The Story of Snowberry
Standing in a snowstorm wearing beautiful, toasty warm Snowberry.
Once a year I lay out my entire collection of handknit sweaters and give them a good, hard look. I look for a few things; what I need more of, what I wear a lot of, what never gets worn. The last time I did my annual sweater audit, I noticed that I did not have enough cardigans. My designs don’t just get tucked away in some untouched pile of samples. I wear them constantly. Making a handknit wardrobe is serious occupation of mine, and designing knitting patterns has grown out of that.
So, the plan was clear: design more cardigans.
Cables and bobbles make for gorgeous textural interest and very fun knitting.
The idea of Snowberry came from this place of needing more cardigans. And I did not want just any ole cardigan. Specifically, I wanted an open front cardigan that would fit nicely and be easy to layer. I had a lovely dress from Pyne & Smith that I wanted to be able to wear in all seasons by just tossing the perfect cardi over top in the cold months. Given that my dress is rather simple, I wanted the cardigan to have front cable panels to add some textural interest. Plus, they would be really fun to knit.
One of the details I really wanted to include was a cabled front edge. I had seen it done a few times in other designs, and I loved it. Honestly, I think it is my favorite part of the whole cardigan.
The cabled front edge is my favorite part of Snowberry.
The bobbles add a super fun textural element, and they are really easy to work. I used a double crochet method, which means there is no knitting and turning and knitting and turning and knitting and turning. It is super quick and easy. Plus, if you forget a bobble somewhere (like I did a couple of times), it is really easy to just drop back down to that stitch and add the bobble in with a second piece of yarn. I’ve recorded a video tutorial on how to make the bobbles. Click on this link to watch the video.
At the time I was planning Snowberry, Bare Naked Wools reached out to see if I would like to do a collaboration with their yarn. I decided that their Stone Soup DK would be perfect for the cardigan I had in mind. Stone Soup is lightweight, lofty, and soft, but has amazing stitch definition that makes it perfect for cables. I really enjoyed knitting with it, and it kept me toasty warm during our whole photoshoot, which we did in the midst of a snowstorm. You can find Stone Soup DK at this link.
Can you spot the kitty who knocked snow on my head?
I had the design idea and the yarn, now it was time to choose the construction. The contiguous top-down set-in sleeve method sounds like quite a mouthful, but it is really simple to work, and you get a wonderful fit. It fits like a set-in sleeve, but retains all the benefits of top-down knitting, and you don’t have to seam anything together.
Love a beautifully fitted, seamless shoulder.
If you have never worked the contiguous top-down set-in sleeve method, please don’t be intimidated by its long name. It really is very simple to work. If you can increase, you can do it. I’ve recorded a video explaining how this construction method works so you can see it in detail if you would like. Just click on this link to watch it.
Picking the correct size for you is very important. Choosing a size too large will result in the shoulder lines being too long and hanging off your shoulders. I recommend taking your upper bust measurement (just under your armpits) and choosing a size based off that measurement. Using your full bust measurement may result in you choosing a size or two too large. A good fit in the shoulders is the most important part, and the upper bust measurement correlates most closely to your shoulder size without allowing bust size to skew the results. Snowberry has an open front so it will not close over your chest. If you size up to try to get it to close over your chest, the shoulders will be too big (and it still won’t close over your chest anyway) so please do not do that. I’ve recorded a video showing how to get the best fit for you. Click on this link to watch the video.
Snowberry turned out beautifully, and I am in love with it. I really love the outfit I had planned, but I am sure that Snowberry will be included in a wide variety of outfits. Let’s face it, since I am a mom of small children, it will probably be worn with a tee and jeans most often. One thing is for sure though, I am going to wear it constantly.
If you would like a Snowberry of your own, you can find the pattern in my website store and on Ravelry. Use the code SNOWBERRY for 15% off through Feb 28, 2021.
