This summer I finally cast on the Robinia Sweater by Anne Ventzel, a design I had been eyeing for quite a while, and for this project I used Brisa from BC Garn, kindly sponsored by Soul Wool. The yarn worked beautifully — soft, light, and with just the right drape for this design. I couldn’t have chosen better.
Since I’m a very loose knitter, I went up to 5.5 mm needles for the body and sleeves. That might sound huge, but it gave me the exact fabric I wanted. (So if you’re a normal-tension knitter, please don’t copy me blindly!)
What I immediately loved about this design were the details. The neckline, for example, is a very thin twisted rib, which is very subtle and elegant. I loved how you pick up the stitches for the back directly from the cast-on edge of the front. It makes for a clean transition and, being top-down, it’s also my favorite way of working sweaters. So definitely brownie points for that design detail.
The sleeves are another story. They’re shaped with short rows — not something I fully understand the why of just yet, but the result is nice. I guess it creates a more rounded shape to better fit the angle of the arms and the elbows, but this is just my vague interpretation.
I’ve never come across this way of designing sleeves, so that was intriguing and interesting – and just proves the point of why you should definitely continue discovering designers especially when you are a knitdesigner. You always learn something new!
One little thing I really appreciated: the stitch patterns on the sleeves are mirrored left and right. It’s the kind of small design detail you don’t notice immediately, but it gives the sweater a polished, intentional look.
The back also has short rows to shape it, which is a must for me to make the fit work well and it is extremely well integrated into the design. And then the edges: finished with an Italian bind-off. I used to avoid that technique because it felt like so much of a hassle when you are SO close to being done (also, I never really understood how it works to be honest.) But this time I really took the time to learn it properly, following Anne Ventzel’s tutorial step by step. And when you do it correctly and finally get the grip of it, it does make sense and a beautiful finishing. (I am quite proud of myself there, for seeing it through)
Now, as much as I love the design, the fit on me wasn’t perfect. The lower body ribbing pulls in, and because I’m on the shorter side (and past my twenties), it makes me look a bit chubby.
Next time I’d probably shorten it and keep the body straighter so it doesn’t bunch together. And I am thinking of unraveling it to redo the lower body to make it shorter, and with a straight edge binding.
I also realized I should have gone with the version that had more ease — that would have worked better for my body shape. But I’ll admit it: I didn’t really read the introduction properly before casting on. Classic knitter’s impatience.
The pattern itself is really well written and easy to follow. Step by step, everything is clear and written with a love for clear guidance and helpful details. A few things I noticed, though:
Knitting the Robinia Sweater was a joy and thanks to the yarn weight and needle size, a super satisfying quick knit. It’s a clever, thoughtful design with those little details that make Anne Ventzel’s patterns so special. (I have a few more of her designs in my “to-knit” list…) While I’ll tweak the fit a bit for myself (shorter body, straighter shape, and maybe a different size next time), I’m really happy with how it turned out. And Brisa was the perfect yarn choice for this project — light, soft, and so comfortable to wear.
