Wandering around Ravelry late last week, I ran across a new-to-me designer named Leeni Hoi and fell for her lovely halo-y sweaters knitted in fingering weight yarn held double with a strand of silk-mohair. This is one of the tricks I remember being awed by when I first took up knitting, and I have bought two or three skeins of silk-mohair over the years with a plan to try it, and yet I’ve still not done it. Which is ridiculous, because in addition to creating an incredibly soft and supple fabric — just look what it does for these three beauties — it’s also a good way to boost fingering yarn to a gauge I’m happier knitting at, while still creating a garment lighter than a worsted-weight sweater. Win/win/win.
ABOVE, TOP: Shimo Sweater has a pretty cables-and-bobbles motif that dovetails neatly into the hem and cuffs
ABOVE, BOTTOM: Vaña Sweater is a simple reverse-stockinette pullover with a few graphic lines of ribbing to set it off
BELOW: Uhuru Sweater looks like a super-basic pullover, but offers the surprise of a triangular detail at the cuffs and back of neck
PREVIOUSLY in New Favorites: Mega wraps
Thank you, Karen, for showcasing Leeni’s designs. They are elegant, classic and feminine – my kind of sweaters. Love them!
Lovely designs and I like the way she integrates the borders and ribbing into the sweater pattern. Reminds me of Japanese knitting.
What gorgeous, elegant designs! I will go over to Ravelry and do my own wandering through Leeni Hoi’s works.
I am on my way to Ravelry right now.
These are truly lovely designs.
This is a fantastic idea and the result is beautiful. Be forewarned, however, that when using lace-weight kid mohair this way, it’s easy to accidentally drop a loop of the mohair because it’s so fine and hard to see unless you’re in good daylight. Espace Tricot, in Montreal, features this pairing in some of their gorgeous designs. Definitely not for night time knitting in my house with less-than-perfect lighting. I prefer working with Sandnesgarn’s Silk Mohair, which is technically an aran weight and works well paired with dk or worsted wool.
That cardigan I started in on last December is a strand of bulky with a strand of lace-weight, in black, and I knit at night. So you can imagine how many missed strands there are!
Classic with a twist!
Just bought Uhuru – I spent two of the happiest years of my young life in Helsinki, so I was tickled silly to find this gorgeous garment has a Finnish designer!
I recently completed a sweater with this combination: fingering weight + mohair/silk blend in different colours to give a marled effect (link: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/missagnes/lightweight-pullover). The resulting fabric is light and soft, and wonderful to wear. I’m sure you would love it. And it is perfect for layering as well, as it’s not bulky.
These designs are beautiful, simple with a delicate twist.
A similar magic can happen by substituting a laceweight alpaca for the mohair, should you love the look, but not be able to wear mohair. I have done both, and while I prefer the mohair, not everyone can wear it.
Oh, finally….simple, well proportioned, unfussy sweater designs with lovely details! Thank you!
Wonderful patterns!
I love knitting with a little kid silk yarn held with other yarn. Not only does it change the texture and weight of the yarn, you can do amazing things with color as well. Win win win, indeed!