I’m very happy to start the year by introducing you to this new pattern!
“Leizh” is a cozy, spectacular and particularly rewarding sweater to knit 🙂 A lovely project perfect for knitting on winter evenings and one you’ll be able to enjoy very quickly!
It’s knitted seamlessly from top to bottom, with an openwork, textured pattern worked through the rounded yoke to the separation of body and sleeves. The length of the lower body is adaptable for a cropped version that’s great to wear with high-waisted pants or a skirt, or a more classic standard-length version that protects the lower back. The sleeves are fitted to keep them light despite the thickness of the thread, and feature the pretty false seam that runs down the sides of the lower body.
“Leizh” is a Breton word meaning both “in abundance” and “moist”, like the softness of the water-laden air before the rain, the promise of a fertile and generous earth. I chose it because of the little diamonds on the yoke, which remind me of the treasures visible to wide-open eyes:)
Leizh” pattern by Solenn Couix-Loarer knitted in Cyrano “argile”, here in size 3 cropped version.
CONSTRUCTION
Knitting begins with the neckline border knitted in 1/1 rib, followed by a few German short rows placed before the first pattern to slightly deepen the neckline. The increases are included in the pattern, which grows as the yoke is worked.
The pattern is presented in chart form only.
The sleeves are then put on hold and the rest of the body is knitted in stockinette stitch up to the ribbed edge. A purl stitch is placed on each side of the body to add structure. The sleeve stitches are then picked up and the sleeves adjusted with a series of regular decreases. A false seam is also placed on the back of the sleeves.
SKILL LEVEL:
This pattern has a medium skill level and will be easily accessible if you’ve already knitted patterns in the round, made lace stitches from charts and short rows. The majority of knitters who tested it rated it at a difficulty level of 2/5. The lace is easy to remember and knit once you understand how to knit the “sl2, p1, p2sso”, and gives a pleasant rhythm to the first part. It’s also a project that comes together very quickly (some of us knitted it in 3 days!), which is particularly motivating 🙂
YARN CHOICE
I imagined this pattern for our bigger yarn, Cyrano, playing with the contrast between the thickness of the material and the delicacy of the motif. The roundness of the yarn gives great relief to the stitch and beautiful definition to the lace, while retaining the warm, rustic look of a pure wool carded yarn.
This is undoubtedly the easiest version to knit, since you don’t have to worry about knitting two yarns together. Depending on your size, you’ll need 4 to 8 balls for the cropped version and 5 to 9 balls for the standard height.
Leizh” pattern by Solenn Couix-Loarer knitted in Cyrano “Merlot”, here in size 3 cropped version.
The combination of Gilliatt and Bérénice gives the same gauge as Cyrano, but with a more sophisticated look, with a slightly fluffy, very soft appearance and a smooth, luxurious fabric. It can also be used to create rich, more or less blended colors. If you want to keep the pattern clearly visible, I recommend tone-on-tone combinations (see this blog post for ideas on how to combine these two yarns). This version requires a little more care to knit the two yarns together and ensure even tension (but the result is worth the effort! ).
Depending on your size, you’ll need 3 to 5 balls of Bérénice dheld together with 3 to 6 balls of Gilliatt for the cropped and standard versions. With a final weight of between 300 g and 650 g depending on size and version chosen, the finished sweater will be lighter than the single-thread version, and very soft.
Leizh” pattern by Solenn Couix-Loarer knitted with Gilliatt “poivre” and Bérénice “chocolat chaud” held together, here in size 3 with a lower body length of 30 cm.
Both versions are equally appealing, each with its own special charm: a good reason to knit several!
PICK YOUR SIZE
The pattern is available in 9 sizes corresponding to a chest circumference of 75 to 85 (81 to 91, 88 to 98, 95 to 105, 101 to 111)(111 to 121, 122 to 132, 136 to 146, 148 to 158) cm / 29.5 to 33.5 (31.75 to 35.75, 34.75 to 38.5, 37.5 to 41.25, 39.75 to 43.75)(43.75 to 47.75, 48 to 52, 53.5 to 57.5, 58.25 to 62.25)” with a recommended bust positive ease of 5 to 15 cm / 2 to 6’’.
Photographed garments are worn with approximately 10 cm / 4″ of positive ease at the chest.
Finished sweater chest circumference: 90 (96, 103, 110, 116) (126, 137, 151, 163) cm / 35.5 (37.75, 40.5, 43.25, 45.75) (49.5, 54, 59.5, 64.25)’’
The “Leizh” sweater is available in French and English on our website and on Ravelry.
Thanks to all the test knitters who knitted a preview of the pattern and helped improve it!
Do not hesitate to check out their versions on Ravelry, each one more beautiful than the other and giving lots of ideas for colors and rendering in different lengths.
Thanks to Naoko for the technical editing of this pattern and to Céline for her lovely samples and her beautiful smile!
