While Ysolda buries herself in pattern writing and sizing issues I thought I’d show you my latest finished sweater. It’s a Sabbatical by Connie Chang Chinchio which was a surprise extra pattern in the winter issue of Twist Collective last year.
The thing I loved most about this pattern is that it made me feel extremely clever. It’s worked in pieces with shaping at the waist and then of course for the armholes and neckline, and the shaping has to be integrated into the edges of the lace pattern. This took a bit of concentration for the first few rows, but once things clicked in my head it was so satisfying to see the shapes appear whilst keeping the very addictive lace pattern in line. The pieces made it perfect travel knitting and I managed to knit most of it while on holiday in January.
Making this taught me such a lot about shaping in lace and how stitch patterns work, as well as how to read (and fix!) my lace knitting. As a result I think its made me a better knitter which makes me very happy!
I knit this in yarn from UK Alpaca, its a wool and alpaca blend which was lovely to work with – so soft and yet its wearing beautifully and I’ve hardly taken it off. I seem to be wearing it in all the yarn-choosing sessions we’re having for Ysolda’s new book!
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks great!
Gorgeous sweater; it looks very nice and cozy
This is beautiful, Sarah- great work!
Lovely pattern and gorgeous colour!
Very beautiful! It’s a fantastic length too, and I bet it’s wonderfully warm.
Me parece de lo más linda esta chompa, y el color es hermoso, te felicito… preciosa de verdad!
Otra cosa que me gusta mucho son las fotos, excelentes!!! Felicitaciones y un abrazo desde Perú
It has something special, looks “dressy”, chic, I love it. The color is fabulous. Realy realy nice job!!
It’s really beautiful!
Oooh, I love that sweater a LOT. Thanks for the reminder to revisit those Twist Collective patterns.
I love the lace pattern, and I adore your blog posts, Sarah! When both you and Ysolda are quiet, I peruse your flickr sites to get my fix… I think you should have a blog of your own, or post here more, I think it’s more than safe to say we all enjoy reading you immensely : )
Its so beautiful! I wish I were brave enough to tackle shaping in lace, but I don’t think I’m very good at it yet. I’ve tried it, but it hasn’t clicked in my brain yet and I’m left rather baffled. Three cheers for becoming a better knitter!
Gorgeous sweater. I bought the pattern when I saw it but I have yet to find the perfect yarn for it.
It’s lovely! I love the leaves pattern! Have a great weekend!
Absolutely beautiful! It looks cozy too…
So beautiful!
love, love, love the color, design, and fit. Kudos on a terrific knit!
That is really lovely–do you think it would be easy to shorten to a just above the hip length? I couldn’t wear it that long.
I like it!
It’s so beautiful, Sarah. It’s so good to finish something like this and relish in it. It’s way beyond my current level of knitting but I’ll get there some day.
The cardi is beautiful! In fact so beautiful I have just rushed off to buy and download the pattern myself. I am now coming out in a cold sweat just thinking about all that circular knitting!! Perhaps it’s the big challenge I need??
Beautiful…
gorgeous, sarah. it looks great on you!
You sure can rock a sweater. Wish Ysolda luck!
Dear Ysolda,
I love your blog. I enjoyed your blurb from your weekend in Edinburgh as I spent an amazing year living there. The sabbatical sweater is on my list of favorites and it was so fun to see that you knit it! I have some red silk/alpaca I purchased in Alberta, Canada years ago that will be perfect for this sweater. Can’t wait (have to finish a few other projects first). Thank you for your inspirational comments. Good Luck with your book as well!
Best,
Kerstin
Oops, sorry Sarah – I didn’t realize you were the one who knit this. It is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for your valuable input on the pattern.
I’m a day late and a dollar short on this one, but…
GORGEOUS sweater! Love it! Love the color, the pattern and everything.
And it’s super awesome when you knit things and learn from them. I also think it makes one a better person.
Lovely work!
Lovely ! Have a nice day…
I had just been hopping blogs, reading back posts on Connie Chang Chinchio’s blog and her post about this cardigan, wondering why I haven’t knit it yet when I clicked on your post about the sweater. I think this is a sign that I have got to knit it soon. Very lovely!
How gorgeous! I love your cardigan – beautiful work, beautiful colour! It looks soooo good on you!
Such beautiful work!
I have had this pattern for a few months now and really want to make it. On my first attempt I couldn’t make the lace work and got hopelessly lost, I think I didn’t give it the concentration it deserved. Im looking forward to starting it again though.
The pattern is ace.