2018 was a big year for sweaters for me. I released two brand new sweater designs and had another sweater in the I Like Knitting October 2018 issue and another in the Knit Now January 2018 issue. I also went back to two of my earliest sweater patterns and completely reworked the patterns with a new technical editor with edits and updates for 2018. Then at the end of the year rights started to revert back to me from magazine publications so I reworked and formatted one sweater to rerelease as a self-published design. That’s a lot of sweaters! So it’s a good time to start taking a quick look at some of my sweater designs. Last week I talked about the first row of patterns in the collage. This post contains design inspiration and details about the second row of patterns: Sherri, Alana Pullover, Syrah, Sally and Amelia.
The Sherri Pullover combines a top-down construction modest scoop neck, mock cable ribbing and a high-low hem for casual loose comfort. Sherri was published in October of 2015. I have plans to update and edit this pattern in 2019. The design inspiration for this one was a direct request from a friend who was taking photographs of my designs at the time. We discussed back and forth the things she wanted to see in a design – positive ease, small pretty but easy details and positive ease where the main things I took away from our conversation. So I designed this sweater with those in mind.
The high-low hem is accomplished with Japanese short rows worked back and forth just above the bottom ribbing and results in the back being 4.5″ longer than the front. This was a new technique I learned just for this project and I truly love the way it makes the wrapped and turned stitches almost melt into the fabric instead of standing out like wrapped stitches sometimes do. I actually used this sweater as my mid-layer hiking piece for the Grand Canyon hike and all of the training we did leading up to the hike. The 100% wool in a heavy worsted is worked at 4 stitches per inch. The sample garment was worked in Valley Yarns Amherst in the color Light Grey and is amazingly warm without adding much to my carrying weight (which was super important for all the steps up and out of the canyon on our hike). I still wear and love it on winter hikes. All of the rubbing from my arms and hiking packs have basically felted parts of the sweater at this point and honestly that’s awesome for a hiking layer….but not great for a sample garment. So this is another one I might need to re-knit at some point. Good thing I love the design!
The Alana Sweater was originally published in Knit Now magazine. The rights released back to me so I was free to republish it in October of 2018! I reworked and updated the pattern and formatting during edits and am very happy with this pattern now. The inspiration for this one grew from the Knit Now call for submissions where they gave some color choices, some prompts and text and a Pinterest board full of ancient stone carvings from Cornwall and beyond. Looking at that board I could almost hear the theme music to Outlander playing in my head….even though the location and time didn’t necessarily fit.
Alana combines a center front cable panel and complementary sleeve cables with top-down construction and simple stockinette for casual elegance. Written in 7 sizes with waist and hip shaping for a flattering fit. Cables are charted and written. Named Alana from the Celtic word meaning harmony or stone because the cables evoke both ancient stone carvings and the blending of individual parts into harmony.
Sizes: XS (S, M, L, 1X, 2X, 3X)
Finished Chest Measurements: 34 (37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 53)” 86 (94, 102, 109, 117, 124, 135) cm
To fit Chest Measurements: 33 (36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51)” 84 (91, 99, 107, 114, 122, 130) cm
Length: 25 (25.5, 26, 26, 27, 27.5, 28)” 64 (65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71) cm
Yarn: 950 (1000, 1250, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600) yds worsted weight yarn (Sample is Size S and used just under 500 g or 910 yards.)
Needles: US size 8 5.0 mm circular needles and dpns (or size needed to get gauge), US size 6 4.0 mm circular needles and dpns for ribbing
Materials: 10 stitch markers (one unique), dpn or cn for cables, tapestry needle, 2 stitch holders or scrap yarn
Gauge: 18 sts and 24 rows = 4” 10 cm in St st on larger needles after blocking
Syrah was originally published as the Bittersweet Pullover by WEBS in May of 2012 and was my first ever sold pattern. My first blind submission to a yarn company, my first contact with an editor and the first time I got paid for a design. So in January of 2015 when they discontinued the yarn and sweater and released the rights back to me, I reworked the pattern, added sizes and re-knit the sweater in a more current yarn.
Syrah is a top-down cabled yoke sweater. Written in 6 sizes with waist and hip shaping for flattering fit. Syrah is a spiced earthy wine. Like the wine, Syrah uses basic notes to present a complex finish. Sample knit in Berroco Vintage color 5154 Crimson.
On a side note, this design started life named Cabled Apple in a lovely bright green Valley Yarns tweed that was discontinued soon after submission even before it changed into the Bittersweet Pullover. I still love this color best!
Sally was published in October of 2017 and this sweater almost never came out of my knitting closet. I worked it up quickly combining several things that I love – a simple yet pretty center front detail, Lamb’s Pride Worsted, tunic length with shaping, a gentle v-neck and a pretty green. Then I took a hard look at the sweater and talked myself out of publishing it. I told myself it was too simple, not interesting enough and no one would want to buy the pattern. One of my friends happened to see it peaking out of the closet one day and asked about it. I admitted I had just about started a test knit for it and then tucked it away instead. My friend was shocked because she loved it! So she talked me into getting the publishing process (tech editing, test knitting, release) started and she wasn’t wrong. Sally has been one of my best selling patterns and was accepted to be a Knit Picks IDP design.
Sally is a simple top-down seamless raglan with a center front braid and gentle v-neck. Waist and hip shaping for flattering fit. Written in 7 sizes. Cable charted and written. Samples knit in Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted in the color 171 (Fresh Moss) and Knit Picks City Tweed Aran/HW in the color Toad.
Amelia was originally published in September of 2015. In 2018, I reworked the pattern with edits and updates. The design grew from the cable. I loved this cable every time I came across it in one of my Treasury of Knitting Patterns books and flagged it with a sticky note before I even knew how to knit cables. Fast forward several years and my original sticky note on that cable caught my eye. So I cast on and figured out how to write the pattern from the knitted garment as I worked. There was a lot of knitting and ripping back to get it to work since this was only the second sweater I had designed with a center front cable.
Amelia combines a center front cable panel and complementary sleeve cables with top-down construction. Written in 7 sizes with waist and hip shaping for a flattering fit. Cables are charted and written. Named for one of my favorite Dr. Who companions, Amy Pond, since the cables remind me of things timey-wimey and I can see Amy wearing this sweater with one of her signature short skirts. The sample sweater is a Size M in Valley Yarns Northampton in color 19 Amethyst and is worked to 32″ in length (much longer than the 27.5″ in the pattern) because I love how it looks over jeans.
2018 really was a great year for sweaters for my designs! I’m looking forward to some really great sweaters in 2019 too – so far I have a brand new pattern set to start testing almost immediately, another beautiful re-release of a sweater that was originally published in a magazine that should be out late February, 5 new sweater designs that I love, another magazine re-release later in the year and 5 more older sweaters that I’d like to update and edit. When I type it all up together like that, I’m not quite sure how I’m going to manage all of that in 2019. But I’m definitely game to try!
