Iris Bishop Jacket
Last year I decided to try one of the designs by Iris Bishop as her patterns are such a good fit. Ok, so they take some working out but that’s half the fun. My particular favourite is her jersey design from her leaflet for a scallop edge pattern- not only is this design good looking, it's also an easy jersey to wear with anything. I do it in a number of different ways using various fairisle stitch patterns including the original leaf pattern.
First of all knitted one of her jerseys from the Celtic inspirations and its fine comfortable to wear design, I just love her fantastic patterns however as usual I do my own take on what pattern to mix and match.
The project I am now working on is again one of her designs and it’s the jacket pattern from her book Celtic Inspirations. This is a complex pattern but again, I love a challenge – this one took me quite a while to get to the final stages of and I am now about to knit the final piece of the collar and then I only have the two pockets to knit. Despite my yarn stack, I have run out of the second colour and I have to make it up as I go, with similar or indeed totally contrasting yarns, I only hope it turns out well
The jacket is now finished and I had to use a subtle change of yarn colour but its hardly noticeable as its in the pattern in the collar – I did have enough to finish the main bits and boy what weight this jacket is, definitely a winter warmer and it fits nice too ie it look so much better than the model on the photographs. Unfortunately I cannot take pics and wear it and my other half is the world’s worst photographer.
I like to mix and match patterns and as I am allergic to wool (the very best thing to knit with). I have knitted these designs using up my stock of Chenille in odd colours, The chenille is a mix of different fibres, some cotton and some acrylic – however the benefit is that I can wear it next to my skin, unlike wool. This of course means that a tension swatch is essential and somehow I was able to match the tension, I just hope the jacket hangs correctly as it was designed to be knitted in wool. Luckily the scallop edge jersey can be knitted in chenille.
Now a year later this is still one of my favourite designs - lovely fit and and oh so comfortable and warm to wear - though take note when knitted in cotton chenille it is a very heavy jacket.
