Argyll :: Argyle

Time to introduce another of my favourite designs from the Secret Coast collection!

This is Argyll :: Argyle, a simple, throw-on layer, in which panels of twisted stitches echo the allover-diamond patterning of “traditional” Argyle vests.

Worked up in colourful intarsia, and popularised as fashionable sportswear by celebrities like Edward Windsor,  “Argyle” motifs became a staple design feature of vests, socks and sweaters throughout the twentieth century . . . 

. . . and today remain integral to the iconic branding of ready-made knitwear companies like Pringle of Scotland. 

There’s allover texture, rather than allover colourwork, on my Argyll :: Argyle

These interlocking diamonds are formed by twisted knits and purls, whose lines and rhythms are particularly fun to knit.

There’s much less squish in twisted stitches than in cables: the fabric is satisfyingly textured, but not bulky in the least.

and the finished vest is light, warm, and super wearable

I am rather enjoying vest / shirt combinations at the moment: and there’s something fun, and a little excessive, about pairing a woolly vest with huge, floaty, poofy sleeves.

I wore this outfit on Christmas Day, and throughout the festive season – and found that there is certainly something about this particular combination of vest, shirt, and skirt that puts a celebratory spring in one’s step!

But this is not just a vest to dress up in, and I’ve found it a great pairing for several different everyday outfits. This muted blue-green-ish shade of Schiehallion works wonderfully well with navy blue, for example, and I’m wearing it with a simple navy shirt right now.

Several Secret Coast club members have made, or are in the process of making, their own Argylll :: Argyles in many different shades. I find the colours that other knitters have selected for their vests really inspiring, and feel a sudden need for a sleeveless garment in dull yellow. . . . hmm . . . perhaps that might be on the cards. . . .

Moving into spring, vests and sleeveless sweaters begin to play a key role in my wardrobe, and I particularly enjoy wearing those I’ve made and designed myself. Stronachlachar, for example, remains among my most-worn knits around this time of year.

A simple, sleeveless garment in a solid shade, with a little visually-interesting texture, is certainly very versatile. You can can throw on Argyll :: Argyle or Stronachlachar over shirts of so many different colours, or featuring checks, florals . . . or herons.

I find I like my vests to fit with at least 4 inches of positive ease, for an easy, comfortable fit over layers. For Argyll :: Argyle, I knit the second size, with 4½ inches of ease.

If you would like to knit an Argyll :: Argyle in this shade, we of course have kits in the shop, but I’d also say that this vest is a great way of using up any couple of hundred grams of Sportweight / DK in a nice, solid shade that you might have knocking around your stash. The pattern is now available from the KDD shop or Ravelry, and will be included, alongside my other 11 Secret Coast designs in the book that’s coming soon.