer have super amounts of texture with cables and bobbles.
But the main feature of her designs is the largeness of the yarn and the needles involved. I can't help but think that some of these patterns would only be flattering on the smallish women who are modeling them in the book (though patterns range from 31 to 42 inch bust sizes).
Still, there are plenty of scarves, a throw, a shawl, even a chunky knit hat, that would look lovely on women of all sizes. Just use caution if you're a big girl drawn to any of the sweater patterns in this book.
The Patterns
The book includes 20 projects, and to continue with the weekend theme, they're divided into Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon knits.
The Friday patterns are meant to be for a nice evening out, either to dress up a plain outfit or make a fancy frock more casual. Saturday's patterns are perfect for a hike in the woods, and Sunday's patterns carry the cozy feeling of a weekend away from home.
There are five scarves, two hats, six sweaters, a dress, a top, iPod covers and hanger covers and a lacy wrap/throw.
Some of these patterns could easily be finished in a weekend given the large needles that are used and the relative simplicity of some of the patterns.
Most of the patterns use pretty easy stitch patterns, too, to make the knitting go along faster. The sweaters and other garments are knit at least partly in the round, another technique for speeding the process.
Some of my favorite patterns in the book include the Cloudburst Cardigan, knit in Reverse Stockinette with a fun ruffle edging; the Northern Cross Sweater, a super-chunky Stockinette piece with a red cross worked in intarsia on the front; the Wisteria Scarf, knit in openwork rib; and the Meridian Tunic Dress, which manages to be sleek and sexy even when worked on size 15 needles with four strands of yarn held together.
This book has some strange patterns, too, like the sweater with the scarf neckline and the cropped top that looks like a chunky bra. Still, you're likely to find a few projects to try if you like big needle knitting.
Publication date: February 2008.
