Bristol Ivy is a genius at sweater design. I just finished her Coburn Pullover from last spring’s Knitscene magazine and I really love it.
She uses ribbing and other textures the way an architect uses stone and wood and steel: to add beauty, structure, and strength to a design. The yoke on this pullover is beautiful:
That’s what you notice first, but then the other details sink in: the short rows to drop the back hemline a little bit, the clever increases that make the sweater pouf just so at the bottom of the yoke, the little detail at the hem that echoes the yoke. They all make a great design, with nothing held back. I made a couple minor changes to pull in the neckline a bit and lengthen the sleeves, which you can read about on Ravelry by clicking on the full-size shot above. The yarn is to die for, just a lovely blend of merino, silk and cashmere that shows the details very well and feels soft and smooth next to your skin.
Karen just finished a beautiful shop model in Nuna Fina, a very lightweight fingering yarn that is close to a laceweight. It’s wonderful for shawls because the bamboo and silk in the blend show every detail, keep the fabric light and add the perfect amount of drape and flow as you can see. Here is Tristano, designed by Dee O’Keefe (who has many lovely shawl patterns):
Is that not a beauty? I love how the upper motif perfectly leads into the beginning of the border. And the pretty detail at the center, instead of simple eyelet increases, adds a wonderful vertical accent. Wonderful job by Karen!!
On a more – well, I don’t want to say slapdash, so I’ll say do-able – note, I finished this cute cowl in a couple of evenings. With one skein of TweedleDeeDum (hand-dyed bulky merino from Frabjous Fibers) and one skein of Trendsetter Dune and a free pattern called Blue Streak from Wendy Chapman, you can have this very cute and FAST accessory, gift, relief from an interminable sweater – whatever you need it to be! We have lots of great color combinations right now.
This is one view of the cowl, with the smooth merino side out:
and here is the sparkly, fuzzy side out, with the smooth side next to your neck:
It’s a simple slip-stitch design so anyone can do it, and it’s completely reversible if you’re careful with weaving in ends. I made a few changes so the yarns would work, and they are available at the shop with purchase! It’s the middle of July, let’s start thinking about fall wardrobes, birthdays, and that big knitting black hole out there called Christmas!
Okay, that’s it. I’m feeling chatty today so I could go on, but enough is enough!! One – oh, okay, two -handsome pictures of my sweet boy Jack, who is aging gracefully:
Now I’m done!
