One of my favorite reasons for knitting with handspun is its texture, which I wanted to accentuate in this sweater. My goal was a project that felt textured and cozy, and that took advantage of the wonderful zeal and vibrancy handspun yarn has. The first step toward this was choosing to make rolags from the handdyed sliver and spinning it into an open, fluffy, woolen-spun 2-ply with a little bit of extra ply twist. The yarn is bouncy, lofty, and full of life, with the irregularities and toothiness inherent in carded fiber. From there, I picked a simple stitch pattern that would further accentuate that texture — a variation on Fisherman’s Rib called English Rib. Typically, any stitch that compresses the row gauge could lead to a heavy, sagging fabric, but the open and airy woolen-spun yarn construction counteracted that. The cardigan that resulted is simple, clean, and wearable, with hints of architecture in the waist shaping in the back; ribs trail together and branch off to create a structured and flattering shape.

Gauge
20 stitches and 40 rows = 4” × 4” in English Rib, after blocking, on size A needles
26 stitches and 40 rows = 4” × 4” in stockinette stitch, after blocking, on size B needles

Needles
Size A: US 6 (4 mm) circular needle for English Rib, 32” or longer, or size needed to obtain correct gauge
Size B: set of four or five US 5 (3.75 mm) double-pointed needles, at least 4” long, or size needed to obtain correct gauge
Size C: set of four or five US 4 (3.5 mm) double-pointed needles, at least 4” long
Size D: US 7 (4.5 mm) circular needle, 32” or longer for 1x1 ribbing on body