Esja Sweater and Crochet Brioche: new pattern release

Today when I sat down to write a blog post about my new design, I didn’t really know what to begin with. I’ve been working on it for one full year, and I still can’t believe it is ready to be released! I have so many feelings right now. Mostly excitement and happiness. As my first true garment pattern is out now. Ta-dah! Esja Sweater is here!

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About my Designing Journey…

It’s hard to believe now that my designing journey started with a small mandala coaster four years ago. Since then I’ve designed dozens of overlay mandalas, and blankets, and I have always thought that interior decorations would be my path. But then… Then I designed my first garment. And got hooked.

Now I can’t recall who was it, but nearly a year ago I read a comment to my picture somewhere with a suggestion to design and Icelandic crochet sweater. At that point an idea of designing a real sweater in several sizes sounded unreal. But as time passed, I was coming back to it again and again.

I bought a bunch of patterns from famous knitting designers to study the anatomy of top down sweaters. I bought a book on theory of garment construction. And I even signed up for a Craftsy class. My notebook looked like a mess of endless numbers and calculations. I was jumping from one gauge to another. I was swatching like crazy. Long months without a proper sleep. And finally it WORKED!

Today I am very proud to introduce my newest crochet design – Esja Sweater, named after a mountain in Iceland.

Esja Sweater pattern is now available for purchase on both Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE and is offered with 30% discount to kick the beginning of a Make-a-long (read below) through Wednesday, November 7th, 2018. The price you see is final and no codes needed. After this date is will be listed at a regular price.

Details about Esja Sweater

Esja Sweater is the first one in my future collection of Icelandic top down garments. I wanted to make it look like knitted but affordable for crocheters. The pattern combines very simple linen stitch together with crochet brioche. No intricate or complicated stitches are used here. And I am safe to say the pattern is aimed to Intermediate crocheters, or even Adventurous beginners.

 This sweater is worked seamlessly from top down. First the yoke is worked in rounds, then some short-rows are worked back and forth to create a higher back and then the crocheted piece is separated for body and sleeves. The lower body is worked in rounds to hem. Sleeves are worked top down to the cuffs. The length of the body and sleeves is easily adjustable.

Esja Sweater comes in 7 sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL) with finished bust 90 (95, 100, 105, 110, 116.5, 121.5) cm/ 35.4 (37.4, 39.4, 41.3, 43.3, 45.8, 47.8)”. It’s a fitted design with 5cm/2” positive ease.

Soft fingering yarn is recommended, and I used Our Tribe yarn by Scheepjes. I’ve made several samples. One of them is with two solid shades and another one uses variegated color with a solid one (980 Simy2 and 983 Motivate). And I love both.

If you would like to use the same yarn as me, please, check your local Scheepjes shops, or purchase yarn online via online retailers (affiliate links are marked with *):

Wool Warehouse*, Deramores*, Black Sheep Wools* (all in UK, international shipping),
Caro’s Atelier* (NL and Europe)
Taemombo (US & Canada)
Knotty House* (Canada)

Esja Sweater can be also made as a short sleeved version. I made one for myself with Rhythm Alpaca* yarn by Scheepjes.

The pattern has been thoroughly tested in all sizes and professionally tech edited! I am sending lots of thanks and hugs to my amazing testers who did a wonderful job and helped me to improve the pattern.

Esja Sweater pattern contains detailed row by row instructions. And you will also find a step-by-step photo tutorial in the end of the pattern. So you really don’t have anything to worry about. The pattern is available in English (US terms), Dutch and Norwegian.

Photo credit: Esther Schippers, Loele Van Den Bergh, Laura Jackson

Esja MAL (make-a-long)

If you are fairly new to crochet and never made any crochet garments, but would like to give Esja Sweater a try, please, feel free to join a make-a-long which will be hosted in my Facebook group HERE. We will make Esja sweater all together, the MAL will be broken into parts and each of them will be completed weekly. You will receive all necessary help and support. And also there will be weekly prizes waiting for you!!

To participate in Esja MAL you need to purchase your own copy of Esja Sweater pattern (HERE on Ravelry or HERE on Etsy), join my Facebook group and create a project page on Ravelry which will be linked to my pattern page. The pattern is offered with 30% discount through Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 to kick the beginning of the MAL. After that date the pattern will be listed at a regular price.

Every Wednesday there will be a new part announced in my Facebook group and after you complete this part you will add a new picture to your Ravelry page (or Instagram) and comment under my post on Facebook in order to participate in weekly giveaway. The winner will be announced next week on Tuesday.

Here is an approximate time frame for Esja MAL:

November 7th, 2018 – yarn choice and gauge swatches
November 14th, 2018 – beginning of the yoke
November 21st, 2018 – end of yoke
November 28th, 2018 – shaping back, dividing for body and sleeves and starting lower body
December 5th, 2018 – completing of one sleeve and working on the rest of the sweater

Hands up who is in! :) Join my Facebook group and I will approve you asap (please, read group rules before you start posting, thank you!).

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