When our newsletter was delivered last week with news of the upcoming savings to be had on Alpaca Elegance this weekend, (please see in bold below) we received several messages from friends looking for pattern suggestions.
We thought we’d share a great possibility with you today that was published by our friend Fatimah Hinds: Modcast. This pullover pattern was published a few years ago and it’s modern pattern block couldn’t be more timely. This type of design is all over our Instagram feed, which means that patterns like this will likely be on everyone’s needles this fall. She shared with us that, “It’s my favorite thing that I’ve designed and it’s the knit that I wear the most. ”
© Barbara Benson
Fatimah is going to be starting a knitalong in the coming weeks that will feature this design, so it is a perfect time to learn a bit more about it, find the perfect yarn and get swatching!
She shares these details about her pattern on the design’s Raverly page, “texture and visual interest in knitting can be created by changing various elements or in this case directions. For this seamless sweater, I used wrist to wrist knitting to create horizontal cables that change pattern at an off center point on the chest and back. Then I knit the body in the round and added garter stitch accents to keep it interesting. To echo the body a funnel neck collar is knit in garter stitch. Finally, to make this piece infinitely customizable and fun to style, I used 3 different colors. The color blocking and shape give this sweater a mod look that easily fits into a wardrobe today.
© Barbara Benson
What I loved most about knitting this piece is that the sleeves and chest/back are knit using fewer stitches than other sweater shapes, meaning the sweater can be ‘knit on the go’ for a longer period of time. The casual, easy to wear vibe comes from wearing the piece with 3”+ of ease as shown on the model. Or wear it with no ease for a tailored fit.”
The pattern includes sizing that ranges from 32 (36, 40, 44, 48)“ bust/chest circumference. The sweater is shown in 40” with 3” of positive ease. Our DK weight yarn suggestions (Alpaca Elegance, Cotton Comfort, Mewesic, Sylvan Spirit) are skeined at a similar yardage to the yarn she used when designing her pattern, so the yarn requirements should work perfectly. (Color 1), 3 (4, 4, 4, 5) skeins; (Color 2), 3 (3, 4, 4, 4) skeins; (Color 3), 3 (5, 5, 6, 6) skeins.
Prior to the launch of her Knitalong that will run through the month of October, she plans to increase the sizing to include instructions for a 52″ chest circumference. To make the pattern accessible cost-wise, Fatimah will be providing the instructions, one step at a time for free on Instagram. She has done this previously and it was well received. Finally, for those who are able to support her design work by purchasing the pattern, she will offer a discounted price for those who purchase the pattern $6 instead of $8.
You can receive all the updates that you need by following Fatimah on Instagram and searching for #modcastalong.
Later this week, we’ll be hosting a Facebook Live Video Show and Tell of our recent projects and patterns. You’ll find us on Friday September 11th at 9am Central at Virtual Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival gathering that will be happening on Facebook. You can join the group here.