I’ve been focused on my three-part blog series on the Hedgehog Smartphone and Tablet Covers, and I haven’t yet had a chance to say: my Pleinmont Guernsey design has been published!
About nine months ago, Knit Picks announced a call for submissions with a Gansey and Guernsey theme. Guernsey sweaters, in particular, are easily recognizable for their plain (stockinette stitch) lower body and patterned upper body and sleeves. Guernseys are fishermen’s sweaters, and fishermen traditionally wore overalls with a bib, which would have covered the lower part of the sweater. So, why bother to waste time and yarn with a pattern over the entire sweater, when only the upper part would ever be seen? Hence the decorated upper and plain lower body.
I love the simplicity and frugality of the Guernsey, so when I saw this call for submissions, I had to throw a design together! Guernseys use decorative motifs made entirely of knit and purl stitches – no fancy cables or lace techniques. However, I wanted mine to have an all-over Aran cable design combined with more traditional Guernsey motifs, for a more modern look. So, I worked up a really pretty design for my Guernsey and I decided to call it Pleinmont, which is a town on the west coast of this Channel island.
My first design prototype was intended as a man’s sweater, and the second my brother came home for a visit from the UK, I had him model it for me. As usual, he pulled it off very well. In fact, I recently shared this photo with a knitting group on social media, and the photo went viral!
My design was accepted, and I got to try out a smaller size in Knit Picks Simply Wool Bulky, which is a marvelous, undyed eco wool with crisp definition. I love it! I chose Winnie, a warm buff colorway with a bit of a grey-green undertone. It’s so unusual and really beautiful.
My mom managed to take some really stellar backlit photos at the local playground, of all places.
Knit Picks chose to knit their sample in the same colorway, and they shared the photos from their professional photo shoot shortly before publication.
Finally, the Form and Function collection was published in print and as an e-book on September 9th. It’s a beautiful collection of updated Gansey and Guernsey designs. I’m proud to be a part of it!
My particular design can be downloaded from Knit Picks.
And here it is, in the print collection.
It’s always fun to see your own design featured in print!
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