Do you remember this gorgeous top-down sweater design by Karen Alfke, the creator of unpatterns? Well, I am thrilled to say that her new unpatterns have arrived! I can’t wait to get started on
this top-down V-neck sweater, which I have been drooling over for months! This
is the yarn and beaded-ribbon combination I will be using to knit the sweater:
I feel supremely honored that Karen (or Akabini, as she is known on Ravelry) has asked me to test-knit this pattern! She and I met at Stitches West, where she taught an awesome class on knitting sweaters that fit that forever changed my approach to customizing sweater patterns! I will be posting my notes on my blog as I go along.
Karen Alfke
Rumor has it in the new year, which is already upon us, egad! the following unpattern designs will be released:
Six top-down Unpatterns:
• Set-In Sleeve Pullovers
• Set-In Sleeve Cardigans
• Raglan Pullovers
• Raglan Cardigans
• Sleeveless Pullovers
• Cardigan Vests
… and six
bottom-up Unpatterns:
• Set-In Sleeve Pullovers
• Set-In Sleeve Cardigans
• Drop-Shoulder Pullovers
• Drop-Shoulder Cardigans
• Sleeveless Pullovers
• Cardigan Vests
I am excited about this new development, as I have reached the stage where I am very picky about what I am looking for in asweater pattern. Most tops are not written to sit right on my shoulders, or go in enough at the waist to suit my particular body type, so I find myself redesigning the pattern as I go along, trying to guess my way through the modifications of someone else's original design. It is a tricky process, at best, and I am relieved to have found a tool I can use to customize my sweaters according to my measurements and needs without completely flying alone!
Speaking of flying, I am off to the coast to enjoy the brooding skies and frothing waves of another stormy winter afternoon. Perhaps I'll see another wind-tossed bird with a crab in its claws, who knows? My beach house is still sitting empty at the top of the hill, and I'm hoping this will be the week that someone falls in love with it and signs a one or two-year lease! It's been sitting vacant since our tenants fell through on January 1st, so we've been spending every weekend luxuriously at the coast, looking out at the ocean from the kitchen while we drink tea. Sigh. Someday we'll live there permanently, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying all the ocean glimpses that I get.