Wool jersey: knitting pattern?

[Pastashop]

Anyone know where one could get a pattern for knitting a wool jersey?..

[rwsaunders]

My daughter is a knitting knut...she told me to send you to Ravelry for all things knitted.

https://www.ravelry.com/account/login

[gdw]

rwsaunders beat me to it. Here's a direct link to their cycling sweater: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/velo-cycling-sweater

If you do a google search you'll find other sources and instructions.

[Pastashop]

Sweet! Y'all (and my SO) are enablers.

But also, patterns for finer / lighter versions would be appreciated as well. If they're any different?..

[grawk]

My understanding is you can adapt patterns to lighter weight wool, but it's a LOT more stitches as you get down to the sizes used in modern cycling jerseys. That's why they're machine knit :)

[gdw]

This isn't a pattern but instructions:
http://www.trails.com/how_39881_knit-cycling-jersey.html

You can find general patterns for cycling clothing which might be useful at Rockywoods.com.
http://www.rockywoods.com/Patterns/The-Green-Pepper-Patterns
Here's one for jerseys:
http://www.rockywoods.com/Patterns/The-Green-Pepper-Patterns/Mens-Bicycle-Racing-Jersey-Pattern

[Coluber42]

I'd suggest that instead of a full pattern you look up raglan sweater "formulas" (there are various tutorials online... I can help too, if you want) and then you can use whatever style and gauge you like. It's fairly simple to take the basic shape and apply whatever additional patterning or shaping you need.

I don't know what you have in mind, but sock yarn might be it. That's going to be a time consuming project, but if it's fairly straightforward knitting, it might not be too bad. If you feel like contacting me on Ravelry, my username there is the same as here. ;)

[Pastashop]

Thanks, Coluber!

My SO has been on Ravelry for awhile now, getting patterns for scarves, hats, sweaters, socks... Recently suggested making a jersey for me. :banana:

I like wool in principle... But so far only wore wool garments as an outer layers (and socks). Any suggestions on a type of yarn that will not itch?

Also, this pattern looks good to transform into a jersey, no?..

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fantomas

[Coluber42]

I'd go with something in wool blended with nylon (the nylon helps with durability and in the case of "superwash" wool helps replace the spring that is lost in making it superwash), and personally would gravitate toward something that is NOT merino or other super-fine breed, but that's me. Probably if you like something for socks, you'll like it for a jersey. Ironically, I find less-fine wool to be less itchy, even if it feels "scratchier" to the touch initially, and it certainly lasts longer. And it's often cheaper anyway. But YMMV. It depends on the pattern of course, but something in the DK, sport, or fingering weight would probably be appropriate for a knitter with lots of patience. But that's why I suggest the "formula" approach instead of a straight-up pattern - makes it easier to get exactly what you want, with the yarn you want.

The pattern you linked to looks like a potential candidate, but the one thing I'd watch out for (and potentially modify) is the sleeves. A common problem with cycling in shirts not designed for cycling (or not well thought out for cycling) is that in a riding position you need more length in the back and under the arm, which many don't have. If you lay a long-sleeved shirt flat out on the table you can see what I mean: some shirts have a sleeve whose natural position when you lay the shirt flat is almost straight out to the side, and some have a sleeve whose natural position is at more like 45 degrees. The former is better for riding in, the latter looks neater when your arms are at your sides but sucks if you raise your arms. The pattern you linked to looks like the sleeves are a little closer to the neat-with-arms-at-sides variety, judging by the way it fits the models in the photos. That's not hard to modify, by adding short rows to form a gusset at the armpit, for example. And a knitted sweater has a fair amount of stretch/wiggle room. But it's worth noting, particularly since knitting makes it easy to correct for.

[mvrider]

Aren't store-bought jerseys woven, rather than knitted?

Anyway, Merino is used in jerseys for several reasons, including low itchiness.

[Coluber42]

Nope, they're knitted. So are synthetic jerseys for that matter, as well as t-shirts, technical baselayers, fleece, and most other textiles used in activewear or other clothing that needs to stretch and flex. Just like there's a variety of knitting stitches and textures that hand knitters use, there's a variety of stitches that are used in commercial textiles that make differently funcitoning fabrics. Look at a jersey or a t-shirt under a magnifying glass sometime, it's pretty cool.

But the yarns used in commercial jersey knits are much, much tinier than what anyone would use to knit something by hand. It's actually pretty incredible, when you think about it, how tiny and perfect the yarn has to be, and the precision in the machinery, just to produce the quality and consistency of the fabric in a $5 giveaway t-shirt.

Yes, Merino is used because the fibers are extremely fine, and it feels nice to the touch. But the question is what actually causes the "itch" factor. I have some merino items that feel nice next to my skin initially but I feel generally itchy in that area after awhile, whereas I sometimes wear sweaters I knit out of coarser (not rug coarse!) wool that don't feel as soft to the hand but don't make me itch even with nothing underneath them. I theorize that because the merino base layers are so finely spun and knit (which actually means spun more tightly), the fibers have teeny ends that you don't feel initially, but they stick out of the tighter-spun yarn and poke you and get itchy after awhile, where the ends in the coarser wool in a larger yarn that's not as tightly spun can bend over and not just poke out. But that's just a guess.

In any case, yarn for hand knitting is a much larger diameter and is spun at a higher grist and lower twist; plus if you put that much time into knitting a whole jersey out of fine yarn, you really want it to last. Yarn from finer fibers is spun to be appealingly soft and fluffy and drapey, but in a bike jersey you want something that will hold its shape when you sweat, that won't get matted and felted, and not get holes in the pockets on the third day out. Soft fluffy merino sweaters also shrink and mat really easily, also not a good thing for a bike jersey.

[cainez]

If I ever have more free time, I definitely want to investigate making my own cycling clothes.