The Sweater and The Sweater Maker

This seems like a perfectly good time to cast on a sweater. I just got over my knitting funk, I need a challenging project that is not my lace shawl, and I recently purchased three skeins of Cascade Eco Wool. Really, this is all the Eco Wool’s fault—all 478 yards per skein of this gorgeous, comforting 100% wool. This bulky yarn is such a great deal at $15 per skein, but when Webs was practically giving it away for $10 a skein during their anniversary sale, I really had to exercise restraint and only buy 3 skeins. So with bulky yarn in hand, I went looking for a pattern.


Bulky yarn is a difficult weight to plan with, as your average bulky sweater can make you look like a giant woolly pillow if you are not a size 0 and eat only celery. But thanks to Ravelry, I hit upon a nicely shaped bulky cardigan from Winter’s Twist Collective: the Vivian cardigan. Designed by young Scottish knitter Ysolda Teague, this pattern makes use of cables and waist shaping to make a flattering and beautiful sweater. I’m only 12 rows in and I already have big plans for this sweater (including converting the hoodie to a stand up collar).


And not three days after casting on this sweater, I found out that Ysolda was state-side and planning to visit Wisconsin! So last Saturday, I rode my bike over to my nearest yarn shop and met the designer. She is really a stunningly beautiful woman with absolutely beautiful knitwear designs, many of which I was able to see (and feel) in person at the event. I got to try on my cardigan-to-be and even fell in love with a few of her patterns that I had never seen before. And to top it all off, she autographed a copy of Whimsical Little Knits, her new pattern booklet which I purchased at the event! I’m now even more excited about this cardigan and can’t wait to try out some of her other patterns.