My dear friend Natalie has already created a vest pattern and is now testing her first sweater design. I am thrilled to be witnessing this significant milestone in her career as a designer.

I’m using yarn from my stash and it feels quite rough. I hope it will soften up after washing. At least the gauge swatch gives me hope. It will probably end up being a second-layer sweater, as it’s unlikely to be soft enough to wear next to the skin.

To count the rows between cable twists, I put a marker in the same row as the twist. Then, I count five rounds from there and make a new twist in the cable. This makes it easier for me to keep track of the number of rows.

I added an extra increase repeat to the sleeve.

I had to order more yarn because the row gauge of my work did not match that of the pattern. Of course, the store no longer had the same batch of dark grey yarn. Therefore, I created a row of contrasting dots where the two batches meet on the sleeves. Since the same motif is also on the ribbing, this creates a more uniform effect, and the difference between the two colours remains unnoticeable.

There’s a small wolf detail on the upper back, unusual cable stitching on the sleeves and a comfortable fit. The contrasting colour of the ribbing is added in an interesting way. These are the first things that spring to mind when describing Natalie’s first sweater pattern..
But the most important thing is the style of the pattern, which works in the knitter’s favour. Natalie’s pattern is clear and detailed, providing knitters with all the information they need.