New Pattern: the Summit Pullover

Y’all, it’s another new sweater! I told you there was a method to the February madness... 

Summit was the result of a collaboration with some of my favorite people: Kate Salomon and Maureen Clark at Green Mountain Spinnery. I’ve known Kate for a while, and was so honored when she made an Angwin earlier this year. When I saw her at Rhinebeck, wearing the most fabulous ochre bulky-lace drop-shouldered funnel neck (this sweater is epic, and words don’t quite do it justice), I told her I wanted to design a sweater that would be right at home in her effortlessly-cool-girl-meets-super-functional wardrobe. We looped Maureen in on a possible collaboration, and the idea that became the Summit pullover was born.  

Summit is a cozy, elegant hug of a sweater, with just enough cable detailing to keep things interesting. These kinds of sweaters are easy to wear, go with everything, and keep us just warm enough for these waning days of winter’s chill (or at least, what I hope are the waning days? But judging by the amount of snow my folks just got, maybe not....) Summit’s modern drop-shouldered silhouette is effortless and forgiving, its low-hip length goes with pants, slim skirts, or even (gasp!) leggings (hey, I won’t tell if you won’t tell), and its luxurious cowl neck provides a finishing touch that’s as warm as it is graceful. A simple, intuitive cable chart adds a sophisticated, graphic touch, but there is enough soothing stockinette to balance the project for eyes and hands alike. Slender, ribbed sleeves provide a flattering update to the silhouette, while generous positive ease allows the sweater to drape just so.

I love this in neutral shade in a wool blend with some substantial drape and heft to it, like Green Mountain Spinnery’s wonderful Alpaca Elegance, but it will work beautifully in a lightweight, lofty wool or a drapey wool-silk blend as well (and in a brighter color if that’s more your speed). Summit is worked from the bottom up in pieces and seamed (though it could be easily modified for semi-seamless knitting), with charted and written instructions provided for the cables.

In FAQ form, here’s all you need to know about this one:

Where can I buy the pattern?

The pattern is available from my Ravelry store.

Who is this for?

It’s a great project for you if: you’re neutral-to-positive on stockinette, you are comfortable with cables and seaming (or are willing to learn), and you’re a fan of the modern drop-shoulder look, or are willing to give it a shot.

It’s not a great project for you if: you’re absolutely seam-a-phobic, you’re not comfortable keeping track of where you are in a repeat, or cables don’t really do it for you.

Can I see it first?

Yes! I’m making “preview versions” of my patterns available, so you can “try before you buy,” so to speak. The “special sauce” (stitch counts, charts, etc.) is hidden, but you’ll still be able to get a sense of how the pattern is drafted and whether that’s going to work for you. Click here to preview the pattern before purchasing.

I’m allergic to alpaca! What yarn should I use instead? 

What a bummer! Ideally, you’re looking for a two-ply or loosely-spun 3-ply with a significant percentage of wool (50%+) and hopefully some drapier, less-elastic fiber (silk, cashmere, mohair) in there for good measure. 100% wool is okay too, but you don’t want a super round, really tightly spun multi-ply yarn (or, you can use one, but you’ll get a quite different sweater). If I were looking to make an ultra-luxurious version, I might treat myself to an SQ of Purl Soho’s beautiful Mulberry Merino yarn, which I used for Sheridan Square.

That cowl looks kind of big. Can I...not knit that much ribbing? 

Sorry, no. Cowl necks are like double-brimmed hats: when you’re in the process, it feels like it goes on forever, but if you skimp on it, it really compromises the look. If you wanted to do the whole thing as a funnel neck, that could conceptually work, but I wouldn’t shortchange the cowl neck.

What else do I need to know?

I’m so glad you asked. Here’s all the details for this one:

Size
XS (S, M, L, XL, XXL), finished bust measurements approximately 41.5 (46.5, 49.5, 54.5, 57.5, 62.5)” / 105.5 (118, 125.5, 138.5, 146, 159) cm. Sample shown is size 49.5 / 125.5 cm, modeled with 14” / 35.5 cm positive ease at the bust. Recommended positive ease is 12-20” / 30.5 - 51 cm.

Yarn
Green Mountain Spinnery Alpaca Elegance (heavy sport/light DK weight, 50% US Targhee, 50% US Alpaca, 180 yards / 165 meters per 2 ounces), 8 (9, 9, 10, 11, 12) skeins, or 1325 (1475, 1575, 1750, 1825, 2000) yards / 1225 (1350, 1450, 1600, 1675, 1825) meters of light DK or heavy sport weight wool or wool-blend yarn. Sample shown in “Cream.”

Gauge
20 sts / 32 rows over 4” / 10 cm in stockinette on larger needle, after blocking. Cable panel on front measures approximately 8” / 20 cm wide.

Needles
32” / 80 cm or longer circular needles in sizes US 8 / 5 mm, US 7 / 4.5 mm, US 6 / 4.0 mm, US 5 / 3.75 mm and US 4 / 3.5 mm, or size needed to obtain gauge and one size smaller. Circular needle is used to accommodate large number of sts. Note: if you prefer, you may use double-pointed needles for the collar, in lieu of using a long circular needle for magic or travelling loop.

Notions
stitch markers; cable needle (optional); tapestry needle

Skills Required

cabling with or without a cable needle; increasing; decreasing; picking up stitches; seaming; knitting in the round