herringweave cardigan

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, book reviews/events, designing

it’s finally time for our 2017 ensemble look book rollout; do you love it??

from the response we’ve gotten so far, it seems that you do and that makes me glad. rolling out a new collection (plus club packages and more) means that i don’t get to spend as much time here on the blog as i’d like; i’ve been looking forward to a chance to chat.

yesterday we got to present the beautiful volta shawl design, knit in our cabécou sport by the incredibly talented and popular susanna IC, who i have just loved working with (and there are more BNWs designs from her to come; SO exciting!). and we have so many other designers to present whose work i admire.

but back to me, haha.

today, i get to tell you that one of my own designs is now available for purchase—the herrigweave cardigan, knit in our kent DK yarn in the driftwood shade (kits available here).

while i’m not privy to the processes that our other designers use, one thing i enjoy about my own process is having all of you to talk to when i get hung up on decisions. you are the best sounding board i know. even when i think i know the answer, i can ask what you think and you’ll tell me your honest opinion right away. most often it confirms the direction i already thought i’d be taking, but sometimes it surprises me. sometimes a surprise changes my viewpoint and other times, it doesn’t. but the interchange is so interesting and i love you for engaging with me while i bring designs to fruition.

i remember getting to the end of the first front shoulder and wondering if all that cable detail was just too much. but you loved it, so that helped me step back and realize i was just spending too much time close up to it. also, the proportion will change across the size range so it’s important that it still has impact as it does.

and i always like to bring you in on the button decisions because that’s what we do! choosing buttons is important and we have so many beautiful options in natural bone, horn, and shell available in our online store. we can even help you find a good match for your yarn if you drop us a note.

this view makes me appreciate the drama of the whole neckline and shoulder; it was a very popular shot on instagram when i ran it there, letting me know i had done the right thing to keep all those cables.

they are rich and eyecatching AND they serve to stabilize the sweater in all the right places so it keeps its shape beautifully—important if you wear your sweaters a LOT, like i do. i always marvel too at how much mileage i get from my skeins of bare naked wools—they go on and on; a sweater like this with generous length takes only about four skeins. click here to check out our kits.

after our big photo shoot weekend in early december, styled by our awesome new media and program director, hannah, i was finally free to wear this cardigan. just in time for the cold weather, too!

while i have knit many times with our kent DK yarn, most of those knits are shop samples and i still did not have a sweater of my own in it to wear—so this was it.

the verdict?

O.M.G. i had no idea. this yarn, spun from long, lustrous romney wool and soft, springy merino, is one that i characterize in my mind as “sturdy”, but i can’t say enough how it is also soft and airy—so much so, that what appears here to be a thick sweater is actually light and flexible. all that air of course translates to a cozy feel when i’m inside it; i love getting that warmth without the weight.

i’ve been wearing this cardigan several times a week since december; it’s become a workhorse garment in just a short time. in fact, i would love another one, maybe a size bigger and longer to wrap up in and layer over other things. ask anyone who works here and they might even say they get a little tired of seeing it. hmm, better get that second one on the needles soon . . .

if i do another i might go with the confection sport yarn for my second version; that’s another yarn that’s not represented in my sweater drawer. now to decide which shade; what do you think?

in a few days we’ll be looking at this design again, this time in the pullover version that i knit for david, which is included in the cardigan pattern (and a vest!). i’m hoping that just maybe, i can sweet-talk him into pulling it on and modeling it for us. we’ll see how that goes, haha.

14 thoughts on “herringweave cardigan

  1. I LOVE this design. I’m so glad that it is one of the first one published from the new Ensemble set because I get to think about which shade to knit it in… I really enjoyed your earlier posts when you were swatching and designing it. It’s a truly lovely piece both as a cardigan and a pullover. I love that particular cable and it works so well going up the v neckline!

  2. Me too, love it, and there will definitely be one in my closet to wear by mid fall. I have been waiting and watching for this one. I, too, have been wearing my two Kent DK sweaters all winter. I am a person who is always cold, and if a sweater is warm enough for me, its warm enough for anyone. I have knit both at a worsted gauge, there is that much loft to them, and after their bath, its a nice cohesive fabric.
    PS: one of them is a modified Leaving: all of the fancy sleeves, and a repeat of the motif in the front at the neckline, but not all the way down. That makes it a pefect Minnesota winter sweater. I love, love the fancy sleeves!

  3. I’m so glad to see that pullover version at the end! It’s *perfect* and I would love to add one to my own wardrobe.

  4. I’ve been looking forward to this one too…now to decide if it’s a pullover or cardigan first on the needles!

  5. I’m also excited about this sweater as I’ve been saving my Kent DK for the perfect design and this is it. I love its tailored simplicity with lots of cable interest! Your sweaters always fit me the best.

  6. Aw Anne the sweater is beautiful! I love the back and the pullover! Add another one to my long list!

  7. Love this sweater and almost finished with mine. The Kent knits up
    so nice in it. Can’t wait to wear!

  8. love the pullover! for one of my sons, next fall! the queue is just way too long to think about it at this minute!!

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