FO Friday – Saligna Sweater

The test knit I had been working on during September and October released yesterday, so I can finally share some finished/modeled photos with you.

The pattern is Saligna (Ravelry link here, but you can also find it on LoveCrafts) by Catherine Rein of The Cable and Lace Co. I was trolling the test knit thread over on Ravelry and the sample photos of this one really caught my eye. It’s a fingering (sock) weight top-down yoke sweater with lots of colorwork on the yoke that extends down a bit onto the body and arms. None of the charts are particularly difficult. There’s only one where you have to carry a float more than 3 or 4 stitches, so it’d be do-able for a relative colorwork novice with some patience and care.

The designer is based in Australia and used the eucalyptus trees that grow near her home as an inspiration for the original color palette, which she knit in an Australian hand-dyed possum and wool blend yarn. Since that wasn’t easily sourced where I am here in the States, I used Brooklyn Tweed’s Loft and managed to get gauge perfectly with it. (If you decide to knit this one, I would recommend a fingering yarn that isn’t SW merino. It needs a yarn that’s going to bloom a bit after washing in order to make gauge. Alternatively, you could work with a sportweight yarn, but those are sometimes hard to find in a broad color palette.)

I knit the size medium. I wound up taking an inch off the body length as it was written (which I do with almost every garment I knit for myself) so it wouldn’t be too long on me. I’m very short-waisted so most tops/sweaters run toward tunic length on me and I didn’t want it that long. Otherwise, I knit the pattern as written. I didn’t grab pictures of it but there is short-row shaping at the back of the neck to help pull the neckline in a bit. The yoke is just a tiny bit too long for me but since the rest of the sweater has a relaxed, slightly oversized look, I think it works.

If you’re on Ravelry and have interest in knitting this beautiful sweater, do check out the project pages. The different testers picked some amazing color combos and the sweater looks very different, depending on the yarn colors you pick. (There’s a purple and gray version I ADORE!)