A self-taught knitwear designer, Alexis Winslow loves garments with stripes, modern colorwork motifs and interesting construction techniques. You can see this bold style in the 20 patterns from her new book, Graphics Knits.
Alexis’s Burren Pullover is an eye-catching piece knit in four shades of Berroco Kodiak. Both seamless and reversible, this cozy, cropped sweater is worked from the top down with a yoke shoulder construction. Short rows are used to create asymmetrical stripes of colorwork. With winter only a few weeks away, it’s a perfect quick knit that will add a layer of warmth to your wardrobe. And when you finish, Alexis has plenty of other fabulous designs to choose from, including the Barbet Turtleneck (knit in Vintage) and the Woodstar Beret & Mitts (knit in Ultra Alpaca Light).
How did you come up with this design?
I wanted to make something a little funky, something that stood out from the other designs in the collection. I loved the idea of using short-rows to create wedge-shaped stripes as a design motif. I thought a cropped off-the-shoulder style would be so fun for that. The yoke-style construction makes it so the stripes wrap seamlessly around the shoulders for a cool effect.
What made you choose our Kodiak yarn?
I was lucky enough to receive a sample skein for some of Berroco’s new yarn lines and Kodiak was one of them. I instantly fell in love! The fabric knits up so wonderfully and the palette is just to die for. The yarn is light as a feather, but knits up at a chunky gauge – perfect for this garment.
How would you style this piece?
I like to wear Burren layered over a tank top, with skinny jeans and boots. It’s meant to have a loose fit and, if you’re feeling sassy, fall off one shoulder. I also like to make it more of a cold-weather piece by layering it over a buttoned-up collared shirt.
Anything else you want to share?
I’ve heard a lot of people tell me that they are scared of short rows, so I made a couple videos to help demystify this useful technique.
Do you have a cool design you want to share? Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn? You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.