One of the projects that kept me sane during the end of the school year was Vanilla Vodka—a test-knit I did for Thea of Babycocktails. This sweater originated as Cherry Vanilla, a cropped, short-sleeved cardigan. When Thea mentioned that she wanted to come up with a longer version, I jumped right in: “Need any test-knitters? How about me? How about me? Huh? Huh?”
Lucky me—Thea said “yes.”
Note that the actual color is a woodsy heathered yellow-green—available for a song at Little Knits—but the camera had other ideas.
What I love about this sweater is the detailing. A pretty, pretty front with interesting shaping and lace along the opening.
And the back has a matching lace panel.
Because this is a top-down sweater, you can try it on as you work on it to get just the fit you like. I opted for slightly loose and swing-y.
The one change I made on my version is that I worked the neck/front band in garter stitch. Nothing wrong with the original—I just wanted to and Thea was good enough to humor me.
I really loved the test-knitting process: trying to imagine the questions different knitters might ask as they worked on the piece, looking for spots where I could suggest a bit of wording that would help make things even clearer. Mind you, the pattern was good from the get-go: well written and easy to follow. When I get to sweater design someday, I’ll be better for having worked with Thea in this capacity.
Up next? I get to test-knit Shiraz. I’ve got six skeins of peacock blue Cascade 220 that are waiting for that baby to get back from the tech editor.
The pattern is available through Ravelery. If you’re not on Ravelry, you can drop Thea a line via her blog—I’m sure she’ll be able work something out with you.
What a pretty thing! You did a great job!
Is it a top down design?
Yes, top-down.
Thats so nice, I like the detailing at the edges.
Love the sweater and defintely like how you did the garter st in the front. I’ll remember that when I do this.