DIY: Knit Vintersol Pullover by Jennifer Steingass

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The first sweater I knit for our Etsy shop is the Vintersol Pullover designed by Jennifer Steingass.

I made size 41″, which is similar to a women’s size large or extra large (depending on the amount of ease you want).

To knit the Vintersol Pullover, I used three colours of Briggs and Little Heritage yarn. I used Natural White, Grey Heather (which is more of a heathered light grey-blue), and Mulberry, a dark purple. Once washed, the yarn softens up a bit. I used Grey Heather for the main body, and it is a lovely heathered blue colour with flecks of grey and teal. The heathered purple contrast also has a great depth of colour, with flecks of indigo and red.

The Vintersol Pullover, which means ‘winter sunshine,’ is a warm, rustic handknit sweater with a beautiful stranded yoke pattern. The 100% Canadian wool yarn used is from Canada’s oldest woolen mill, located in New Brunswick. The fabric knit from this yarn is strong and durable and, with proper care, should last years. Since the wool is not overprocessed, you might find it has a faint ‘sheepy’ smell when it gets wet. However, this means the wool keeps some of its natural oils and character.

To knit the sweater, I used a 3.0 mm circular needle. I started knitting with my 3.00 mm 40″ bamboo needles, but since this is a strong, rustic yarn, I broke one of the needles! I then switched to metal needles and the sweater practically knit itself.

The pattern finishes the yoke with an i-cord bind off. I customized the sweater a bit, adding a 2×2 ribbing on the cuffs, hem, and neckband (instead of the i-cord).

The Vintersol Pullover pattern uses a top-down construction method called COWYAK. Later on, I learned that COWYAK stands for “Cast On Wast Yarn And Knit.” Starting with a provisional long-tail cast on, you knit bottom-up to the yoke. After knitting the neck band and casting off, you join to the provisional cast on and knit the body and sleeves top-down.

The pattern also includes stitch counts at every step, which makes it easy to catch and fix any mistakes.

The sweater pattern also includes instructions for short-row shaping on the back. This raises the back neckline which allows for a more comfortable fit around the neck. For the first time, I also made invisible increases. The pattern includes instructions for invisible increases Left and Right, which is a really elegant way of adding increases.

We took these photos when we visited our family friends at their Pretty River Valley Country Inn. Although Toronto had no snow, it blanketed the valley! As Tomiko and I took photos, it started to snow. You can see some of the snowflakes in the close up shots of the sweater.

The Vintersol Pullover pattern is available on Ravelry here.

This finished pullover is also available to purchase from our Etsy shop.