MONCHA
{Your Distant Irish Cousin}

They say that ‘everyone’ has a distant Irish cousin. Apparently this also applies to sweaters!


Some time ago, when having only recently joined the online knitting community, I was inspired by an old improvised knit by the American fibre-artist Melissa Littlefield which she had nicknamed Monique. With Melissa’s blessing, I set out to create a similar sweater… with some twists and turns along the way.

Half a decade later and an ocean apart, Moncha is not a replica of the original knit. She is its distant Irish cousin. With a relaxed silhouette and slouchy shawl collar, Moncha exudes an unkempt elegance as she makes her way through the brambles of abandoned orchards, or collects driftwood by the shore.

As a nod to the cross-continental connection, I have provided instructions in three yarn weights, using American, Swedish, and Irish farm to skein yarns for the samples.

The DK sample of Moncha was knitted with Shorn IV. This is Melissa Littlefield’s own farm-to-skein yarn, an undyed Corriedale and Teeswater blend spun in Michigan USA, from Illinois-grown fibre.

The sportweight sample of Moncha was knitted with Galway wool, grown & spun in Ireland, and naturally dyed by Woolly Mammoth Fibre Co. in County Antrim.

The Aran weight sample of Moncha was knitted with Höner och Eir Nutiden, a unique unspun wool produced and dyed start to finish in a small Swedish mill.

If you enjoy stories of knitterly friendships, and small bath production yarns, you will enjoy what Moncha has to tell you!

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MATERIALS & INFORMATION
(DK Version)

Size 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
chest circumference measures as follows -
90cm/ 36” (100cm/ 40”, 110cm/ 44”, 120cm/ 48”, 130cm/ 52”, 140cm/ 56”, 150cm/ 60”, 160cm/ 64”)


Gauge
20 sts x 27 rounds/ rows = 10cm/ 4” x 10cm/ 4”
for main fabric in stockinette

Needles
4mm in diameter, or as needed to meet gauge

Yarn

suitable for DK-weight yarns or equivalent
(approximately 200m/ 100g)

designed with Shorn, a farm-to-skein yarn
developed by Melissa Littlefield


Project Requires
5 (5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7) 100g skeins 



Notions
stitch markers, measuring tape, tapestry needle, scrap yarn



Special Techniques

short rows, Kitchener stitch,
picking up stitches along selvage edge


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MATERIALS & INFORMATION
(Sportweight Version)

Size 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
chest circumference measures as follows -
90cm/ 36” (100cm/ 40”, 110cm/ 44”, 120cm/ 48”, 130cm/ 52”, 140cm/ 56”, 150cm/ 60”, 160cm/ 64”)


Gauge
22 sts x 29 rounds/ rows = 10cm/ 4” x 10cm/ 4”
for main fabric in stockinette

Needles
3.5mm in diameter, or as needed to meet gauge

Yarn

suitable for sport-weight yarns or equivalent
(approximately 300m/ 100g)

designed with Woolly Mammoth Fibre Co. Galway 4-Ply,
a farm-to-skein yarn from the native Irish Galway sheep

Project Requires
3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5) 100g skeins 



Notions
stitch markers, measuring tape, tapestry needle, scrap yarn



Special Techniques

short rows, Kitchener stitch,
picking up stitches along selvage edge


…….

MATERIALS & INFORMATION
(Aran Weight Version)

Size 1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
chest circumference measures as follows -
95cm/ 38” (105cm/ 42”, 115cm/ 46”, 130cm/ 52”, 140cm/ 56”, 152cm/ 61”, 165cm/ 66”)



Gauge
17 sts x 23 rounds/ rows = 10cm/ 4” x 10cm/ 4”
for main fabric in stockinette

Needles
5mm in diameter, or as needed to meet gauge

Yarn

suitable for Aran-weight yarns or equivalent
(approximately 165m/ 100g)

designed with Höner och Eir Nutiden, an unspun farm to skein Swedish wool
 (held double)

Project Requires
with standard yarn: 6 (6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9) 100g skeins

with Nutiden: 5 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6) 100g plates

Notions
stitch markers, measuring tape, tapestry needle, scrap yarn



Special Techniques

short rows, Kitchener stitch,
picking up stitches along selvage edge


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MORE ABOUT THE YARNS!

Shorn DK (USA)
from Melissa Littlefield of Knitting the Stash

Now in its 4th year of production, Shorn is a 3-ply Corriedale and Teeswater blend in a versatile DK weight. The fibre was grown in Illinois by Cathe Capel. The yarn was designed by Melissa and spun at Stonehedge Fiber Mill in Michigan. Un-dyed and minimally processed, Shorn IV is a warm natural grey - achieved by combining white and black fleeces. The blended nature of the grey creates depth and gives the knitted-up fabric a rich, somewhat heathered look. I would describe this yarn as extremely soft, with a silky and delicate feel. Suitable for plain and textured garments, as well as heavy lace.

Galway 4-Ply (Ireland)
from Woolly Mammoth Fibre Co.

An Irish grown bio-fibre, Galway Wool is a rare heritage wool locally grown from native Irish sheep. Using Galway wool collected from local farmers, the yarn is spun in Co. Donegal and hand-dyed in Co. Antrim by natural dyer Emma Robinson of Woolly Mammoth Fibre Co. Galway Wool is a naturally white yarn that exhibits breathtakingly vibrant colourways when dyed using Emma’s techniques. It is a hardy, weather-resistant yarn with a crimped texture and a toothsome feel. Excellent for plain and textured garments, as well as colourwork.

Nutiden

{from Höner och Eir }

Created from start to finish by Caroline and Knut with the help of their small team, in their own mill, Nutiden is an unspun wool produced in small batches, from locally sourced fleeces of Swedish sheep. The wool is dyed in-house, using original colorulways that are unique for each collection. A truly singular aesthetic, tactile, and knitterly experience, Nutiden is an airy, fragrant labour of love.