Kindred Light Sweater
“We live in a hard world, my friends. Sometimes it's extra difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and you become fearful and withdrawn. There are times when everything seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but don't know where to find it.
“But what if you are the light? What if you're the very agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for?”
–Elizabeth Gilbert
WE CAN’T CHOOSE the circumstances of our lives, but we can choose to be the remedy, to be the light. I believe we choose this each and every moment, even in the simplest of acts: making coffee, texting a friend, cooking a meal, and—of course—knitting. Stitch by stitch, we infuse our energy into the garments we create. So, if we can choose, what shall we weave into this sweater? What would it feel like to weave in light? Would we feel this glow each time we wear our sweater, perhaps on days when we are struggling and need a caring hug from our past selves? Would others sense our intention and care, too? Perhaps let’s try it together and see. After all, we’re going to knit anyway, right? So, why not?
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Design: Kindred Light is a long sleeve colorwork pullover with a slightly cropped fit. The yoke features stranded colorwork, and the body is worked in a textured stitch that adds depth and interest. The sleeves have traditional tapered shaping and elongated cuffs. A band of colorwork accents the lower body and sleeve cuffs. The neckband, hem, and cuffs are worked in 2x2 ribbing.
Construction: This sweater is worked from the top down in the round. Stitches are initially cast on at the top of the neckband. After the neckband is complete, short rows are worked to create back neck shaping. The yoke is knit in 2-color stranded colorwork. Following the yoke, sleeve stitches are put on hold, and the lower body is worked in an easy-to-memorize textured stitch pattern. Stitches are then returned to the needles to complete the sleeves. The sleeves feature a textured stitch pattern and colorwork that complement the body.
Fit: This garment is designed to fit with 2 to 6 in. (5 to 15 cm) of positive ease at the bust. To pick the best size for you, measure your full bust circumference and add your preferred ease of between 2 to 6 in. (5 to 15 cm). Make the size with a finished bust circumference closest to that number.
Length: Kindred Light is intended to hit at the top of the hip—just a bit longer than a standard crop length so that you can comfortably move your arms without showing skin. Because every body is different, this length will vary based on your torso length. In this pattern, you will find yarn estimates and instructions for two crop lengths: a short crop and a long crop.
Stitch Patterns: The stranded colorwork stitch patterns in this sweater are only charted, so you should be confident in your chart reading skills—or be open to learning!
Yarn Selection: The textured stitch pattern on the body and sleeves of this sweater works best with wool, alpaca, or blends of these fibers. Some testers found that plant-based yarns and silk blends created small holes before each lotus stitch that did not fully block out as these fibers do not fill out as much after blocking. Be aware of this when selecting your yarns! You can easily omit the textured stitch pattern on the body and sleeves if it isn’t working for you. Knitting a swatch and blocking it will help you determine if this will be an issue for your selected yarns. Working the lotus stitch pattern sequence a little tighter than the surrounding stockinette stitches will also help! Another option if it is not working well with your selected yarn is to just omit it.
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SIZES
(1, 2, 3)(4, 5, 6)(7, 8, 9)FINISHED CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE
(34, 38, 42)(46, 50, 54)(58, 62, 66) in.
(85, 95, 105)(115, 125, 135)(145, 155, 165) cmThis sweater is intended to be worn with 2 to 6 in. (5 to 15 cm) of positive ease.
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Sport weight
MC (Short Crop Length): (225, 250, 280)(305, 335, 375)(400, 445, 485) g/(900, 1000, 1120)(1220, 1340, 1500)(1600, 1780, 1940) yds or (825, 915, 1025)(1115, 1225, 1370)(1465, 1630, 1775) m
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MC (Long Crop Length):(255, 280, 315)(345, 380, 420)(450, 495, 540) g/ (1020, 1120, 1260)(1380, 1520, 1680)(1800, 1980, 2160) yds or (935, 1025, 1150)(1260, 1390, 1535)(1645, 1810, 1975) m
CC (All Lengths): (105, 115, 135)(145, 160, 175)(190, 205, 225) g/ (420, 460, 540)(580, 640, 700)(760, 820, 900) yds or (385, 420, 495)(530, 585, 640)(695, 750, 825) mSUGGESTED YARN
Moondrake Co. and Spincycle Yarns Moonspun (75 g/300 yds (274 m)) – 100% SW American wool
MC (Short Crop Length): (3, 4, 4)(5, 5, 5)(6, 6, 7) skeins
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MC (Long Crop Length): (4, 4, 5)(5, 6, 6)(6, 7, 8) skeinsSpincycle Yarns Nocturne (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% non-SW American wool
CC (All Lengths): (3, 3, 3)(3, 4, 4)(4, 5, 5) skeinsThe sample garment is knit in the colorways Willow (MC) and Dream On (CC).
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Needle A (body and sleeves): US 4 (3.5 mm)
Needle B (ribbing): US 2 (2.75 mm)For each needle size, you will need 24 in. (60 cm) to 50 in. (125 cm) circular needles and your preferred needles for smaller circumference knitting.
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Measure gauge knit in the round on larger needles, after blocking.
24 sts and 32 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stockinette
24 sts and 28 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork -
Tubular cast-on, German short rows, knit increases and decreases, stranded colorwork, backwards loop cast on, knitting and purling multiple times into the same stitch, chart reading, tubular bind-off