This year's special issue of Knitscene is called Knitscene Handmade, and it's full of all kinds of projects! Usually they drop the Accessories issue this time of year, so the Handmade issue is a nice change of pace. I designed the Breckenridge Sweater for men.
Photos by Harper Point Photography for Knitscene
My working title for the piece was 'Urban Woodsman' which I have to admit I am SUPREMELY disappointed they did not use. 'Breckenridge Sweater' is a little generic for my taste, but oh well. At least they chose a male model with a big, woodsman-y beard!
The yarn is Beaverslide Dry Goods Fisherman Weight 3-Ply, which I had heard of before but never felt. It's rustic, sheep-y and lanolin-y, and makes a weighty sweater. My proposal was for a versatile layering piece, something that a man could wear as an outer layer instead of a jacket or sweatshirt, so the character of the wool fits that goal perfectly. It's meant to have plenty of room to fit over multiple layers. If you or your intended recipient wants to wear it next to the skin or over just a thinner layer like a t-shirt, I'd choose a less heavy yarn and size down a little for a closer fit.
I don't usually design for men and this was a fun change of pace! I took advantage of the scale of this design and the fact that I wouldn't need to add body shaping to show off a large cable and garter pattern. The body is knit in the round up to the armholes, and set aside while the sleeves are knit. Everything is joined together to work the yoke in the round, then back and forth in rows after the placket shaping begins. Short rows shape the shawl collar. Huge thanks to my sample knitter Alison who rocked this out for me!