D-light Sweater - test knitter's projects

The biggest satisfaction in designing knitting garments is the possibility to connect with talented people from all over the world and work together on the final stage of the pattern. So today, I am happy to share many beautiful versions of the D-light sweater knitted by my great test knitting team. Their projects, made with different yarns and in different colour combinations, show the beauty of the design, give ideas how to wear this garment as well as provide some ideas on possible modifications.

I encourage you to visit everyone’s pages for a potion of inspiration (links, Ravelry and Instagram names provided under each project) and to give some love to their other beautiful projects.

Huge thanks to my great test knitting team for their fantastic help with the pattern check and update! 

Let us start. 

1. D-light sweater from Deborah, size 3-4 years. Ravelry ID: DebMR

The sweater knitted with Cherub DK Multis from Cascade Yarns. Knitted in such pretty pink colourway, sweater makes perfect addition to the wardrobe of little fashionista. 

" The color name is princess purple, perfect for a 3 year old! Very pretty pattern, I’m enjoying a new way of creating bobbles, it’s surprisingly easy. "

2. D-light sweater from Denise, size 5-6 years. Ravelry ID: 62denise Instagram ID: denise_knit

Denise knitted the sweater in size 5-6 years for gorgeous granddaughter. She used beautiful alpaca lyocell yarn blend in pretty terracotta shade.  

" Lace was very easy to follow, good project for someone new to lace..." 

3. D-light sweater from Renata, size 2-3 years. Ravelry ID: grankaG Instagram ID: grankag

Living in Japan in warmer climate, Renata often goes for short sleeved version of my designs and uses really pretty colour options. This time she used beautiful blue-yellow combo in colours of Ukrainian flag.  Also, she has modified the design for knitting in the round.

" A beautiful lacy summer knit for a girl, with Ukraine colors as I’m praying for Ukraine…

The design is well thought out, the two smaller sizes have only lace panels one and three, with even more ornate detail added by lace panel two in the larger sizes. It’s written up as piecework, and the seams will give the garment a good lasting shape. Raglans make it an easy to wear, comfy fit...."

4. D-light sweater from Lucy, size 5-6 years. Ravelry ID: lucygoosey3 Instagram ID: cottagewitch.knits

Knitted in cropped length, this sweater was a great success and perfect addition to the wardrobe of little fashionista. Lucy's gorgeous daughter could not wait for the finishing touches and was ready wearing her new sweater even without neck band - it is the greatest compliment to mom's knitting as well as to the design. Just look at this adorable smile! 

"... The cropped length is perfect for wearing over dresses, as my kiddo loves to do. She didn’t want to give it back so I could finish it, so I call that a raging success."

5. D-light sweater from Susan, size 13-14 years. Ravelry ID: susanet 

Susan knitted her sweater for her daughter with merino wool in pretty deep grey colour.  She added a few extra inches to sweater's body length so it is easy to combine with any outfit and for longer wearing. 

This happy smile is worth a million  words! 

6. D-light sweater from Yangchen, size 5-6 years.  Ravelry ID: Ihamoyangchen Instgram ID: yangchenknits

Yangchen decided to knit this sweater for her handsome little gentleman in bright yellow colour. She used tubular bind off for perfect neck finishing and the result is outstanding!

" ... Completed the test knit project. Loved the output. The measurements are as per the pattern except the length. I increased the length by 5 cm"

7. D-light sweater from Denise, size 7-8 years. Ravelry ID: denisemknits

I love how this model looks in sage green. Denise is also opted for a slightly longer length, which is always good decision for kids who grow way to fast and most garments last no longer than one season. 

8. D-light sweater from Mary, size 7-8 years. Ravelry ID: Marysaknitter  Instagram ID: maryincorfu

Knitted in light grey, the sweater has classic length and perfect finishing! 

9. D-light sweater from Anne, size 5-6 years. Ravelry ID: marcntomsmum 

Anne knitted this sweater for her lovely granddaughter and already has an order from her 8 years old cousin - what a success! Sweater knitted with yarn is Cygnet Silkaress DK in beautiful blue colour.

10. D-light sweater from Aml, size 2-3 years. Ravelry ID: Fullacrafts

Aml knitted the raglan for the first time and she has done this perfectly! Sweater in light violet would make a perfect addition to the wardrobe of little person. 

" Loved the pattern so much easy steps. The decorative pattern in the front is beautiful and elegant..." 

I hope you enjoyed seeing so many beautiful projects as much as I did! 

Knitting pattern for D-light sweater written for sizes from 18-24 months up to 15 -16 years and is available from Ravelry and Lovecraft. 

To see some behind the scene photos you can follow me on Instagram.

You are also welcome to join my Facebook knitting group to share your work and get some help with my patterns.

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I-cord bind off and attached I-cord - Finishing Techniques

In my recent design Transformer Poncho and Hat set I used I-cord bind off for pretty and simple edge finishing. 

Since this design is very simple with focus to it's shape I did not want to add any ribbing or textured band along the edge,. Instead, I wanted to keep the edge plain and simple, so I cord was a perfect choice. This technique is also used in my several older designs so I decided to make a quick video tutorial for I-cord bind off. Hope you will find it useful not just for my designs but for other projects too.

However, for bigger sizes of the Transformer Poncho picking up stitches along the edge and working on I-cord bind off can be a bit challenging so there is another useful technique - attached I-cord. It can be added to any edge of finished garments fast and easy. 

Knitting pattern for the Transformer poncho is available from Ravelry, Etsy and Lovecrafts

Happy knitting!!! :)

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Polarity Sweater - pattern release

Happy knitting everyone! Today, I’d like to introduce my Polarity Sweater and share some information about this design.

Knitting for kids is a great fun, especially if you can avoid seaming. My new sweater design is knitted TOP DOWN seamlessly. There are few obvious benefits in this type of construction. Firstly, it is saving of time on seaming, which is great for those who really dislike this process. Secondly, there is a possibility to adjust the sweater length as per your choice or even lengthen it when kids get slightly taller.

Polarity sweater is designed with raglan shaping, round neck plenty of positive ease for comfortable wearing. The body of sweater is knitted in stockinette while the sleeves are knitted in reverse stockinette and decorated with pretty and easy to memorise cables. This timeless unisex design is perfect all seasons of the year and would match any outfit.

The knitting pattern is written for wide range of sizes from baby 0-3 months through 15-16 years. For bigger sizes from 18-24 months to 15-16 years the neck shaping is formed with short rows for better fit. 

The sweater can be knitted with any DK weight yarn

The pattern is available from Etsy, Lovecrafts and Ravelry.

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Invisible joining in the round - tutorial

 Invisible joining of the cast on round is the great benefit of circular knitting.

There are a few different methods of joining and today I'd like to share the most invisible one. 

Step 1

Cast on one extra stitch and place the circular needle as shown below:

Step 2

Slip last cast on stitch to left needle and place it over the first stitch, pull the working yarn to close the gap

Step 3

Start knitting in the round as per your pattern. At the end of knitting you will need just waive in the cast on edge of yarn. 

Happy Knitting!!!

P.S. The yoke of Starflake Sweater is pictured in the first photo. The pattern is available from Ravelry and Lovecrafts

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Comfort Formula Poncho - Pattern Release

The life has changed dramatically for everyone. The new lifestyle calls for more comfortable and simple garments. Since we've been staying at home most of the time we need more cosy and  pretty garments which we can wear at home or walk around feeling relaxed. So today I'd like to share my latest design - Comfort Formula Poncho.

This comfortable oversized garment is knitted with English rib in Aran weight yarn. The design features large armholes, dropped shoulders and long neck.

Front and back of poncho are knitted back and forth on straight needles and the neck is knitted in the round.

The length of poncho can be easily adjusted by knitting more/less rows after increasing section.

Both ponchos are knitted with Drops Nepal from Garnstudio. Any other Aran or Worsted weight yarn can be used instead. 

The pattern is size inclusive and written for sizes from 2-4 years up to 4XL. It is available from Ravelry and Lovecrafts. 

There is 10% discount from Ravelry with code COMFORT10. The offer valid until 28th of March 2021.

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Lace Chain Hat - pattern release

While the spring is already here the weather is still cold enough for a new pretty lacy hat! So today I'd like to share my latest knitting hat design - Lace Chain Hat.

Knitted with DK weight yarn and circular needles the hat can be completed just in a few days. There are a few different stitches and techniques are used in the pattern. Knitting starts with irregular ribbing, neat three stitches bobbles then continue with pretty heart shaped lace and finishes with fancy cables. You won't be bored knitting this hat. 

Also, the hat is knitted in the round which means no need to spend extra time for seaming.

Knitting pattern has row-by-row instructions, charts and photo tutorial for bobbles.

I used beautiful Hayton DK yarn in shade Fresh Leaves. It is lovely hand dyed yarn from local dyer Eden Cottage Yarn. If you haven't knitted with this yarn yet, I highly recommend to try it out.

The knitting pattern is written for three sizes - toddler, child and teen/adult and can be obtained from Ravelry and Lovecrafts. 

It is available with 10% discount on Ravelry until 9th of March. Just use code LACE10 to get your discount.

The knitting pattern for the mitts is also available here - Arlet Hat and Mitts

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Comfort Formula Sweater - Pattern Release

Warm and cozy yarn + perfect fit = Comfort Formula Sweater. :)) Today I'd like to share my new sweater  design. 

This sweater turned out great and is often used in my everyday wardrobe. It can be combined with most items and worn under any jacket or coat.

The sweaters design is very simple with a few interesting features. It is knitted with curve bottom hem which helps to make the silhouette slightly longer. Also, to add a little bit of decorative elements I used double raglan decreases for shoulder shaping. 

Back, Front and both sleeves are knitted bottom up on straight needles. The neck band is knitted in the round. 

For this sweater I used Aran weight yarn and US8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles. So, it is quite fast project. 

I used The Croft Shetland Tweed Aran by West Yorkshire Spinners. This yarn has a beautiful  colour palette, creates nice and soft fabric. However, it is slightly itchy to be worn next to the skin. I prefer to wear this wool with long sleeve t-shirt underneath for extra comfort.

Knitting pattern for Comfort Formula Sweater is written for sizes from XS up to 2XL and available from Ravelry and Lovecrafts. 

To celebrate the pattern release I'd like to offer 15% off on Ravelry with code COMFORT15 Offer valid until 15th of February

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