Winklemann cable

Hi; I’ve been asked to reproduce something like the Claudia Winkelmann cable jumper that everyone’s talking about, only a woman’s one, with soft wool and not too thick What’s the best soft wool for cable? (I haven’t done much except a 4ply babies’ blanket years ago.) Thanks!

Welcome to KnittingHelp!


Maybe this one?
It’s a bit of a trade off between yarn that will make cables standout and soft yarn which lessens the definition of the cables. It also depends on the weight yarn and fiber you’re thinking of.
I’ve used Juniper Moon Farm Herriot for cables and loved it. It’s nominally 21-24sts/4inches and is very soft.

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Thank you; I’ll look at that. My daughter-in-law just said not too thick, and soft like merino. I wasn’t sure if dk was better than aran in this regard.

It looks like that one is a dk sort of weight which wd be the sort of thing she’d like, I think. (I’ve never knitted with anything so beautiful before; my needles won’t know what’s hit them!)

There are plenty of lovely merino yarns in DK weight. Have you tried local yarn sources? In the US, Webs, Knit Picks and Jimmy Beans are good sources although there are many others.
Do you have a pattern in mind?

I don’t as yet; I’ll let my daughter-in-law choose one. But yes, there are some great choices on uk sites. I get the impression money’s no object, but I did wonder what the 50%merino/microfbre yarns are like too.

Many of the yarn sources have reviews of their yarns. Sometimes you need to read between the lines but you can usually get a fair idea of the best uses for a particulat yarn. Ravelry also has a rating system for yarn and you can connect to projects with comments about the yarn.
It sounds like a fun project and a good collaboration with your daughter-in-law.

Does she want the smiley faces on the elbows?

Wow, that’s a cable challenge sweater. Lovely.
I keep saying I’m going to make a ‘very cabled’ sweater but so far I haven’t got further than browsing lots of different patterns. I hadn’t seen the Winkleman sweater before, I’m not into smiley faces but I do love how the addition of an intarsia motif makes this sweater so different. Gives me ideas.
There’s one of these on ebay for close to £800.

No advice on yarn, sorry, but I think I’d look for a pattern first and then select a yarn with the same gauge. The pattern can help work out how much yarn (in metres) to buy even if it is a different yarn as you wouldn’t want to switch to a different dye lot half way through such an amazing project. I’d probably get an extra ball too so you have plenty for a good sized swatch and any unexpected needs.

Thank you. One last thing: I’ve been staring at the CW jumper trying to decide if its 8 or 10ply, as it didn’t look that thick. And I’ve now found this on the retail site:

Size 1 = XS, 2 = S, 3 = M, 4 = L, 5 = XL and 6 = XXL
Model wears a size larger to achieve a looser fit
Chunky knit
Model is shown wearing a 3

Can they really mean ‘chunky’ wool, or just it’s a chunky look?! Just doesn’t look 12ply somehow. (Bet they won’t tell me the wool used!). I’d rather go with something thinner anyway!

Ply is really disappearing as a useful description of yarn thickness. Many yarns are made up of different thicknesses of yarn yet may be categorized as 3-ply or whatever. I’m knitting with one now that is 3-ply but one of the plies is a very thin strand, much thinner than the other two.
If the retailer assures you that the yarn is soft then that’s a good sign. Do they give an indication of the knitting gauge or gauge range? Do you know the name of the yarn and the company who makes it? It hard to tell from the photo.
The patches may be sewn in or they could be knitting into the sleeve. Sewing them on after would be easier for sure.
Have you searched Ravelry or Googled for a pattern for a sweater? Ravelry offers Yarn Ideas at the top of the details page taken from the yarns others have used to knit the pattern. Those suggestions can be very helpful as far as gauge and even texture.

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I’ve seen this on several sites described as 5G wool. Which I think is chunky/bulky.
Also listed as 98% wool 2% acrylic.
Don’t know if this helps.
Chunky will knit up faster but could be too heavy or too warm for comfort.

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Typically these sweaters are knit with aran or worsted weight. Because of the cable work, it’s less likely to be a chunky yarn.
https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system

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Thanks for this. Might try asking the retailer for the exact wool, just as a matter of interest, though whether they divulge these secrets…! I am having to now go with whatever weight the nearest pattern I can find to the CW jumper states. The brief is to find one like hers, it seems. Which does rule a heck of a lot of them out. But yes, I was always going to avoid that chunky! I’ll look on ravelry! One other thing (and I’m sure this will be divisive: I want one thta knits in rows, not in the round. (I know some people love the circular needle, but give me a pair of ‘straights’ any time!). She’s also wondering about a 50% wool/microfibre type blend; I’ve knitted with
these before; obviously not ‘pure’ but they did seem soft and knitted up well.

Thanks; yes, didn’t fancy ‘chunky’; assume ithe retailer’s use of it is just a general description of the jumper, not the wool-weight.

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Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

55% Merino Wool 33% Acrylic 12% Cashmere, 50g (1.8oz

I think this might be ok for cabling shdn’t it?

Yes, I’ve used it for cables and it works quite nicely.

No, she wants plain burgundy patches!

I now have a pattern and wool, but the rib on this pattern is much tighter than required; the increase is from 91 stitches to 164. The Claudia W jumper that first inspired the idea has quite an unelastic-looking rib. I’m tempted to just do the same number of stitches as when I change to the cable pattern, but not sure if that wd be too loose. I have no other cable patterns to compare it with, but looking at the stocking-stitch ones they do vary so much; sometimes they say a small increase, sometimes nothing at all (or 1, presumably to get an even number of stitches on the needle), sometimes 20 odd extra. But nothing like this one; it’s the style of the jumper: the cable pattern is pretty close to that required, but the tighter rib makes an overhang that looks, according to my daughter, as if the model has a spare tyre! Not sure which to go for; trying to cut down the trial-and-error attempts! Just doing the same number would still give some elasticity, due to the fact that’s what rib does but wd it be better to just do a few less?

I’ve noticed the sleeves are similar, so we’ve decided to go for a different pattern; apologies to all who’ve waded through the above!