There’s not much I haven’t done when it comes to knitting, but one of the things I’ve always wanted to make but haven’t is a mohair shirt or sweater. In fact the only project I’ve “made” (in quotes because I haven’t finished it) with mohair is a shawl from the original Mason-Dixon Knitting book. It’s so pretty but it is a little fiddly.
I should have started with an easier project, like a simple knit T-shirt. Berry from Maria Sølvtofte is an intermediate level knitting pattern that’s a top down raglan worked in luscious mohair blend yarn and fruity stripes.
It calls for two strands of a mohair/silk/wool blend held together for one stripe, with a viscose and wool blend that also has a bit of a halo as the other stripe. Holding the strands together means you get to use larger needles (size 8 and 10 US are called for, or 5 and 6 mm), which makes the project that much faster.
The idea is that the tee should be knit with 4 inches/10 cm negative ease, meaning it is smaller than your actual body measurement. If you don’t like that idea you can make it with 0 ease or even a little positive ease, depending on how the sizing works with your body. The pattern has six size options, ranging from a chest measurement of 28.3 to 44.1 inches (or 72 to 112 cm). It’s somewhat cropped but you can add length if you prefer.
Berry is a free pattern from Hobbii.
If you’ve never worked with mohair before, here are some tips that will help you from A Knit Sheep. The main thing is to go slow and pay attention in the hope that you won’t ever have to rip out your knitting, but if you do, take it one stitch at a time instead of trying to pull out whole rows at a time, which will leave you with tangles.
[Photo via Hobbii]
