The peloton is on
July has brought my favorite annual sporting event, the Tour de France. What better way to celebrate than to join Debby & Meg’s 2007 Tour de France KAL? I dithered over my project (anything, so long as there’s a French connection and a challenge involved) until the eleventh hour, using yesterday’s Prologue time trial to finish a sock. But as the peloton ground down a breakaway between London and Canterbury this morning and Robbie McEwen pulled out his most unbelievable win ever, I knit up a swatch.
My entry is an interesting cross-front cabled open pullover from Bergere de France. I grabbed the free PDF last summer and Veronique picked up the Bergereine wool/cotton yarn for me when she went home to Strasbourg. The pattern doesn’t seem to be available on B de F’s site any longer, but I’m happy to share the PDF and my English translation (still in progress) if you’re interested, since it was free from the company. If you read French, check out the B de F site – they have a lot of innovative designs.
Since B de F isn’t any more inspired in the department of pattern names than Vogue or Rebecca, I’m calling this sweater Brigitte for the fiery colorway. Since Veronique couldn’t find enough stock of these soft sagey greens, she went with my other choice: creole, curry, and gomme – spicy red, orange, and pink. Here are some details of the intriguing construction:
Here’s my swatch in creole:
Don’t mind the messy yarnovers – I was experimenting with the look. I think I’m going to go ahead and twist them for a smaller hole as the pattern suggests. It’s a subtler effect (and this sweater already has a lot going on) and it should help keep the pieces to gauge. I’m knitting the smallest size, taille 1/2, and I think it’s still going to be plenty big.
Finishing this sweater during the three weeks of the Tour may be a real moonshot – the pattern needs concentration and the yarn is very splitty (but a nice hand once it’s knit up – crisp and warm at once, somehow). I have enough of the pattern translated to get to the armhole shaping, anyway. Then I hit this:
Emmanchures: A 38 cm (114 rows) de haut. tot. rab. de ch. cote ts les 2 rgs: ??? This is something about decreases for the armholes, I assume. Aidez moi, mes amis!
Happy thanks to Debby and Meg for lighting a fire under me to get this one started, anyway. Tomorrow it’s bonjour, Belgique at 5:30 a.m. – time to cast on!
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
That’s a beautiful sweater – good luck! My Tour de France KAL project seems a little less daunting now that I’ve seen some others…
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
You can do it! That’s a gorgeous sweater – can’t wait to see it all finished.
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I think it means cast of x number of stitches from each side. I don’t see the part about how many stitches to cast off, though. Seems to be missing something.
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
That’s going to be a wonderful sweater on you! Good luck getting it done in time.
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Oh my! I would LOVE to have the pattern for this,PLEASE!!
I just watched that amazing finish that Robbie McEwen pulled off. How did he get from the back all the way up to the front? AMAZING!! My heart is still pounding!
Thanks,
Ann
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
looks marvelous! i’m doing the tour de fleece myself (i’m always spinning anyway!)
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
What a beauty! Thanks for the tip on a new online source for patterns. I love the colors that you ended up with; sometimes our second choice ends up being a winner!
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Hey,
This is the resource I usually use when translating knitting patterns from French.
http://chezplum.com/knitting-from-the-french/
Nice sweater, love the colours. 🙂
– Rodger
Posted: July 8th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Hey,
This is the resource I usually use when translating knitting patterns from French.
http://chezplum.com/knitting-from-the-french/
Nice sweater, love the colours. 🙂
Good to see you today, by the way.
– Rodger
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 12:59 am
that’s the resource I was going to suggest. The bit you quoted means when it’s a total length of 38cm bind of sts on each of the next 2 rows – is there a number to tell you how many though?
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 4:06 am
I have been admiring the Bergere patterns for awhile now and am thinking about trying one soon. I love the one you picked and am looking forward to seeing your progress with it!
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 4:12 am
Ysolda is right, it means that when your piece is 38 cm long, you bind off a certain # of st every other row. I vaguely remember looking at the pattern for you (I just checked and I still have a copy of it), but I guess I didn’t translate it?! Please let me know and I’ll do it for you 🙂
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 6:15 am
what an great sweater – love the wave type effect…very neat….
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Oh. Wow. A website full of French patterns I did not know about?!? I’m never leaving my computer again. Poor Veronique is going to be translating day and night.
That sweater is beautiful, as is the color. If you finish it in 3 weeks, you’re my hero. Get knitting, I can’t wait to see it!
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 8:35 am
It is lovely! I’d be very interested in having the pdf file, as inspiration for later.
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 9:31 am
Wow, what a beautiful and unique design. Will you please e-mail me a copy of the pdf? My address is arugularutabaga (at) gmail (dot) com. I’m watching the Tour de France right now. How is the Norah Gaughan sweater coming along? I noticed an error in the pattern. The k2tog tbl should be a p2tog tbl on rows 6 and 8 of the frost flowers pattern. That sweater is coming along quite slowly for me, but it should be beautiful and done by fall.
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 10:01 am
so beautiful! I will be avidly watching your progress!
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Ooooo, pretty! I’m in the KAL too, first Jen under maillot verte. Your sweater is going to be exceptional, no matter when you finish it!
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
mon dieu! that looks complicated, but i have faith that you’ll finish it in the three weeks.
i’m also just seeing your sweater pattern. so, so adorable. and asa should be a child model!!!
Posted: July 9th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Such a beautiful pattern… I guess now it’s you (and Robbie, and the French/English dictionary) against the clock! Good luck!
Posted: July 10th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Ooh, I’d like to request the pdf too! I probably have it somewhere on some computer, but I’m sure I’d never find it!
Can’t wait to see the progress…
Posted: July 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Gorgeous pattern! I love it! May I request a translated copy as well?
Can’t wait to see your progress!
Posted: July 19th, 2007 at 4:23 am
You always choose the prettiest patterns. How do you find them all? I can’t wait to see this knit up! And in the fiery colors – it will be stunning.
Posted: August 22nd, 2007 at 9:00 am
You’re Brigette sweater is awesome. I’d like a translated copy if your offer is still available.
Posted: September 10th, 2007 at 3:55 am
Hi there, came across your blog thru Ravelry. This sweater is awesome, and I think the colors you chose (having seen the finished project) are great! If you’re willing, I’d love to have the pdf and the translation. I’m shaynaz (at) hildas (dot) unimelb (dot) edu (dot) au. Thanks so much! If I can find a nice yarn this may have to bump everything already waiting in the queue…