Just in time for summer! (hehe)

At long last, the Calluna sweater pattern is available!

Well, you may not have been waiting for it, but I have! We had hoped to release this pattern when City Tweed was first launched, but when we realized that all of you intrepid knitters would end up finishing the sweater in the summer, we decided to push it back a little. This sweater is perfect for fall - so now is a great time to start! Yes, I know, knitting alpaca in the summertime sounds crazy, but the heavy worsted City Tweed knits up so fast, you won't even have time to break a sweat.

When I started thinking about a great use for City Tweed, I couldn't help but love the way it shows texture. I really wanted a textured sweater - cables, ribbing, knit and purl patterns - I couldn't decide! So, I took a hint from nature. Calluna Vulgaris, or common Heather, is a wonderfully textured plant. From afar, a patch of heather looks like a tweedy, soft blanket. But the closer you get, the more angular it appears. The leaves of the shrub grow perpendicular to each other, but in an upward diagonal from a central stem, and the bell-like flowers bloom in succession like little drops.

To me, the overall look of the Heather plant was like Moss Stitch, the orientation of the leaves was a diagonal rib, and the flowers inspired a cable pattern that was full of motion.

Seeing it in a sketch was great, but when the sweater came back from the test knitter it was just as I had hoped! Lots of little angular details that add up to a soft, tweedy impact.

We knit ours in Brocade, but this sweater would look fabulous in any color of City Tweed. Any when you cast yours on, be sure to join the knitalong!

Tags: citytweed, newproducts, patterns, sweater

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10 Comments

Comment by evestarr on July 14, 2009 at 1:35pm: oooh. I love this one. I haven't ordered City Tweed yet. I've been waiting to see if anyone posts comments about:
how soft (or itchy) it is
the colors
Anyone have some input for a knitter who's really fussy about softness? I've done well with baby alpaca and Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino (but can't afford it!), so I'd really appreciate comments about City Tweed.

Comment by Knits NY on July 8, 2009 at 1:44pm: The sweater looks great. I like the details below the buttons.

Comment by Kerin on July 7, 2009 at 7:31am: Marta and ashidome, the sizes on the sweater are finished measurements for the garment - so if you like a few inches of ease, go with a size a few inches larger than your bust measurement. The one in the photo is the 36" size. Our model was almost exactly that size, so it did fit a little snug!

Comment by ashidome on July 6, 2009 at 10:17pm: Want. Must have. And I already placed a Knit Picks order last Thursday! Very very well done.

Comment by Maggie on July 6, 2009 at 10:45am: How do you measure size on this pattern. I would love to do it but I have no idea what size I would be. Thank you!!!

Comment by Diane on July 4, 2009 at 3:08pm: I just bought some City Tweed for a vest. I really do love it!! It's so soft and I so love tweeds. AND I love this sweater pattern! I can't wait to buy it....I was looking for one to use the Cajun City Tweed. Beautiful!
~Diane

Comment by Marta on July 4, 2009 at 9:29am: Comparing the photo with the design drawing, it appears that the top is a bit tight on the model. What size did you knit the model garment, and how much ease (negative or positive) is it shown on the model? This is important in deciding which size I would want to do for my daughter. Thanks!

Comment by NoKnitSherlock on July 3, 2009 at 4:56pm: you dirty rat! I just CO for Vivian ..... grrrrrrrrrr.... so NOT fair! ;)

This is super gorgeous Kerin. The City Tweed and the texture and the cables = LOVE!
~Susan (who is off to add Calluna to her ever growing queue)
** happy 4th!