New adventures
Caroline Bawn gets to grips with the fascinating construction of her sweater
HAVING DYED the yarn for my ‘Coucou’ Ziggurat by Åsa Tricosa, I now needed to get to grips with its construction. Ziggurats are constructed in a different way to any other sweater I have knitted. They are of course top-down, but whereas other top-down projects are cast on and joined into a circle around the neck, Ziggurats are cast on as a straight line. Then the fun begins!
The correct size is calculated by measuring the front of your upper chest, across the front from shoulder seam to shoulder seam. This is not only to ensure a good fit, but also gives the correct number of stitches to cast on for your size.
Once you have the cast-on row, each quarter (right back shoulder, left back shoulder, left front shoulder and right front shoulder) is worked in a sequence to create the shoulder yoke sections, before being joined at the front neck. All these steps are very clearly explained, but it pays to read through the pattern first to get an idea of how the garment is constructed as it doesn’t seem to make sense at first.
The body and shoulders (including tops of sleeves) are worked down to the point where the sleeves are sectioned off and held on long stitch holders. The body is continued in the round with bust ‘dart’ shaping, side seam shaping and pockets of hem details towards the end.
Flattering fit
The bust darts are an interesting feature; again, ensuring a good fit for your Ziggurat. After all, you may have narrow shoulders and frame, with an ample bust which is squashed in a small sized knit generally. The bust darts are created using Japanese short rows - a new technique for me, but very effective in creating the shaping without any obvious short-row holes or double stitches. The placement of the bust darts is optional, but is adjustable to suit your shape.
The shoulder seam detail and side seam details of the Ziggurat are very attractive. Mine has a two-stitch twisted cable which I borrowed from the first Ziggurat I knitted (‘Chatoyant’). That’s another really nice thing about all the Ziggurat patterns: once you have knitted one, you feel confident to borrow features and details from one pattern to add to another. It might be pockets, a hem detail, or side seam twisted stitches… In fact, I think Åsa encourages it in the way she writes the patterns.
Learning as I go
All the features and special stitches are very clearly explained in the pattern by Åsa, some with photos to further clarify. This was so useful, as initially the tuck on the back of my ‘Coucou’ was tricky and I just couldn’t understand how it would work in 3D. The tuck tutorial at the back of the book really helped, and I knitted my first tuck detail with a contrast V.
‘Coucou’ has contrast cables on the pockets, cuffs and collar. They are knitted from a sideways provisional cast-on and, like the tuck, were initially quite tricky until I read through the tutorial for the pocket edge and the other sideways cables made sense. I like the simple look of these cables - which belies how fiddly they were. Worthwhile, though!
I consider myself an experienced and confident knitter, and I have been knitting for most of my life. I really enjoy Åsa’s Ziggurat patterns because they offer so much choice. Its unusual to buy a knitting pattern book with more than a couple of patterns that you want to knit. This book offers something for every knitter, whether you are a confident beginner wanting to try something new and challenging, or an experienced knitter who wants to make stylish, well fitting garments. I’d like to knit most of the cardigans and jumpers or tunics in the book!