When I was editing photos of my Sugarbush jumper, I found photos of this lovely thing as well! I had forgotten I had taken them, and clearly, had forgotten to share it here. So let’s talk about it today.
Pattern: Smaragd (Ravelry link), by Svetlana Volkova.
Needles: 3mm needles for the body, 2.5m for the collar, cuffs and hem, and 3.25mm for the sleeves (maybe 3.5mm?).
Yarn: Holst Garn Supersoft in the colourway ‘Cool’, which is a really fresh, minty green. I used just over 3 50g cakes – it is 155g total.
The pattern is very straight forward and I think that if you have made a top-down jumper before, you would have no problem with this. However! I don’t think that I would recommend it to someone who hasn’t knit one already, because there is strictly no hand-holding in the instructions! Some people like that, and if you’re one of them, you probably won’t be too thrilled with this. But like I said, it’s grand.
I added extra short rows at the back of the neck. I need to do this on pretty much every jumper I knit. More details on what I do to make this adjustment can be found in my last post here.
I love the drapiness of the yarn, which I think is apparent from this photo. I really dithered over what length to make it – I wear a lot of high-waisted skirts and dresses, so it works really well with that style… but it’s a bit short to wear with trousers. You can’t have it every way, I suppose!
I know that I have already waxed poetic about the Holst Garn Supersoft, but really, it is such a mighty wool! It is 287m for a 50g cake and at the moment, it is listed as €3.61 on their website, so it is the definition of good bang for your buck. They have a huge palette of colours to pick from – truly, something for everyone. The wool itself is extremely warm and light. For me, I rank it alongside Alafoss Plotulopi in terms of warmth and lightness. If I am travelling, I will invariably pack a jumper made from one of these yarns, purely because of their lightness. They make ideal layering pieces.
I have you convinced, right? Well, caveat emptor. I have learned a few things through ordering directly from them and knitting and wearing the wool. Firstly, the colours on the website aren’t always really what you get. They tend to be a little more muted. So if you’re really gunning for a strong, saturated colour, you might be disappointed. I know that it’s always a risk when you order online. Secondly, if you have never knit with it before, it doesn’t feel all that nice initially. This is because it is sold with the spinning oil still on it. This is to protect it during processing. Most commercial yarns have this washed out before they sell it, and I am guessing the fact that they don’t do this helps them keep the cost as low as it is. Ok, so it doesn’t feel great, but when you wash your work, the transformation is pretty spectacular. The wool blooms and becomes light and fluffy. Often the colour brightens up a bit as well. The upside to it having the oil still on it is that if you’re into weaving, this is a good thing, I think, because it makes the wool a bit more durable for that process.
As you can see, it has nice stitch definition. I wear this jumper often because it goes nicely with navy and dark teal.
And… surprise, surprise, I made another one! This time in a heathered navy, also in Holst Supersoft. I have finally found the perfect trousers to wear it with so I look forward to sharing it next time.
Until then, happy knitting!