New Release: Hearth Sweater for Girls

March is going to be a big month for pattern releases from me, and I'm kicking it off with a girl's pattern I've been loving (so much that I also sized it for adults so I could have one for myself!)  Check out the Hearth Sweater for Girls!

 My favorite little model gave me such a collection of great pictures that it was difficult to whittle them down to the 10 or so I usually use for a sweater pattern.  If you can believe it, we took these photos on a 70-degree day in early December.  Not typical weather for Central Illinois!

I originally bought the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool yarn that I used for this sample sweater in a yarn shop in Delafield WI called Knitch.  I suspected it would become a child-sized cardigan, and I would have had enough, if I hadn't decided that this sweater needed a hood.  Enter my local yarn shop to save the day.  I mentioned my dilemma to one of the owners of The Fiber Universe in Peoria, IL and she told me that they were actually going to start carrying this particular yarn line very soon.  She even offered to make sure their first shipment would include a few skeins of the color I needed.  (I know...could they BE any nicer?)

Anyway, the new yarn wasn't a 100% match, but it was really, really close, and because I used the new skein for the hood, I don't really notice a difference in the color.

I have to say, I loved the fabric that the Silky Wool gave me.  It is thin, but warm, really drapey, and has a "primitive" look to it.  Maybe primitive isn't the right word.  Unprocessed?  Organic?  Earthy?  It's just a different look & feel to the merino wools I tend to work with most of the time.  (Nothing at all against merino wool...I still love it.  But it's fun to do something different once in a while.)


So next time you're looking for a stylish, versatile knit for your favorite little girl, I hope you consider the Hearth Sweater.  It's a pretty basic cardigan pattern with a few special touches: the hood, extra-long sleeves, and double-knit belt that attaches to the sweater with buttons rather than belt loops, so if your girl wants to wear it without the belt, there are no "vestigial belt loops" hanging there making it look like something's missing.

If you're ready to make this sweater your next knitting adventure, you can find this pattern on my blog pattern page, on Ravelry, or in my Etsy shop.