Contents
INTRODUCTION 7 PROJECTS 8 Ease • TANK 8 Joy • LACE TUNIC 12 Harmony • DRESS 16 Bliss • TOP 24 Peace • TUNIC 30 Serenity • SHRUG 38 Unity • PULLOVER 44 Divine • VEST 50 Whisper • TUNIC 58 Hope • TOP 66 Honor • PULLOVER 74 Delight • PULLOVER 82 Calm • TEE 90 Balance • PULLOVER 96 Tranquility • TUNIC 102 Light • BOLERO 108 Grace • CARDI 116 Warmth • TOP 124 Trust • PULLOVER 132 Beauty • CARDI 140 GLOSSARY 148 SOURCES FOR YARNS 158 INDEX 159
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There is so much to be grateful for—so much time, effort, loving energy, and care has gone into bringing these pages into reality—it’s impossible to list it all here. I’m so thankful for having the opportunity to share these projects with you—thankful that you’ve picked up this book and found something worth knitting. Without you, this book could not be here. So, firstly, I thank you. To those at Interweave: Ann Budd, Anne Merrow, Mary KinCannon, and those I didn’t have the pleasure of working with personally—this book couldn’t have been created without your guidance, talents, creativity, and time. Thank you. To my knitters: Jessica Wright-Lichter, Kim Haesemeyer, Cecily MacDonald, and Kim Barnette— I’m so thankful for all the hard work and long hours you spent creating these sweaters. Without you, I would have probably lost my mind trying to find the time to get it all done. The endless support, enthusiasm, and love I’ve received from my boyfriend, James; family; personal friends; and my knitter friends online, was beyond what I’d ever imagined. You all kept me moving and excited about the unfolding of the process and eager to see the book come into reality. I love you— thank you! And lastly but, certainly, never least, I thank my dear mother, Diane—to whom I dedicate this book.
Introduction
My grandmother had a great love for sewing. As a child, I admired the beautiful dolls and clothes she created. Throughout my elementary school years, she tried to teach me to sew many times, but I never did quite master the art of cutting out pieces of fabric and sewing them together, neither by hand nor machine. Everything I made turned out wonky—sewn with gaps in the fabric, with uneven seams, or it simply didn’t fit. While the art of creating with fabric and thread wasn’t for me, I did fall in love with the creation process—the process of transforming something simple into something unique and functional. The possibilities of what could be made by hand were endless.
Around the same time of my life, my mother taught me to crochet, which was a creative medium that I did enjoy. As a child who had no clue how to read a pattern, one of the things I loved about crocheting was being able to work around and around in circles, trying it on along the way, adding or subtracting stitches here and there, and ending up with something that fit with no sewing required. When I learned to knit in my twenties, the first few sweaters I knitted from patterns were knitted in pieces— many of those pieces remain unsewn to this day. And the garments that I did seam were far from perfect. As I learned more about the construction of a sweater and began designing, I began to draw upon the things I loved about crochet—working around and around, adding or subtracting stitches here and there, and ending up with something that didn’t need seaming. While developing the designs for this book I focused on sweaters that I would enjoy knitting and wearing. They represent a variety of comfortable-casual designs, shaped and sized to fit a wide range of body shapes. Their names conjure a sense of well-being and contentment, which reflects how I hope you will feel while knitting and wearing these garments. Through these designs, I want to encourage more knitters to knit and complete sweaters. Contained within these pages are sweater patterns for all levels of knitters. For the beginner, Ease (page 8) is a purl-free pattern that involves just knit stitches, a few simple decreases, and a few buttonholes. In other sweaters, there are easy-to-learn lace patterns that can be shaped without interrupting the stitch pattern; and sweaters worked side-to-side or from the top down that can be tried on along the way. The Serenity shrug (page 38) begins with a cable panel in the center back and ends with sleeves picked up along the edges of the panel and worked to the cuffs. For the more advanced knitter, a whole bunch of these patterns use interesting techniques for shaping sleeve caps and pockets. Above all, every design is worked seamlessly—no sewing is required. Each is completely constructed and shaped on the knitting needles; when the last stitch is bound off, you’re done!
If you come across a technique that seems unfamiliar, I encourage you to give it a try. All the information you need to knit every garment in this book is included within these pages—either in the tips, stitch guides, or Glossary. Even if a particular pattern doesn’t specifically point you to the Glossary, I encourage you go take a look. In it, you’ll find general information about picking up stitches, weaving in ends, blocking, and attaching buttons. I also recommend browsing through the tips included within the garment instructions. In them, you’re sure to learn pointers that will be useful for future projects.
how to make a box pleat
A box pleat is made by overlapping sections of stitches and working them together across part of a row of knitting. This both decreases stitches and creates an appealing gather of fabric. In this tank, a right pleat is immediately followed by a left pleat.
Right Pleat: Slip the first 6 stitches onto one double-pointed needle, then slip the next 6 stitches onto a second double-pointed needle. Overlap the two double-pointed needles and the working needle so that the first double- pointed needle is in the front, the second is in the middle, and the working needle is in the back (as shown). Work the first stitch on each needle as k3tog to join the stitches; repeat for the remaining 5 stitches on each needle—12 stitches decreased.
Left Pleat: Slip the next 6 stitches onto one double-pointed needle, then slip the follow-ing 6 stitches onto a second double-pointed needle. Overlap the two double-pointed needles and the working needle so that the first double-pointed needle is in the back, the second is in the middle, and the working needle is in the front. Work the first stitch on each needle as k3tog to join the stitches; repeat for the remaining 5 stitches on each needle—12 stitches decreased.