I've long been a fan of Clare from Sister Mountain's designs. She has a great eye for simple, classic silhouettes with the most elegant and thoughtful little details. So I was super excited when I saw Clare's call for test knitters for this beautiful design!
Clare recently released a trio of new designs as part of the Herbalist Collection in collaboration with The Fibre Co.
All three patterns are beautiful designs that I would knit and wear in a heartbeat, but Tarragon is right up my street. It's a relaxed, boxy sweater with seamless construction and drop-shoulders - my favourite kind to make and wear!
The pattern itself is well written and very clear. It did take me a couple of repeats to get the hang of the travelling stitch pattern, but once I had it memorised the knitting just zipped by. There is a lot of purl stitch in this design though! If I hadn't been making this to a deadline it would have been a great opportunity to practice continental style knitting. Although I can knit continental style, my purling is very clumsy and could do with some practice.
The off centre split hem really delights me. You normally see split hems at the sides of garments, so moving them round to the front was a clever and elegant little detail that grabbed me as soon as I saw it. There are just so many little details in this pattern to really revel in - the alternating cable cast on, those garter stitch panels, the short row shoulders, and the simple decrease detail around the neckline is just signature Clare. The whole thing is a delight to knit, and although I don't want to wish summer over too soon, I genuinely look forward to pulling this out of the wardrobe come autumn! I know it's going to get a lot of use.
The yarn I used for this project was Willow & Lark Ramble from LoveKnitting in the Truffle colourway. It's a pure merino wool, and I love the soft, creamy, neutral colour. There were a few knots in one of my balls, but the rest of them were perfect, and honestly, this yarn blocked up so beautifully! The eyelet panels opened up so nicely, and the garment is so soft and has taken on a lovely drape. I can see this yarn becoming a firm favourite in my stash!
The pattern is available to purchase from Ravelry and from Clare's website, and if you want to see more of her beautiful work you can follow her on Instagram @sister.mountain.
- Pattern: Tarragon by Clare Mountain | see it on Ravelry
- Yarn: Willow & Lark Ramble from LoveKnitting
No comments