A garden on your needles 🙂 The blooming ‘Alyssum Sweater’ by @shimashima428 is now available in French!
Many of you have admired and knitted Tomomi’s beautiful ‘Drawing Sweater’ and we’re delighted to be able to offer you its big brother 🙂
The ‘Alyssum sweater’ was designed using the same pattern but with a circular construction for the yoke, making it easier to knit, and with some nice variations that will allow you to knit smaller or more numerous flowers.
CONSTRUCTION
The pattern is knitted in a seamless round from the neckline, with increases evenly distributed in the rounded yoke. They start after the collar and continue for a few rows during the pattern. (The pattern comes in a range of variations to give different contrasts between colours and the number or size of motifs. You can choose the one you like best!) The sleeves are then put on hold and the body is knitted in the round to the hem. The knitting is then divided between the front and the back and the hem is knitted in single rib, flat, a little longer on the back than for the front.
The stitches placed on hold for the sleeves are then picked up again and stitches are added under the arm, with a pattern that follows the colorwork motif. The sleeves are knitted in the round and adjusted by a series of decreases down to the cuff, also knitted in single ribbing.
TECHNIQUES USED AND SKILL LEVEL
This pattern is at an intermediate to advanced level and will require the following skills: long tail cast-on, backward loop cast-on, binding off, increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round, following a chart, colorwork with 2 colors.
The pattern includes detailed instructions and tutorials with pictures for the specific techniques used to make this pattern, such as Catching long floats, Backward Loop CO and How to pick up slit stitches.
What makes this pattern different from more traditional colorwork round yoke jumpers is that it has an irregular pattern (which is a big part of its charm!) which requires you to follow different charts for the front, back and sleeves. It will require a bit more attention and organisation, but the result is well worth the effort!
HOW TO PICK YOUR SIZE
The pattern is available in 5 sizes and can be made with Worsted/ DK or Sport yarn. It is designed to be worn with a lot of positive ease, and you can choose sizes 25 to 35 cm larger than your actual bust size if you want the same kind of ease as the samples pictured.
Measurements obtained for the Worsted/DK version knitted with a gauge of:
21 sts and 21 rows = 10cm (4 inch) in colorwork with the bigger needles (recommended size: US10 (6mm) needle), after blocking
18 sts and 26 rows = 10cm (4 inch) in Stockinette stitch with the bigger needles, after blocking
Bust circumference: 120 (133.5, 148.5, 162, 173.5) cm/47.25 (52.5, 58.5, 63.75, 68.25) inches
Total length [back]: 64 (65, 66, 69, 69) cm/25.25 (25.5, 26, 27.25, 27.25) inches
Sleeve circumference [upper arm]: 35 (38, 40, 44, 46.5) cm/13.75 (15, 15.75, 17.25, 18.25) inches
Measurements obtained for the Sport version knitted with a gauge of:
24 sts and 24 rows = 10cm/4 inch in color work with the bigger needles (recommended size: US7 (4.5mm) needle), after blocking
20 sts and 28 rows=10cm/4 inch in Stockinette stitch with the bigger needles, after blocking
Bust circumference: 105 (118.5, 131, 141.5, 151.5) cm/41.25 (46.75, 51.5, 55.75, 59.75) inches
Total length[back body]: 61.5 (62.5, 64, 65.5, 65.5) cm/24.25 (24.5, 25.25, 25.75, 25.75) inches
Sleeve circumference [upper arm]: 31 (33.5, 35, 38.5, 41) cm/12.25 (13.25, 13.75, 15.25, 16.25) inches
SAMPLES AND YARN CHOICE
Tomomi’s versions knitted in Ulysse
Tomomi chose to knit her two samples with our Ulysse woolen spun yarn for a light, warm finish. She knitted the pattern in two different sizes, following the main Chart for her first piece and the Bonus 3 chart which gives more flowers at the bottom of the jumper and the border in the contrasting colour.
Sample knitted following the main chart in size XL-2XL, in Ulysse ‘potimarron’ for the MC and Ulysse ‘poivre et sel’ for the CC.
Sample knitted following the Bonus Chart 3 in size M-L, in Ulysse ‘Bois de rose’ for the MC and Ulysse ‘Bouleau’ for the CC.
Yardage for the Ulysse version (100% mérinos d’Arles and black merino from Portugal ; 250 m (202 yd)/100g).
Main Color (MC): 4 (5, 6, 6, 7) skeins of De Rerum Natura Ulysse OR 705 (850, 955, 1090, 1265) m/770 (930, 1045, 1190, 1380) yds
Contrasting Color (CC): 3 (3, 3, 3, 4) skeins of De Rerum Natura Ulysse OR 425 (480, 520, 570, 620) m/465 (525, 570, 625, 680) yds
Our version with Candide + Bérénice held together (DK/worsted version):
We wanted a decidedly spring-like version and we chose for our sample (which follows instructions for worsted weight yarn) to knit Candide and Bérénice together in the colors ‘citronnade (lemonade’) + ‘genêt (broom)’ and ‘sucre glace (‘icing sugar)’ + ‘crème (cream)’. (We really liked the look of last spring’s ‘Flocon sweater’ by designer Rui Yamamuro).
The mix of ‘citronnade’ and ‘genêt’ creates a colour that’s both soft and sparkling, and the fabric created by the two yarns is particularly comfortable and soft, with a spring “je ne sais quoi” that’s perfect for a mid-season jumper.
This version was made in size M/L and is worn by Céline with 30 cm of positive ease at the chest.
Yardage for the worsted/DK version in Candide + Bérénice
Main Color (MC): 5 (5, 6, 6, 7) balls of De Rerum Natura Candide (70% organic Merinos d’Arles, 30% recycled cotton; 185 m / 50 g)
AND 4 (4, 5, 5, 6) balls of De Rerum Natura Bérénice (55% Super Kid Mohair, 25% silk, 20% organic Merino d’Arles; 210 m / 25 g)
Contrasting Color (CC): 3 (3, 4, 4, 4) balls of De Rerum Natura Candide (70% organic Merinos d’Arles, 30% recycled cotton; 185 m / 50 g)
AND 3 (3, 3, 3, 4) balls of De Rerum Natura Bérénice (55% Super Kid Mohair, 25% silk, 20% organic Merino d’Arles; 210 m / 25 g)
Tomomi Yoshimoto’s Alyssum sweater is available in French and English in our shop and in English, Japanese and Korean on Ravelry. I hope it will inspire you to sow a little spring on your needles!
About the designer:
After working as an illustrator, Tomomi studied physics at university. She enjoys drawing, reading stories and anything to do with the natural sciences, all of which she finds in the world of knitting. Tomomi currently works as a medical officer in a hospital and loves knitting in the evenings. She lives in Japan, in the south of the island of Honshu, in the prefecture of Aichi.
Ravelry : shimashima428
Instagram : @shimashima428
Tomomi has also designer the Drawing Sweater and the Link Sweater in Ulysse (both are available in French and in English on our website) :
Photo credits for the samples in Ulysse: Tomomi Yoshimoto
Our sample in Candide + Bérénice has been knitted by the wonderful Déborah @georah, thanks to her!