I mentioned recently that I’d gotten a sneak peek from the set of the shoot for a new collection and that there was a cardigan I was losing sleep over. It turns out the entire collection — the Tov Collection from Woolfolk, for their latest yarn, Tov — is drop-dead ridiculously to-die-for gorgeous. For me, and what makes my heart race, it’s the single best pattern collection I’ve seen in the five years I’ve been doing this.
Here’s the thing: the day the lookbook first snuck into my inbox, I got the vapors. But before making a claim like “best I’ve seen in five years,” I have to stop and check myself. Let’s face it: the photography, the house, the ivory yarn and cables — it pushes every one of my buttons. Was I being swayed by all of that, or are these patterns as good as I initially thought they were? Having looked at it more times now than I care to admit, I can honestly say: Take away the house, make the garments colors I don’t like, whatever — they’re stupendous.
So here are my favorites: All of them! Starting, of course, with the sweaters:
– Vidje by Kristin Ford, above, is the cardigan I was on about. This design is a tightrope walk; it could have so easily gone awry, but the bands of texture blocking are beautifully done. I mean, the shift in scale of the honeycomb is so gorgeous I’m hellbent on knitting this thing even though I hate knitting honeycomb! It might take me two years to finish it, but I ain’t lettin’ that stop me.
– Bue by (newcomer?) Nele Redweik might manage to distract me from Vidje for a minute. I’ve been planning to do a pattern for a sleeveless cabled tunic, but now I don’t have to! This is perfection.
– Gevir by Sarah Solomon represents that balance I think we’re always looking for, of a garment that’s striking — what I like to call a trophy knit — but also very practical and wearable. The combination of wide ribs and vertebrae-like cables, the way they’re deployed here, is slimming rather than adding bulk. And it feels extremely fashionable and classic at the same time. Absolutely gorgeous.
And then there are the accessories:
TOP: Rille by Olga Buraya-Kefelian is just fantastic looking hat — must have
BOTTOM LEFT: Mont by Olga Buraya-Kefelian is a pair of long mitts that are just a good thing done well
BOTTOM RIGHT: Arkade by Antonia Shankland is the weirdest stitch pattern I’ve ever seen, makes no sense to my brain, but I find the dimensionality and pillowiness of it fascinating!
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PREVIOUSLY in New Favorites: Mitten mania
Big, Bulky and Beautiful. Now all I have to do is grow 5 inches taller….
I’m with you Spinning The Moon, only I think I would need 7 or 8 inches. :( Now what do we do???
Me too. I’d also need to lose, oh, 100 lbs. so I don’t look like a sheep on two legs. My thought is, as one does with runway fashions, to preserve the essence of the design and color if that’s what you love, and make something fitting that pays homage to the original design.
Oh my….be still my heart!
Um, wow ! Never mind the queue, when do I start these?!
Wow! That cardigan and that pullover…you’re so right, they are just perfect. That’s it.
If there’s one company that comes out with patterns that always manage to get me excited, it’s Woolfolk. I’ve been obsessed with making the vidje as well, Christmas knitting and three sweaters in progress be damned.
I am going to have to knit every one of these pieces of artwork!
Gevir is gorgeous! Do you have any suggestions for yarn substitutes that would offer similar softness and stitch definition at a more affordable price point?
Okay, I was prepared to be casual about this, but holy cow! I totally agree. Simply beautiful. Now to see if I have yarn in my stash (on a bit of a yarn diet despite my admiration of Woolful yarns…) to make one of these.
Gevir reminds me of Urban Aran, which is an incredibly flattering sweater.
Bue is the most gorgeous vest!! WANT. And I love the hat, Rille.
Can’t…start…another…sweater. Must…scroll on…
When I saw this collection, and the cardigan, I thought it must be the one you’d been losing sleep over. It has your name written all over it.
I’m in love with Bue even though it doesn’t go with anything that I own. The only thing I don’t like are those slightly flaring sleeves, but maybe something could be done about that.
*is those
Can’t help but correct my own grammar.
Beautiful!!
I simply love Gevir. It will be perfect for some of my lofty handspun Corridale. BTW, you may want to contact me directly to explain what the old south meant by having the vapors. You made me laugh but you may not choose to use that phrase in the same way. Tee hee.
So gorgeous! Love the texture!
Karen, I think I am going to have to stop reading your blog. DRATS!!! When I saw the collection, my teeth fell in my lap and my eyeballs popped out and rolled off somewhere in the dark where I am unable to tell where they are. Good thing I do not need to see to type or knit… but I do to read new patterns. Please send Bloodhounds and soup…
Lovely designs. I’m also super intrigued by that reversible eyelet cable in the cowl/scarf, and I’m curious how much of how it looks is the interaction of stitch with yarn (they mention the “overtwisted” yarn construction in the pattern description). One way to find out…
I am disappointed in the very narrow range of sizes for the sweaters, though. I’m finding it increasingly hard to wholeheartedly celebrate pattern collections that aren’t more inclusive.
I literally gasped when this collection appeared and then immediately bought the three sweater patterns! Planning to try Vidje and Gevir in Cyrano as Tov is super expensive here in the U.K. – and it’s in my stash!
Gorgeous collection. The stitch pattern of the scarf would also make a wonderful blanket.
Fans herself……
I love those sweater designs but why no buttons or closures on heavy sweaters? One would be wearing them for warmth but would constantly be pulling them closed. No buttons because people don’t know how to make buttonholes?
Beautiful, beautiful designs. Alas, not for my part of the country. I am sending the last of my worsted-weight pullovers to my daughters and replacing them with fingering-weight designs, and my worsted-weight cardis are winter coats.
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