Lizz's Sweater Workshop

One of our incredible knitting teacher Lizz Lewis (and her adorable daughter Maggie!) stopped by the shop this week to show off her newly finished sea foamy Molly sweater. Knit up using the Cocoknits Sweater Workshop and Sincere Sheep’s Cormo Worsted yarn, this springy, perfectly fitted sweater is what handmade dreams are made of. We knew that we had to share it with you! 

I've made a handful of different sweater styles. I started with raglans and circle yokes, and have been a top-down snob as soon as I discovered what it was. Why wouldn't I want to try on this thing I am making? Shouldn't I be so excited about it that I can hardly stand it? And I definitely don't want to waste a bunch of time and effort creating something that's too big/ too small/ too long/ too short/ wrong color/ shape/ neckline/ you get the idea. Five or seven sweaters later, I started to feel like I was in a raglan-rut and began looking around. I love the style of set-in sleeves, but I hate not being able to try the sweater on until it's completely finished. I haven't tried a saddle shoulder because I haven't seen one I like enough yet, and circle yokes are okay for a dabble here and there, but not what I want for every sweater I make.

Then I heard about Cocoknits Sweater Workshop and decided to give it a try. The book is beautifully made, with clear and concise photos. The claim is that you can knit her clever shoulder and yoke construction, and get a top-down sort of set-in sleeve, sort-of raglan custom fit sweater. The math for these custom-fit sweaters is already done for you based on your measurements and included in the book. All the patterns are classic and easy-wear, designed for beautiful yarns and with clear instructions. I was sold.

Pattern: Molly Sweater from Cocoknits Sweater Workshop
Materials: Sincere Sheep Cormo Worsted in Agean

The Fit and Style section of the book makes it easy to know which sweater style works best for your body type, and how to alter the pattern to make those style changes. Many patterns in the book offer multiple variations, giving you far more pattern options than are actually photographed.

I decided to start with a basic pullover with fun elbow details - Molly. I splurged a bit and finally went for Sincere Sheep's Cormo Worsted in Aegean - not my usual color palette, but I love it. (New Year's Resolution - wear new colors. It's not going to hurt anyone.) The hand dyed variances and the bounce and definition to this yarn were wonderful to work with. Plus, it's soft enough for me to wear against my skin, which is saying something indeed.

I went for Version A with the straight hemline. Grabbed a Gobstopper for the elbow patches and cast on. The shoulder construction is indeed flattering and I love the shaping details of the neckline. I found her method clever, her photos easy to follow and am really happy with the overall end result. This sweater will be my next class with Fancy Tiger, called My Second Sweater. We start Sunday, January 14. I'll take students through the construction method, talk a bit about different sweater styles including their pros and cons of creation, fit and style. Vive le tricot!