I love this version of my Red Spire Cardigan, knit in the luxurious and utterly wonderful Clever Camel yarn.
This yarn (actually made from camel hair!) has such loft and lightness, but with a wonderful cozy warmth. It’s truly perfect year-round!
Yarn: 11 skeins of Clever Camel (100% baby camel), color Naked, 110 yds/ea
Needles: US 7s or 8s (uh-oh, guess I didn’t take very good notes . . .)
Size: 41″
My third time knitting this pattern – I love it in every color! This time I tried a different yarn combo:
Pattern: Walk in the Woods pullover
Yarns: Camilla Vad Lambswool (color Tordenbla) (5 skeins @ 50g/ea) and Isager Silk Mohair (color 47) (5 skeins)
Size: 39″
Needles: US 5s (I had to go down one size to get gauge)
I’ve just released my newest pattern – Walk in the Woods. This comfortable, classic pullover is perfect for unpredictable spring weather – wear it alone or over a light layer, stick it under your raincoat or over a skirt – this is a wear-anywhere piece that knits up quick! Little details add to the overall appeal of the pullover; the hem splits right at the side seam to give you extra movement and keeps the edge from rising up, and the seamed construction keeps the shoulders tidy, not slouchy. The yarn – two types of Isager knit double-stranded – makes the whole garment light and warm.
I’ve already knit three of these sweaters, and am close to finishing a fourth – they are so perfect for all weather and every occasion, I want one in every color! You can find the pattern now on Ravelry.
Pattern: Walk in the Woods Pullover
Yarn: Isager Strik Alpaca 2 and Isager Strik Tweed
Needles: US 6s
I convinced my reluctant two oldest daughters to help me model these sweaters, and I love how the photos showcase the different ways the sweaters can be sized. On Bella (wearing the taupe sweater), the look is slightly oversized; on Emmersen (wearing the black sweater), the garment is worn with a slight bit of negative ease, and on me (wearing the magenta sweater), the sweater is worn in a traditional style, with just an inch or two of positive ease. Three different looks, all flattering and classic!
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Working a fade on my own improvised cardigan . . .
Yarn (from top down): Junkyarn DK in colors Fleur (1 skein), Lara (2 skeins), Dolly (2 skeins), and Diana (2 skeins)
Needles: US 6s
The sweater is constructed so that it’s completely reversible, but I like how the colors blend and fade better on the reverse stockinette side 
I was intrigued by Andrea Mowry’s new design in Amirisu, but I didn’t think that the big, lacy collar would work well for me, so I replaced it with a wide ribbed band (in black, instead of white).
Pattern: Hachinosu by Andrea Mowry
Yarn: YOTH Daughter (100% Domestic Rambouillet and Merino wool blend) – 1 ¼ skeins Natural Vanilla, and 2 skeins + a little bit of a Daughter Mini skein in Truffle (330 yds/ea)
Needles: US 6s
Size: 40″ (this turned out pretty tight, especially in the sleeves, so I skipped a few of the sleeve decrease. I was surprised by the tight, skimpy fit, since 40″ should have given me about 3″ of positive ease).
YOTH’s Daughter yarn is very “farmy,” with a lot of texture and at this gauge, it creates a very sturdy, dense fabric. At first it wasn’t what I expected for a little cardigan in this style, but it grew on me once the project was finished and blocked. I was really worried about bleeding during the wet blocking, so I added one cup of white vinegar and I didn’t let the sweater soak for more than 10-20 minutes, and it came out with no visible color transfer.
I’m not sure how I feel about this one – I usually don’t like cropped cardis (they’re not super flattering for my build), and the same goes for cardis that are so open in the front, without a lot of coverage (even though I knit the button bands almost 4″ wide!) But I think it might work well in the spring – to pull on when it’s cool in the morning, but without a lot of bulk or smothery softness once it starts to warm up. I do like the black with the natural vanilla color, and the way the wide stripes look, but this is one I’ll have to wear a few times before I decide whether it has a permanent place in my wardrobe.
Pattern: Personal design
Yarn: MC: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock (90% superwash merino / 10% nylon) color Nekkid – 5 skeins (1650 yds)
CC: Junkyarn Smooth Sock 4-ply (75% superwash merion / 25% nylon) color Eternal Sailor Moon – 1 skein (463 yds – used every yard)
(NOTE: Knit with yarns held doubled throughout)
Gauge: 19 sts x 25.5 rows
Needles: US 6s
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Pattern: Lighthouse Pullover
Yarn: YOTH Big Sister (80% superwash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 6 skeins Beetroot and one partial skein each of Rhubarb and Sea Salt
Needles: US 6s
Size: 39 1/4″
Mods: Knit body 1″ longer (to 16″)
Love the fit! This yarn is incredibly soft and it creates a nice form-fitting silhouette. It tends to fuzz and pill a little with wear, but I don’t mind I’m not usually all that crazy about how yoked pullovers look – they really broaden out my shoulders and chest – but the colorwork is beautiful and well worth it on this one.
I pulled together a customized pattern to showcase these gorgeous yarns – it incorporates some pieces of Albini Cardigan and some of the color scheme of BlueSand Cardigan. The yarn is a merino, silk and yak blend, and you cannot believe how silky soft it feels! And, I love how it takes color . . . because it’s so soft, I think it’s likely going to pill, but I’m okay with that The merino helps give it some structure, but it still has a great deal of drape, so I wanted a project that wasn’t likely to stretch out of shape or try to show off a lot of texture.
This cardigan differs from most that I’ve been knitting lately — closer fitting, not overly long or oversized. I like the close fit and the fact that the crewneck means I don’t have to wear anything under it.
Yarn: Nice & Knit DK Luxe (65/20/15% merino/silk/yak) – 3 skeins Harpoon, 2 skeins Hazy Skies, 1 skein Dockside
Needles: US 6s
Size: Knit to approx. 39″ (about 2″ of positive ease)
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I love this one – oh boy! One of the best combinations of pattern and yarn that I’ve ever knit
Pattern: Gramps Cardigan by Kate Oakes
Yarn: YOTH Daughter in Natural Vanilla (100% domestic Rambouillet and Merino blend) – 4 skeins (330 yds/ea)
Size: 40″ (this supposedly gives me about 3″ of positive ease)
Needles; US 7s and US 6s (ribbing)
Buttons: from Never Not Knitting’s online shop (not currently available)
I really loved working with YOTH Daughter – it’s got such a sheepy, wooly feel to it, but it knits up beautifully, as well – it feels soft, warm, and light, all at the same time! The color is so natural that it really goes with everything. My only thought is maybe I should have made the sleeves a little wider – they are a perfect fit when I’m wearing a t-shirt, but a little tight if I want to wear a long-sleeve button-down shirt underneath. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing about it!
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I chose this pattern from Brooklyn Tweed’s latest collection because it seemed simple, classic, and comfy – something that I could easily throw on with a pair jeans in just about any situation. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to knit an entire garment from BT’s marled yarns, which I think knit up beautifully in this basic turtleneck.
Pattern: Meyer by Veronica Avery
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter (8 skeins in colorway Narwhal)
Needles: US 7s and US 6s (for ribbing) – as usual, I had to go down a needle size to get gauge
Size: 39 1/2″ – theoretically, this should give me about 2 1/2″ of ease, which seems perfect for a cozy turtleneck that I want to fit comfortably, but not too oversized.
My only issue with the FO is that I didn’t block it very aggressively, so it’s not quite as long as I would like it to be; I think that can be cured by another blocking, but I decided to wear it for a while first and see how I feel about the length once it’s been out of my closet a few times. I can always re-block it when I need to wash it, I suppose . . .
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I love fingerweight yarn knit on larger needles – it makes such soft, floaty fabric that is so lovely to wear! Julie Asselin’s yarns are particularly beautiful because of how the color is just varied enough to provide visual interest. Even though this simple pattern required a lot of stockinette stitch, it was a meditative pleasure to knit, and didn’t take much longer than a week or so.
Yarn: Julie Asselin’s Leizu Fingering (90% merino / 10% silk) – 3 skeins (420 yds/ea) in color Romance
Pattern: Holiday
Needles: US 5s (as usual, I had to go down a size or two to get gauge)
Size: 41 1/4″ (I don’t think this really gives me 3-3 1/2″ of positive ease – probably the finished sweater is closer to 40″. The fit is relaxed and casual without feeling too slouchy or baggy. This size was the second smallest, and I definitely didn’t think that the smallest size of any pattern would be a good fit for me!)
I picked up this yarn when I was visiting Nashville for By Hand Serial Lookbook No. 3 – perfect Plucky pinks! I used them for a second version of my Bantam Hoodie, this time with a few stripes thrown in.
Pattern: Bantam Hoodie by me!
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Lodge Worsted (60% merino / 20% cotton / 10% silk / 10% flax) – 4 skeins of MC Baby Boom (238 yds/ea) and 2 skeins CC Pink Pony (which actually turned out to be the exact same color as my skein of Petticoat in Lodge Fingering).
Needles: US 6s (went down one size to get gauge) and US 5s (ribbing)
Size: 37″
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This one took a while, but I’m happy with the results and I like how it’s different than most of my other cardigans. It should be perfect to wear in spring/summer – my next task is to sew a pencil skirt to wear with it. I like the color better than in the pictures – it’s a really difficult color to photograph!
Pattern: Lake Effect
Yarn: Plucky Lodge Fingering (60% merino / 20% cotton / 10% silk / 10% flax) – 3 skeins (430 yds/ea) in color Petticoat
Needles: US 4s and US 2s (for ribbing)
Size: 38 1/2″
Mods: I stopped the sleeve decreases at 60 sts – I think if I’d gone down to the 48 sts called for in the pattern, I would have barely been able to get my arms through!
I liked the lace pattern used for the sweater, and it kept the knitting interesting, although I would add that you have to really be able to read your stitches and understand how the lace pattern works, because as you do the decreases throughout the pattern, it messes up your count and you have to adapt to keep the lace pattern consistent. I found this particularly hard when doing the short rows for the sleeve caps.
I love how the color takes on this yarn base, and how it feels – light and not too soft or wooly, it’s the perfect spring/summer yarn.
The perfect lightweight spring pullover – such a cool stitch texture, and I love these two yarns double-stranded together
Pattern: Getty (ShibuiKnits SS17) by Shellie Anderson
Yarn: Shibui Knits Twig (46% linen / 42% recycled silk / 12% wool) – 4 skeins (190 yds/ea) in Ivory, and Shibui Knits Cima (70% superbaby alpaca / 30% fine merino) – 3 skeins (328 yds/ea) in Ivory
Needles: US 8s and US 7s
Size: Small (to fit bust 34.5″, finished dimensions 38.5″) – I couldn’t quite get gauge, even after going down a needle size, so I went down one sweater size. The result = perfect fit!
Notes: Yarn is knit double-stranded throughout.
Mods: There was no finishing for the neckline, and I thought it looked a little odd, especially where the cast-off stitches showed, so I picked up stitches around and then immediately bound off, which gave it just a little more of a finished edge.
Pattern: Shibui Knits Siena Cardigan by Shellie Anderson
Yarn: Shibui Knits Reed (100% linen) – 4 skeins (246 yds/ea) in color Imperial, and Shibui Knits Lunar (60% extra fine merine / 40% mulberry silk) – 3 skeins (401 yds/ea) in color Imperial
Size: Medium (to fit bust 36.5″ – finished bust circumference is 44″ and finished back length to shoulder is 25.5″)
Needles: US 9s and US 7s
I loved this project – relatively quick, ingenious construction, a perfect combination of yarns with silk for softness, sheen, and drape, and linen for structure. It’s a little oversize, but that’s the way it fits best, and it’s the perfect weight for spring and summer. I wish I had time (and patience) to knit more in other colors, there are so many beautiful Shibui Knit colors that would be perfect for this cardigan!
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This was a test knit for the amazing Thea Coleman of Baby Cocktails – it is the most challenging of a set of three patterns, and it does not go quickly, but the FO is stunning! Stone Wool is the perfect yarn for this pattern because of its squishy yet structured texture – it really shows off the honeycomb stitch and makes this cardigan both snuggly and light. If you’re looking to push your knitting skills to the next level and end up with a cardigan you’ll wear to death and love for years, I recommend this one
Pattern: Vodka with a Twist
Yarn: Stone Woo Cormo in colorway Alfalfa 02 (8 skeins)
Needles: US 7s and US 8s
Size: 40″ – this would usually be a little large for me, but I got exactly the fit I was looking for – not oversized at all, just comfy, with good front coverage.
I love how my second Watkins turned out even better than my first. Double-stranded Brooklyn Tweed Shelter is pretty dead-on in terms of gauge, and once it’s wet-blocked, the stitches smooth out and it feels lofty and cozy at the same time. I think I like the color combinations and the feel of the fabric knitted up in Brooklyn Tweed even better than in Puffin!
Pattern: Watkins by Whitney Hayward
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter (held double-stranded throughout) – MC Fossil (10 skeins) and CCs Tartan, Barn Owl, and Pumpernickel (2 skeins ea)
Needles: US 10s (ribbing), US 11s (body), and US 13s (colorwork)
Size: 41 1/4″
Before blocking, the cardigan fit nearly perfect; after it was blocked, it felt a little large all over, even though I was very careful not to let it stretch when it was wet. When it was still barely damp, I tossed it in a hot dryer for approximately 15 minutes – this helped tighten up all of the stitches and shrunk it enough to get a better fit. The sleeves are still too long, requiring that I cuff them, and I could have gone for just a little smaller in terms of length, but overall, I like the fit. If I were to knit it again in BT, I’d probably go one size smaller, although the size jumps are so big that I’d be a little nervous doing so . . . however, BT can really stretch when blocked, so that would probably allow me to adjust if it came out a little too tight-fitting.
The one pattern edit I would really like to make is to add pockets – my hands keep reaching for them whenever I wear the cardigan I just can’t figure out how I would do it and not mess up the look of the colorwork . . . it would be easy enough to knit up after-the-fact patch pockets, but if they were knit in one color, they’d ruin the colorwork, and I’m not sure I could knit them so that they matched perfectly the colorwork they’d be covering. Any ideas out there?
This pattern knit up so beautifully in Stone Wool’s gorgeous colors!
Pattern: SnowFlower by Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Stone Wool Cormo – MC in Slate 01 (5 skeins) and CCs in Slate 02, Ozark 01, Ozark 03, and Scoured (each less than one skein)
Needles: US 7s and US 6s (ribbing) – I thought at first I’d have to go down a needle size to get gauge, but this sweater is knit in the round, and I quickly realized that my knitting in the round is tighter, so US 7s gave me gauge.
Size: M (38.1″) – I was worried that this would be too large, but it fit spot-on — helped in large part, I think, by the fact that I chose to do the optional waist shaping. I think that waist shaping really helps fit for me with yoked sweaters, because otherwise I end up looking really broad both across the shoulders/chest, and also down the torso.
Mods: Aside from the optional waist shaping, the only modification I used was to add length, so that the total sweater length is 17 1/2 – 18″.
Pattern: Watkins by Whitney Hayward
Yarn: Quince & Co Puffin – 9 skeins Audouin (A) and (D), 2 skeins Sabine (B), and 1 skein Poppy (C).
Needles: US 10s (ribbing), US 11s, (body and sleeves), US 13s (colorwork)
Size: 41 1/4″
This was a fun project to choose colors for and to knit, and the bulky yarn meant I finished in less than a week! I didn’t wet block it – I think it would be so heavy, it would irreparably stretch out. Instead, I steam-blocked it – which didn’t create as nice of a finished look as wet blocking, but I think it will over time.
This project involves steeking – it comes with step-by-step instructions, which I think are pretty easy to understand, but I didn’t do a very good job – it was hard for me to keep my vertical lines completely straight. Nonetheless, I think it will hold together . . . I left the ends trimmed but loose, I think they’ll felt over time, and hopefully won’t show or pop out.
The sleeves are too long (as is always the case for me), so I have to cuff them, and the upper arms are very roomy (but it is a coat, after all) . . . otherwise, the fit is good. I enjoyed it so much that I would think about knitting another in a different color scheme . . .
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try Twig & Horn’s amazing new yarn, Stone Wool . . . and one of the beautiful designs created by Whitney Hayward. I really love everything about this yarn – it is 100% cormo, single-sourced and it is American-sourced from beginning to end. The wool comes from two farms in Montana and Wyoming, and it is scoured and milled nearby, then shipped only once to Maine, where it is dyed at Saco River Dyehouse and shipped from their warehouse. American-produced, small carbon footprint, great soft and squishy cormo feel, beautiful colors . . . what more could you want from a yarn?
Yarn: Stone Wool in color Tobacco 03 (6 skeins)
Pattern: Plattsburg Pullover by Whitney Hayward
Needles: US 7s and US 6s (for ribbing) – I went down one size to get gauge (as always!)
Size: 37 1/2″ – I was a little worried that this would give me no positive ease, but I’m guessing that my gauge is still a little bigger than it should be, because the fit came out perfectly, giving me at least 1-2″ of ease.
One thing I love about this pattern is that it gives you options – I chose to use Cable Chart A and Center Pattern B. In hindsight, I’m not happy with my center pattern because I think it detracts from the cables – if I knit this again, I will either use no center pattern, or something very subtle.
I’m working on a sweater design that utilizes all three shades of a color family: for instance, Tobacco comes in Shades 01, 02, and 03, and they look spectacular when they’re all together! I want to be able to showcase all three shades in a way other than the small sampling you get from fair isle, but I’m trying to avoid straight-up stripes. I have an idea . . . we’ll see how it pans out.
