this new sweater is destined to be a real favorite for me and i hope it is the same for you; it’s light, comfy and easy to toss on by itself over other layers. while it has plenty of volume, that extra fabric drapes beautifully against the body without adding bulk.

so that for all of its comfort and ease, it feels luxurious and streamlined as well, with only the most subtle of textures breaking its calm surface.

the body of this garment has the simplest of shapes that knits up quickly and easily; if you’ve fallen behind on that goal of knitting a sweater to wear to the fall shows, this just may be your answer.

uncomplicated enough to knit while watching TV or cheering on your weekend sports warriors, there is just enough going on to keep this project at the top of your work basket, with the pile of finished pieces growing.

all the trims are incorporated into the knitting of the main pieces so that once you’ve knit all five of them, you are done, save for sewing up four straight seams. it couldn’t be simpler to put together.

just ask all of our lovely test knitters, who finished their caïssa sweaters quickly enough to share our results as a group. they were gracious enough to send me photos for an album to share with you.

lara (above), anne marie (below) and myself all knit our sweaters with spirit trail fiberworks holda, a luxurious  lambswool/cashmere/angora blend, that has the softest, most sophisticated hand and a beautiful sueded surface.

 don’t you just want to reach through the screen to touch it? believe me, i wish you could . . .

it’s luscious  to knit with and wear; you won’t want to put it down.

i’ve knit mine with a new colorway—purple haze—that jen created just for knitting into this sweater. anne marie (above) has chosen seaweed, and lara (below) picked rosewood. and of course jen has a full array of gorgeous colors just waiting to be picked up from her online shop.

to purchase pattern or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the knitspot pattern shop. or purchase the pattern in our ravelry pattern shop.

but the fun doesn’t stop there . . . barb (below) has knit her caïssa in briar rose wistful, a merino/alpaca/silk blend

doesn’t she look stunning in this blue-gray colorway? oh look—chris has named the color caïssa, so we can find it as easily as possible, haha. thanks chris!

wistful makes a lovely fabric for this sweater too—a bit heavier in weight, but with the same soft surface and drape.

it’s interesting to note that the sizing of this garment is very flexible; while lara knit the extra-small size, the rest of us have all knit the small/medium size, with the result that it is shown here with a varying amount of ease.

barb’s blue sample was actually knit for chris to wear and display in her booth. while it fits barb well, she has decided she’d like a looser-fitting one as well and is knitting, since she is quite a bit taller and broader through the shoulders.

she is already halfway through another new one in the next size up (barb is our house over-achiever; we love that about her!), this time in a beautiful green/gold colorway that looks outstanding with her eyes and hair (yes, even more than the blue).

i threw this one on for a few photos as well, so you could get an idea of what i’m talking about. if you are trying to decide between sizes and are looking for a little more room to move around in, choose the bigger size. if you like a closer fit, choose the smaller size.

on me, this sweater has about twelve inches of ease; while on barb, it has more like four—either way, it provides a nice fit, since the shoulders can sit anywhere.

we also have a beautiful sample contributed by jody, who knit hers in madelinetosh merino DK, in a rich red colorway (i don’t know which one, maybe oxblood?)

doesn’t it look amazing with her skin? jody finished this one up last week, i think and then emailed yesterday to say she likes it so much, she is already knitting a second one. she says this will be her go-to autumn sweater; what a great compliment, thanks jody!

well, i think that just about wraps up what i have to say about caïssa today; i’m off to the east coast to teach for the next ten days; next time you hear from me, i’ll be in sunny (and hopefully warmer) maryland.

 

Hello, thank you, thank you to all that have become members of the Fall in Fall Color 2012 club. This has been a most rewarding endeavor for us at Knitspot in so many ways, especially when you love what you do. With the conclusion of the previous FiFC, there were many requests for additional memberships from those that missed out. Once sold-out, it is very difficult—really impossible—to obtain more yarn, due the exclusive nature of the club. That said we increased the number of skeins available this time, which means there are memberships available. Those of you debating to Join, please know this, Knitspot clubs are a singularly extraordinary experience. Many members have shared such sentiments, and how we treasure these most endearing comments. Let us examine one aspect of the club, take the selection of club yarn, a process so meticulous that it can only yield perfection.

May I offer an example from the final chapter of the Bare Naked Knitspot club, a few excerpts:

my initial vision for the final month was a large scarf or stole project in a floaty, sheer silk yarn, but i wasn’t sure about sending out a super-fine silk yarn. 

i began to suspect that compromises were in my near future, heh. i was determined to exhaust my options however, so along with beckie, set to work tracking down possible sources. when we received sample cards from treenway silks, i felt like we’d hit the silk motherlode—the array of wild silks in all colors was just what i was looking for; they monopolized my attention and imagination.

i immediately seized on the wild muga as my favorite—the dark, golden tan color was exactly what i wanted for our club. the yarn was very fine, however and i was pretty sure our membership would be happier with something heavier. so we began talking about a custom spinning order.

with the knot in my stomach growing ever tighter, i reported in to susan who was anxiously awaiting my feedback. i poured my doubts out to her like a barfly weeping into my beer and she wrote back with a few gentle suggestions and more helpful information about handling silk. by this time, i needed a break so i put my first swatches aside to think about things for a few days.

i couldn’t be more happy with the results—they feel especially sweet in the face of all the unknown factors leading up to the finished design. but in the end this is just the reason i wanted to do this club—to explore the beauty of unusual fibers, to experience true adventure, and to celebrate the results, no matter where our travels landed us.  —- anne hanson

I hope those excerpts relate some of the indelible attributes of the club, I do not think you will find this elsewhere. Join Us here. Also, have look at the Ravelry clubhouse for member’s impressions; members are an integrable part of the club, in the clubhouse you will find this great community, sharing ideas and banter, not unlike a knit night.

Below, photos of FiFC 2011 yarn and project:

FiFC 2011 Shalimar Club Yarn, Breathless in Colorway Hazel Leaf

Brief description of the FiFC 2012 Club: click here for more information

An exploration of beautiful fibers and colors, intermediate fall and winter accessory projects. Each project is designed by Anne specifically for a custom yarn, to be portable and fun, appropriate for gifting or keeping as a special treat to oneself.

A selection of hand dyed yarns, as well as new collaborating artists. a range of yarn weights and luxury fiber blends (mostly animal fibers).

One yarn and pattern each month; substitutions will not be possible. eBook(pattern only) option does not include yarn.

Patterns, designer notes, and photographs will continue to be delivered monthly in chapter format via PDF download, each one spotlighting the yarn of the month within the background story of the design inspiration, process, and seasonal influences, along with biographies of our collaborating artists. The full set plus cover file may be compiled into a complete book at the end.

FiFC 2011 Blocked Hazeline Shawl

FiFC 2011 Hazeline Shawl Finished

Would love to see more international members, we have members from all over Western Europe, but none from Eastern Europe, a few from Japan and Thailand, also no members in Africa, South America and most of Asia. Australia and Canada are nicely represented, two from New Zealand, but none from Iceland. Please spread the word. A special shout out to Megan from Australia, she sent a wonderful care package some months ago of which included a beautiful cowl, can hardly wait for fall to wear it, thank you so much Megan.

Those of you with Pattern Only memberships, can easily upgrade by purchasing a full membership and requesting a refund for your Pattern Only membership. Already have a Full membership and want to become a double dipper? no problem, just add the Yarn Only option, perfect for larger projects or gifts. Sign in to your existing club account, click “add/renew subscription” tab, and then select appropriate option from pull down menu of “membership type”.

Please share this post with a friend that may be interested in joining a really rather special knitting club, you might even say incomparable.

We would love to have you Join Us.

Thank you.

Mister Knitspot

Yes, finally a Knitspot newsletter. The newsletter will be emailed to alert Knitspot.com readers of new blog post, events, new patterns and of course our newest offering of a Knitspot club. Distribution will be culled from our database of Knitspot customers that have subscribed to the newsletter option. Those of you that have not subscribed to the newsletter, can do so here: sign up for Knitspot newsletter. Unfortunately we were unable to access email addresses from our poll/survey regarding club. So, if you do not frequent Knitspot.com daily, or Facebook/Twitter Knitspot, the Knitspot newsletter may prove another means of being informed. Our first Knitspot newsletter will debut on Sunday, April 24.

Thank you so very much.

Mister Knitspot