Sunday, March 24, 2013

Handspun Snowbird

I'll try to contain my excitement on this one.  But I warn you now, it's going to be tough because I think this is my favourite hand knit sweater to date -- the handspun snowbird.
Snowbird front

Some years ago I had some malabrigo listed on my destash page.  A lovely lady from Aspenlund Farms contacted me to see if I'd be interested in trading for some of her handspun yarn.  At this point in time I hadn't had the pleasure of using handspun yarn, but I know 'hand' created anything has consumed a lot of someone's time and energy and was therefore something special.  Heck yes I'll trade!

Sure enough the yarn arrived and I fell in love with it - it was a 50/50 mix of Icelandic and Mohair yarn.  It was a beautiful neutral - the tag explained that these fibers were harvested from organically kept creatures and processed without the use of harsh chemicals.  What I loved most of all was the somewhat rustic and artisanal nature of the yarn.  Given it's natural beauty, I wanted to find a simple pattern that would allow the yarn to sing!

Snowbird side

I searched through Ravelry and it didn't take long before I came across Heidi Kirrmaeier's Snowbird.  It is such an elegant, flattering and simple pattern.  Yes, this was 'the one'.  A match made in heaven :)

Snowbird back

I actually cast on for this some years ago - not long after Naomi was born.  My sleep-deprived baby brain had a few issues figuring out the start of this, where you make a provisional cast on for the collar.  But I got there, and I started knitting, and it was an enjoyable project to work on.  I'm not quite sure why this fell into the WIP pile for soo long.  But I think once projects fall in there, it is a bit of a black hole.  Any hoo, my dear friend Andi gifted me a fabulous sweater pattern the other day (thank you sooo much), and I decided that I should finish up my WIP sweaters before I cast on something new:  Snowbird came out of hibernation!

Snowbird side

I was super happy to be back working on this.  Especially as I was on the home stretch with just the bottom of the sweater and the pockets to complete.  It was finished in no time.  I blocked it this last week, and it was dry in time for yesterday's snowfall -- the perfect backdrop to take pictures for snowbird :)

Snowbird

I didn't make any modifications to this beautifully written pattern - just knit as instructed.  I see another in my future, and may go up a size on my next one to make it a little less sleek, and a little more snuggly.  But yes, super happy with this very wearable FO.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend,
Sam
xxx

9 comments:

Wens said...

WOW Sam! It's gorgeous!! I'm super impressed - and it looks great on you! Amazing work :)

Stefanie said...

You are a pretty model. You modeled this cardi wonderfully. It is fantastic. I have total garment envy. I'm glad it came out of the WIP pile and was able to be completed. What a smart choice to pair deliciously hand spun yarn and a terrific simple pattern.

Unknown said...

How beautiful! It looks like something you will get loads of use from. Especially if you still have snow for a bit.

Emily said...

OMG, so stunning! I love the color, and the pattern is so flattering on you! I have garment envy too! :)

Terrie D. (StarSpry) said...

This is beautiful, Sam! I love the cardigan and the photos are perfect :)

Nicky said...

Beautifully done! The yarn and pattern combination is spot on and you look awesome in it!

Ginx Craft said...

It is a lovely knit, but what makes it look so special is you look so happy in it.

CathieJ said...

Oooh, love that sweater. I'm just teaching myself knitting (I can crochet anything), this looks like a project I just might like to tackle.

weekend knitter said...

Ooohh, I like that! It's very casual. Very nice!