Sweater & Photo by Christelle Nihoul
I kicked off the season of frenetic holiday knitting with a super cute pullover sweater for my youngest son. This is a test knit for French knitwear designer, Christelle Nihoul. The pattern is Trooper - still in the testing phase. I have not previously knit any of Christelle's designs. But, she does beautiful work and I love her style! The cool sleeve detail and raglan shaping of the Trooper sweater caught my eye initially. And, the boys were intrigued by the photos of the designer's son sporting warpaint and a tough scowl.
The yarn for my Trooper is Luna Grey Fiber Arts Calypso - our new, light worsted, 100% superwash merino wool yarn. I love, love, love this yarn! It's super soft and light. And, it knits like a dream!
Sadly, I have run into many difficulties with the pattern. Christelle has been so sweet and helpful. Unfortunately, I think much of the problem is in the translation (French to English). When I had to rip back over 2,000 stitches for the third time, I decided it was time to set this project aside until after the holidays. I had originally planned for it to be an xmas gift for my sweet boy. Not to be : (
After a frustrating couple of weeks knitting Trooper...I decided it was time for some instant gratification. So, I cast on for a simple, cable knit hat for my man. I had just dyed up a new bulky weight, merino base yarn and was dying to try it out. The yarn is Apollo in the Tradewinds colorway and it's just dreamy - so super duper soft and lofty. It takes dye beautifully too! Watch for it in the shop soon! The pattern is Corrina Ferguson's Snappy Hat - a free pattern off Ravelry. This is comfort knitting at its finest - just what I needed. In two hours the hat is just about finished! Love that!!!
Oh, boo!! Soooo sad when something you are so excited to start knitting doesn't work out the way you had hoped. Maybe the time out is just what it needs. It is such a cute sweater, too!!!
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