a sprightly sprout of a sweater to knit in eager anticipation of spring. a lace rib pattern of tiny buds sets a nice vertical line, while inset shaping on the body accents all the right parts. create a form-fitting silhouette or knit it up slightly looser for a more casual shape—the curves won’t be lost.

shown above: size small in lanas puras melosa fingering, colorway fern green, found at one planet yarn and fiber. one planet has received a big new shipment of this yarn just today and will be adding all the colors to their site in the coming hours, as well as making a kit available—click here to view that listing.

my green sprössling is knit to be form-fitting with just an inch of ease, if that; i wanted something that would not feel loose if worn with a thin shirt or a cami underneath. i also cropped an inch off the length at the hem

shown below: rachael knit hers in size medium, using valley sock (i think it’s colorway hematite), a superwash yarn, in a slightly tighter gauge than the pattern calls for (her finished, relaxed chest measurement is 34 inches, which gives her a few inches of ease when stretched).

she and anne marie each used a plied superwash merino yarn and they both found that their sweaters grew a little when blocked (not so with the lanas puras fingering that the rest of us knit with)

this resulted in a slightly looser fit but obviously, still very curvy and sexy!

anne marie (below) loves the fit of her sprossling, which is quite different from mine—looser and more relaxed to wear over a shirt or turtleneck, the way she does here.

she used a gorgeous dark variegated colorway of briar rose grandma’s blessing, chose to knit size large, and was able to get the correct pattern gauge

the tonal variegated yarn does not take anything away from the rib and lace pattern—in fact, the little dashes of color seem to accent it nicely.

and then there’s jocelyn in her brilliant cornflower blue rendition of this adorable sweater, knit once again in lanas puras melosa fingering

jocelyn has been on a mission to get herself into the right shape and size of sweater for some time now and i think she’s succeeded and then some with this one. she and rachael are both petite in stature, so they modified the pattern to adjust for shorter lengths in the body and armhole.

this sets the waist shaping and armhole height at the right spot for them—and goes a long way toward streamlining the look of any sweater.

when barb (below) saw the green sweater on me, she was convinced that it was not at all the right cut for her; she is tall and well-endowed in the bust with very broad shoulders and slim hips (an “apple” shape, if you will). i persuaded her that it would look awesome and she was happy to test knit it anyway (barb really likes to knit).

well, it turns out that this is her new favorite sweater—she’s all set to knit another one. the shaping under the bust eliminates that boxy looseness at the hips that she often encounters in tops and sweaters, giving her a smooth line over slacks.

she followed along with jocelyn and me, choosing to knit her sprössling in lanas puras melosa fingering, colorway charcoal. she knit the 1X size, but knit the sleeves one size smaller, as her arms are long and slim. barb also added an inch to the body length and two inches to the sleeves.

so you see, we have five different body types and five different variations on how to knit this sweater to fit and they all look great. pretty versatile, yes?

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

lis and jodi at one planet yarn and fiber have a beautiful online shop, dedicated to bringing you the best of what the world has to offer, representing artisans and small businesses from around the globe. i’ve worked with their lanas puras melosa yarns several times, as well as a few others and have really enjoyed the experiences.

many, MANY thanks to our inveterate test knitters—jocelyn, anne marie, rachael, and barb—they work so hard, but we have so much fun. this project has been especially cooperative in that everyone finished pretty much at the same time and we’re very pleased to bring you a full range of photographs of each finished piece.

and of course, kudos to david, who did a beautiful photo shoot at coronado beach and moo time creamery in sunny california—a happy pattern release wouldn’t be complete without him.

and now, let’s see some more pictures!

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is it cold where you are? do you need to create a little shot of sunshine to brighten up your knitting? here’s a cozy sock that might solve both of those dilemmas—as fun to knit as it is cozy to wear. a little gansey styling with a progression of patterning in a bright, unexpected colorway will work wonders to cheer you up as you go.

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shown here: size medium in dye dreams classy sox, colorway a sockwork orange, offered as the winter installment to the dye dreams four seasons sock club (or purchase any colorway separately from a full array of choices).

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

mona and stephanie at dye dreams have many more wonderful yarns to share in their online shop. i have been very fortunate to partner with them on several projects and have immensely enjoyed sampling their beautiful yarns; a peek at their full selection is highly recommended.

many thanks to my dear friend beckie, who is a delightful model with a real feel for the task—i so appreciate the chance to get behind the camera and let her work it for a change; thank you, beckie!

i have to mention too, how much fun it was to photograph the sock at someone else’s house—we took a little time during a visit to our friend kris’s inviting cottage, filled with natural textures, to take the photos for today’s release; thank you for lending us your wonderful home for a while, kris!

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ever wonder where all the secret projects disappear to?
here’s a lacy sock i designed last spring for the woolgirl sock club april kit. i knew ahead of time that the color would be a deep blue, but had no idea what the yarn texture would be. when i received the light, soft yarn, i knew i needed a motif that would provide structure and stitch definition.

the resulting sock is luxuriously fine and dressy enough to wear with slim loafers under a professional trouser outfit—a little like that lacy lingerie we hide berneath our working clothes sometimes, heh. and who doesn’t appreciate a little warmth on an icy morning, dress shoes or not?

shown here: size medium in curious creek fibers wasonga, colorway old head of kinsale (a club-exclusive colorway, but there are many more beautiful choices!).

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

i am always thrilled to have a chance to work with jen at woolgirl, who offers an exciting array of exquisite yarns, covetous clubs, and delicious accessories in her online shop. she is also an incredible matchmaker of designers and dyers—i love participating in her clubs. thank you jen, for another wonderful opportunity.

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a classy layering piece that sits neatly beneath a suit jacket or coat to provide that extra bit of warmth with a dose of professional flair (no loose ends to fuss with or mess with your style). in a sinfully rich yarn, this could be the perfect last-minute quick gift for that person on your list who has everything.

shown here: size small in dye dreams classy sox, a soon-to-be-available merino/cashmere/nylon blend, in colorway smoke.

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

mona and stephanie at dye dreams have come up with a real winner in their new classy sox yarn—it’s soft as all get-out, but springy and machine washable, so it’s great for sox and accessories alike. look for it soon at their site, but in the meantime, check out their many other wonderful offerings as well as their four seasons sock club.

many thanks to david, who is as busy as the rest of us this week, but still happy to take time to make beautiful pictures!

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