Update: Yay, keep those comments coming! I’ll extend the giveaway until Noon EDT on Friday 9/20! 🙂
I did say two new sweaters in a week, didn’t I??
Last Saturday, it was the Southold Sweater, a great layer for the lingering warm weather we’re having here. And now, it’s time for my second sweater and the perfect knit for real Autumn days: the Stomping Grounds Pullover!
Designed as part of the Knit Picks’ City Tweed Collection (which debuts today here), I am so thrilled that the release date has arrived.
Nearly a year in the conception/writing/making, this design is the epitome of what I look for in a sweater as the days turn cooler: a cozy pullover in a classic neutral shade with a not-too-tight fit and lots of interesting texture. That’s how the sweater also got its name: it’s the sweater I pull out of my closet when I’m hanging out at home, lounging around for a weekend brunch, or meeting up with family and friends. You know, when you’re having fun on your old stomping grounds 😉
And as you can see, my love affair with placing patterns on the back of the sweater continues! The back features a combination of branching cables and a textured panel that really shows off the beauty of the City Tweed DK yarn.
Speaking of the yarn, I LOVE IT. Not only does it come in a huge range of colors at a great price (the brown shade shown here is “Tabby”), but it is so smooth to knit with and works up into a heavenly soft fabric that blocks nicely and provides lots of stitch definition, as you can see below in the twisted ribbing that is featured on the collar, cuffs, and hem. I will definitely be working with this yarn again!
(And in case you think I neglected the front of the sweater, fear not: I added a cable down the front, shown in the first photo above.)
The sweater is knit in one piece and in the round from the top down. Featuring a crew neck and raglan sleeves, the body and the sleeves are also nice and long to maximize the coziness factor. There’s also some waist shaping to keep the overall fit more modern. The pattern includes seven sizes that cover bust sizes between 33″ and 56 1/2″, and the sweater should be worn with about 0-2″ of positive ease in keeping with the easy fit of the design.
Probably the best part about the design process for this sweater was simply all of the folks involved at Knit Picks. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: they are so great to work with! A wonderful sample knitter created the sweater you’ve seen above, and the whole process from choosing colors to working with the technical editors and reviewing the final pattern proofs was easy and seamless. (haha no pun intended!)
And aren’t the professional photos beautiful? (And YAY for using a redhead!) They sent me a variety of pics to choose from for today’s post, and one of my favorites just happens to involve a very cute doggie who appears to be wondering when he/she is going to get his/her own sweater:
One of the other great things about working with KP is that they sent me yarn so that I could work out the pattern and knit my own Stomping Grounds! Behold, my own version made up in the perfect-shade-of-brown-beige called “Kitten”:
I love love love how the lighter colorway really makes the texture pop while also highlighting the overall “tweediness” of the fabric. Although it was 90+ degrees here today, I’m itching to put this sweater on and wear it all season long.
And here’s the best news of all: you could be knitting and wearing a Stomping Grounds very soon, too!
Knit Picks is offering one of my readers a FREE copy of the City Tweed Collection e-book. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post between now and midnight (EDT) on Wednesday, September 18th, after which I’ll pick a winner at random from the comments and send them the e-book via email.
So get going and leave a comment to get this pattern and the other patterns from this great collection! To see more about the entire collection, just head on over to Knit Picks’ website here. (And yes, that’s Stomping Grounds on the cover of the book! Wheeeee!)
With two sweaters done and dusted, I’m ready for Fall!
xoxo Danielle
daniellechalson.com 