Despite having finished this sweater nearly 6 months ago for Jackson’s birthday, it still has that exciting, brand new feeling because today is the release day for the pattern! This is the Aldwyn Pullover for kids.
As is almost always the case, my initial inspiration was a classic, cabled garment. In this particular instance, it was the V-neck pullover. I don’t usually work with V-necks, but Jackson often wears polo shirts to school, so I wanted to create something that complimented his existing wardrobe. The shape of the V-neck inspired me to play around with cables that would echo the diagonal neckline.
Once I started working with these lattice cables, I was on the right track. I especially like the playful way that the background of the diamonds alternates between smooth stockinette and textured garter stitch.
Since this IS a kids’ sweater, I decided to continue with the playful twists (no pun intended!) and put some cables into the hem. Then, with Jackson’s help, we took the fun one step further with (optional) striped sleeves!
I had already selected Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease yarn for this project because I wanted a worsted-weight yarn that would knit up quickly and withstand the amount of wear that it would receive from an elementary school boy. Also, the cable pattern shows up best in a solid or mostly-solid colorway, and this yarn has lots of good choices.
Once I had chosen a few color options, Jackson made the final choice: the golden “Arrowwood” hue for the body and sleeves striped with Arrowwood and “Fisherman.” This sweater glows with such a warm, amber light even on the dreariest winter day!
What I like best about Aldwyn are the small details that add up to a professional result. The pattern includes six sizes for children aged 6 months to 10 years. There is a small panel of purl stitches on the side of the body, which allows each size to have a transitional space for picking up and adding the sleeves without interrupting the cables. Likewise, there are separate armhole shaping instructions for each size to ensure that the cable pattern flows as uninterrupted as possible. And each size also has its own instructions for picking up the ribbed stitches around the neckline so that you get that pleasing knit column right in the middle of your V-neck. Anything worth doing is worth doing well 🙂
And as long as we’re discussing specifics, Aldwyn includes enough positive ease to wear a layer underneath and to grow into. The comfortable modified drop shoulder shaping in the armholes also ensures that there’s plenty of room to move and play. Choose a size with about 2-3” of positive ease in the chest. Jackson is wearing the 6-8 year old size with about 2” of positive ease. Of course, feel free to add a bit of extra length to the sleeves and body for growth spurts!
The body is knit in the round from the bottom up to the armholes. The front and back are each knit flat and then seamed at the shoulders. Stitches are picked up around each armhole to work the sleeves in the round down to the cuff. The cuffs feature professional (and optional) tubular edges.
It took me a bit longer than normal to settle on the name of this newest design. Over the winter, our family read a series of fantasy books as Jackson took on the challenge of reading chapter books. One of our favorite characters was Aldwyn, a telepathic cat destined to save his magical kingdom along with two other animal friends, despite his insecurities about his past and fears about his abilities. We grew to love Aldwyn and somehow the name just felt like the right way to commemorate that shared family time.
To celebrate the pattern launch, Aldwyn is 20% off until midnight Eastern on Friday, May 20th, and there’s no code needed; the discount will automatically apply whether you purchase the pattern here on Ravelry or here at DCD. Thank you as always for your enthusiastic support of my designs!
Take good care, be well, and happy knitting friends!
xo Danielle
daniellechalson.com 