an airy sweater

Sometimes spring can feel quite slow in our part of Scotland. We live in a fairly high spot, and it is generally noticeable that our daffodils and narcissi are a week or two behind those in the village further down the strath. I always appreciate the season’s slow unfolding – each day is different, and there’s something new to notice – but at this time of year I also start yearning for colour. As I was pottering around my potting shed this past weekend, a seed-packet photograph of the stems of the rainbow chard I was planting really gave me pause. Oh, for those luminous pinks and reds! Oh for that bold, bright colour! Perhaps that’s why I’ve been wearing this.

This is a long-sleeved version of my Treit, design, which we published last July. Many knitters have enjoyed making and wearing this light and airy sweater (which makes me very happy!) and several added long sleeves to the pattern (for some beautiful examples, see this post).

Not all knitters feel confident mixing up elements of different designs, or devising their own sleeves, and we’ve had a few requests for a long-sleeved version of the pattern. Happy to oblige!

I whipped up some sleeve instructions, and Mel knitted this glorious sample.

I’ve been told that this sweater is “hers” and that I must immediately return it. . .

But I’m not sure I’m going to comply!

All I can promise, Mel, is that I’ve not been wearing “your” Treit while doing the weeding.

It has seen quite a bit of knitting action though.

And what am I knitting? Well, I can tell you that it is a collaboration with a great British yarn company and some of my former academic colleagues, and has been created in celebration of an important eighteenth-century woman writer. I’ll be able to tell you a wee bit more about it in a couple of weeks.

Worked at 24 stitches to 4 inches, Treit is a surprisingly speedy and most enjoyable knit. If you would like to make yourself “Mel’s” long-sleeved Foxglove sweater, we now have kits in the shop, and a long-sleeved option for the pattern has been added to those who have already purchased it (look out for an update later today). I should also say, to those whose knitting plans depend on other shades of Milarrochy Tweed that I am very sorry for our current yarn drought, which will happily soon be coming to an end. The drought is entirely Brexit related: as you can imagine, it is very difficult to make long-term manufacturing arrangements in the absence of any trade agreement, and though we thought we’d invested in a large enough pile of stock to see us through the transition period last year, this proved not to be the case. As soon as we knew what the trading arrangements looked like at the turn of the new year, we were able to start production and planning again. Making yarn takes a wee bit of time, but I am very happy to say that some of our big new batch of Milarrochy Tweed is being wound into balls as we speak, and that we will be able to gradually replenish our stock over the next few weeks. I think you all know my views on this matter, but I am happy that in spite of the needless disruption, we can continue working with our friends in Ireland to produce this richly colourful, pleasingly tweedy, and incredibly versatile yarn of which I am inordinately fond. If you’d like to be notified when a particular Milarrochy Tweed shade or kit comes back in stock, please do email Mel (info@katedaviesdesigns.com) and she’ll put you on the list.