Open Road Pattern Spotlight: Allons Mitts and Camerado Cowl

Today's post is all about the two matching accessories in my Open Road collection—Allons and Camerado.

The Allons mitts are a feminine yet practical cool-weather accessory featuring the same pretty stitch pattern as the Journeyer pullover.  Since Journeyer and Camerado are symmetrical, I thought it would be fun to add a touch of asymmetry to the collection. So I placed the stitch pattern in Allons off center.

Ribbing on the palm and sides ensures a comfortable fit. And with instructions for two sizes, you should be able to make Allons for almost anyone. They're worked in the round on double-pointed needles, from the bottom up, beginning and ending with rolled stockinette.

These mitts are knit in DK weight yarn at a fairly firm gauge, for warmth. I used Acadia from the Fibre Company, a slubby blend of merino, silk, and alpaca. When I swatched with Acadia, I felt it would really shine in an uncomplicated design. So I chose to keep the design clean and simple and allow the beauty of the yarn to take center stage.

The same smocked lace stitch appears along the sides of the matching cowl, Camerado. For this design, I felt a smooth fingering weight yarn with good stitch definition would be best. I used Quince & Co.'s Finch in Kumlien's Gull for the blue cowl (three skeins) and Egret for the cream cowl (five skeins).

The pattern provides instructions for two widths and lengths. The cream cowl is quite wide and long (13.25 inches/34 cm wide by 68 inches/173 cm in circumference). It's designed to be extra warm and cozy for those cold days ahead! But if that's more knitting than you're up for, no worries—the blue cowl is just 8.5 inches/22 cm wide by 54 inches/137 cm in circumference and knits up very quickly.

Camerado is worked flat (back and forth) from a provisional cast on. When you're finished, you join the beginning and ending edges with a three-needle bind-off. Complete instructions for these techniques are provided in the pattern. And for all three designs in Open Road, stitch patterns are given in both charts and written, line-by-line form. So whichever format you prefer, you're covered.

Open Road Pattern Spotlight: Journeyer Pullover

As I worked out the design for the Journeyer pullover from my Open Road collection, versatility was a priority. I only have so much time for knitting sweaters, so I prefer classic designs that can I can wear a lot of different ways—with a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers on weekends or with a tailored shirt, skirt, and boots on workdays. 

Journeyer has gentle A-line shaping that's flattering for many figures. The pattern is written for six sizes, with bust circumferences from 33.5 inches/85 cm to 50 inches/127 cm. It's hip length, but I think a fun modification might be a cropped version 2-3 inches shorter, without any shaping. 

I also wanted the knitting to be engaging but not too complicated—so if you cast on now, you wouldn't still be knitting next spring. It's knit in worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220) at a gauge of 19 sts/29  rows over 4 inches/10 cm. The center panels on front and back are fun to knit, and once you've worked a few inches they're very intuitive: I found it easy to look at my knitting and see what would come next.  

I dislike close-fitting crew necks—I find them uncomfortable and not very flattering.  So I made Journeyer's neck shaping a little wider than a typical crewneck. The neckband is worked in a classic 1x1 ribbing that's folded over and sewn to the fabric on the wrong side. This method creates a comfortable and flexible neckband that wears well and looks beautifully polished.

Journeyer is worked in the round from the hem to the underarms. The front and back are then worked flat and joined at the shoulders. The sleeves are worked in the round, from the top down, using short rows to shape the caps. I love this method because 1) it's easy, and 2) there are no surprises. You can try on the sleeve as you knit it and thus find out very early on if the upper arm fits well—if not, you can start over with more or fewer stitches. And you can judge the length as you knit. Unlike a traditional set-in sleeve, the top-down method eliminates any uncertainty about how it's going to look or fit.

The sleeves are three-quarter length (my favorite!), but if you prefer long sleeves you can keep knitting to the length you like, working one or two more decrease rounds and starting the ribbing wherever you'd like.

Journeyer is one of three designs in my Open Road collection. Next week I'll focus on another of the Open Road designs—the Allons mitts. 

New Patterns: Open Road Collection

New patterns are ready for your needles! The Open Road collection, inspired by Walt Whitman's "Song of the Open Road," offers three related designs: the Camerado cowl, Allons mitts, and Journeyer pullover. They're available both as individual patterns and as a discounted ebook.

Wear them individually or together as an ensemble—either way, they'll serve you well, whether you're out and about doing Saturday errands or exploring a hiking trail on a crisp fall day.

A pretty stitch called the wrapped cluster ties the three designs together. I used it in different ways in each piece—within a ribbing pattern, stacked in columns, and staggered for a honeycomb effect. (By the way, it may look like it involves cables, but it doesn't. It's really easy to work.)

The sweater is knit in worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220), the mitts in DK (Fibre Co. Acadia), and the cowl in fingering (Quince & Co. Finch). Just for fun, the cowl comes in two versions—a big, cozy, extra long/wide style (in the creamy Egret colorway) and a more standard width (quicker to knit), shown in the blue-grey Kumlien's Gull.

In coming weeks I'll post more about each individual design, sharing information about construction, techniques, sizes and fit, possible modifications, and yarns.

Find these new patterns in my Ravelry pattern store. The ebook containing all three is on sale for just $12 now through November 1. 

Creating this ensemble was another fun Sennott Sisters Production! Heartfelt thanks go to Jenny for editing all three patterns, to Betsey and Jackie for modeling and photo shoot assistance, and to  Betsey for knitting the blue-grey cowl. How lucky I am to have such great women as sisters!

***

"Allons! the road is before us!

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain'd!"

—Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road"

 I hope you enjoy these new patterns. Thank you very much for reading.