make. wear. love. west: retreat design collection

Happy weekend, lovely knitters!

Today, I have triple-happy news for you: the make. wear. love. west 2017 retreat collection is now live!

(From left to right – Point Lobos, Point Pinos, and Lucas Point.)

I like designing all kinds of sweaters, but when it comes to what I wear every day? Give me a gray open cardigan or relaxed pullover (the darker the better) and I’m set. I’m even happier if it has a longer length and an easy, body-skimming shape.

I created the make. wear. love. west collection this year with that in mind:

Point Lobos

Oh, how I love a good raglan – both wearing them, and knitting them. They’re comfortable, relaxed, and they beg to be used in clean, cozy designs.

I started this design with the yarn: Patti Odinak of Yarn Culture and I worked together to choose something with just the right mix of comfort and sophisticated color. The Uncommon Thread’s Everyday Sport is perfect – it’s soft and strong, with rich, complex colors that don’t overwhelm stitch patterning. I chose “Ashes to Ashes”, but there’s such a great color palette that you’re sure to find your perfect hue.

I worked it up into a dressed-up version of your favorite sweatshirt: From slight A-line shaping, to a gently-scooped, wider neckline, through a fun lace-and cable pattern, the vibe is casually elegant. It’s fun to knit, simple to modify, and strong enough to wear weekly for however long you like.

I designed Point Lobos with a raglan construction, worked in pieces from the bottom up and seamed for stability. One caution on stitch patterning: please swatch both the lace and cable pattern and Stockinette! The stitch gauges are different and you’ll want to make sure you’re matching both. (Your row gauge will be consistent across the two patterns.)

I hope you enjoy Point Lobos as much as I do! You can purchase a copy for yourself either by clicking here, or through my Ravelry store. Happy knitting!

Point Pinos

Our vendor Monarch Knitting is located in Pacific Grove itself, surrounded by breezy beach walks and elegant dining. I wanted to make a cardigan that would be at home there, so I started with exquisite Shibui Twig and Cima yarns, held together. I sketched out an easy, elegant take on my favorite style: An open cardigan that can be closed with my favorite removable Jul closure of the day.

Point Pinos has sleek lines, rolled edges, and a slightly-flecked fabric, which make it perfect for an evening out. I added a generous, snuggle-worthy collar and a tiny bit of warm alpaca for those breezy beach walks. And I’m pleased to report Point Pinos works well for both: I was in Pacific Grove for the retreat, where I wore it to both my favorite restaurant and strolling along Asilomar’s beach. It was fabulous.

The blend of linen, silk, alpaca, and wool in the Cima/Twig combination makes a soft, slightly fuzzy linen fabric that’s heaven to wear. Shibui makes a sophisticated, wearable line of luxury yarns that are meant to be held together in different combinations. I love them all, and all of them have the right kind of drape to make a beautiful Point Pinos.

This makes for a spectacular match with CustomFit, since you can use whichever mix you like to make the pattern. (You can check out all of Shibui’s colors and bases here – I’m planning on a Lunar/Pebble mix for myself this winter!)

I hope you love Point Pinos as much as I do – click here to make your own on CustomFit!

Lucas Point

My collaboration with Kim McBrien Evans for my make. wear. love. west design in her yarn started in the past, with our very first design collaboration,
Caulfield. Caulfield is still one of my favorite designs, and this spring I proposed an update. Kim had recently created a speckled gray colorway that I adored, and I knew it would look great in Caulfield’s allover slip-stitch pattern:

I wanted this version to be longer, with garter stitch trims at the sleeve cuff and sweater hem. (The button band is still reverse Stockinette.)

Purl bumps change the character of variegated yarns in a way I love: Something about the nature of garter and reverse stockinette blends the colors almost impressionistically. The horizontal (hems) vs. vertical (button band) contrast of the color changes adds to the design. I definitely recommend a shaded solid, or lightly-variegated, yarn for Lucas Point. (The sample is shown in CaribouBaa, a light merino sock yarn, in the color “Epiphyte Club”.)

And, as much as I loved the hourglass shaping in the original, CustomFit just can’t gracefully handle it. So I sketched and swatched, and we settled on an easy A-line silhouette instead. The result? A new favorite – Lucas Point is so easy to wear. I’ve thrown it on over a tank on a warmer day when I want just a little bit of chill-protection; I’ve worn it (several times!) over my favorite butter-soft denim tunic when it’s cool.

I hope you like Lucas Point as much as I do! You can make one in your size and gauge on CustomFit. (Just be sure to swatch in the slip-stitch eyelet pattern!)

Want to know more?

If you’d like more detail on any of the patterns, you can check out their pattern pages : Point Lobos, Point Pinos, and Lucas Point.

Until next time, happy knitting!