Hello, my knitting friends!
I have a new pattern out today and its one I have been looking forward to sharing for a while….TA DA!!!!
I finished up the East Creek pullover just over a month ago and it has been on my body almost every day since (or it was until we moved to New York where it’s a zillion degrees all the time and aran weight sweaters are a health hazard).
Anyway, the point is this sweater is awesome (if I do say so myself) for several reasons.
1. I’ts knit up in garter stitch, which I am loving right now. I was inspired by all of the super cute gartery/oversized/boyfriend style pullovers I was seeing at places like Madewell and Anthropologie. I love that garter stitch is having a little Renaissance both in the knitting world and in the wider fashion world. It just looks so “hand made” in a good way, and always reminds me of my first knitting projects. Plus the squish factor is out of this world making it super cozy.
2. East Creek is knit BOTH in the ROUND and FLAT — when I set out to make this sweater I wanted to do a top down pullover in the round, using garter stitch, but with as little purling as possible. SO, what I came up with is a sweater that is knit in the round through the sleeve divide, and then the front, back and each of the arms are knit flat. Its SO EASY….and sets up my next favorite bit which is easy too…
3. The side seams. There are two of them, they go from the bottom edge of the sweater up the side and all the way down the inside of the arm. I singled crochet my side seams on the RIGHT SIDE of the sweater to give it a kind “inside-out” look. It also adds some extra structure to all that squishy garter stitch.
4. pockets…need I say more? Pockets are the best, and in this pattern, they are knit in a fun contrasting color for a little extra flair.
5. Boat neck…because I hate when the neck of my pullover is too fitted. It gives the sweater a more modern look and makes it easy to layer.
6. Shaping. there is no real side shaping, in the traditional sense, but I hate when my pullovers bunch up at my hips, so I added a few increases toward the bottom of the body to ensure an easy loose fit. I think it makes this pattern extra flattering even in spite of the heavy weight of the yarn and the positive ease.
I knit mine up using Studio Donegal’s “Soft Donegal” that I bought at Dublin Bay before I left Portland. It’s one of my favorite yarns that I find myself returning to again and again.
I used to feel guilty about getting into yarn ruts, but then I listened to Hannah Fettig (of Knitbot) discussing her knitting habits on her podcast once and she does the same thing. So I wear my Donegal obsession with pride now.
Every time I design a new sweater pattern I set out to knit my ideal sweater…and I’m not sure if this one ticks ALL of my boxes, but boy it sure comes close!
It’s available on ravelry and here on the website. It’s 25% off through the 4th of July (happy Independence Day ya’ll).
