I love visiting the local children’s zoo. One of my favorite areas is the Indiana Family Farm. They have several breeds of dairy goats in this area, including the LaMancha. A distinguishing feature of this breed is its small, nubby ears. The goats are usually very friendly and can be quite frisky.

The stitch patterns in the design combine very common elements with traditional details. The diagonal lines in the zigzag eyelet portion of the stitch pattern give a feel of movement, as all diagonal lines do. They also make me think of the goats’ tails. Their tails seem to swish back and forth almost constantly, unless they are napping. The Channel Island Cast On adds a detail to the design as well as echoing the shape of the ear of the LaMancha.

A further detail which balances the simplicity of the stitch patterns is the saddle shoulder. This shoulder is seen with Aran-style sweaters. Using techniques from other ethnic or traditional styles of knitting can be a good way of adding detail to an otherwise plain stitch pattern to bring balance to the design. The balance between more or less detail is known as organic unity. It is the point where every design element is needed for the design to feel complete.

From Infiknit website:

Lovely eyelet zigzag pattern makes this ladies knitted pullover very feminine. Sized for 40.5 - 56.5” in worsted weight wool. Yarn requirements for 4oz skeins - approx 220yds per skein. Tension - 20 sts over 4”(10cm) on 4.5mm(US7) needles.

40.5 - 5 skeins
43.5 - 6 skeins
48.5 & 51.5 - 7 skeins
56.5 - 8 skeins