While I am occupied with adding a crocheted border to a "Warm Up America" blanket, I thought I would update my pattern database and share a few recent additions to the pattern library.
Both of these books are from the fall/winter collections for Rowan, although I just got around to purchasing them in January.
Both books feature classic, somewhat rustic, what I would call, "country" sweaters, although there are certainly sweaters in both books that could be at home almost anywhere, city or country, depending on one's style. Or am I completely out of date in thinking that t here is such a thing as "city style" and "country style" anymore?
The Purelife Winter Collection features sweaters for men and women designed by Marie Wallin. Since G doesn't want sweaters, I am mostly interested in the women's patterns. The designs use Rowans British Sheep breeds Chunky and DK wools or Organic Wool DK. There are three patterns in this book which I like, all in DK weight.
Windemere is a lovely, classic, cabled turtleneck sweater that I think is somewhat elegant, but which I will never knit. I have, somewhat reluctantly, come to accept that for the most part I should avoid high turtlenecks sweaters unless they are being worn as layering pieces with other shapes and necklines to add interest. A simple turtleneck sweater like this is simply not my friend.
Luckily there are two other sweaters that I am itching to make and wear.
Ulveston is a lovely tunic with a lace and cables pattern that would be perfect for layering, worn with a shirt as shown here, or with that turtleneck and perhaps a scarf or long necklace.
The third pattern, Kendall, is not a layering sweater, and although it does have a cowl, the drape makes it much more wearable and flattering. The illustrated sweater is knitted from bluefaced leicester, one of the natural wools in the British Sheep Breeds collection, which is fitting as bluefaced leicester is a soft with a nice drape and a bit of luster as well, features to remember when choosing a yarn for this project as it is meant to be worn against the skin. Softness and the soft luster of the wool add elegance to the sweater.
The second winter book I purchased was Rowan's Classic Heartland which features designs by Martin Storey, using Rowan's aran weight wool-silk blend, Silky Tweed.
Continuing with my recent fascination with colorwork patterns, two of my choices in this book use stranded colorwork using the fairisle technique. This means, of course that with the aran weight yarn, they will be toasty warm sweaters, much like the much striped cardigan I am currently working on, although slightly less bulky as I am using an aran weight yarn and a bulky yarn in that sweater.
Considering that I am constantly cold this winter, it is no surprise thought that I am attracted to cozy warm sweaters.
Lowri fits the bill for warm and cozy, and pretty too. I love the pattern and the subtle colors as much as I love the deep ribbing. This pullover is knit to what would be called "mid length" in the Sally Melville book Mother-Daughter knits, and the deep ribbing can be knit to the perfect length so that the colorwork begins at one's "short sweater length" which would give an attractive silhouette and increase the styling and wearing options.
I don't know anything about the yarn, although I did see at least one comment on Ravelry that it might work best at a tighter gauge than recommended on the label (19 stitches = 4"). The stranding might help this, but at 20.5 stitches to 4" this is not much tighter. I might sub a different yarn or a different weight yarn. Since Rowan's charts tend to be tiny and difficult for my middle-aged eyes to see, I always end up recharting the patter anyway, so it probably wouldn't be that difficult to convert it to DK.
The other colorwork sweater, Dilys, is knit more tightly, at 22 stitches to 4 inches. I am sure this is because this sweater is meant for layering and the designer wants a stiffer hand with less drape. I certainly am attracted to just these qualities in this sweater: the shape, the layering possibilities. This sweater combines my love of color, but in a rather sophisticated way, with the short cropped silhouette that I have learned works so well with my long torso.
This is definitely a must-knit, although I don't see how it will get on the needles before next season.
The last sweater is a lovely cardigan with a tailored appeal, Braith. There is nothing fancy here stitch-wise, it is just a classic, simple, wearable cardigan, and probably just what my wardrobe is waiting for.
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