Happy New Year to you all! With the start of 2026, I want to send you my warmest wishes for new beginnings and a creative, colourful, and inspiring year with endless possibilities ahead. I hope this year brings you new opportunities to explore, learn, and connect whether you cozy up at home with a new WIP or sit and knit with your community of makers. What do you have on your needles? How about a couple of more challenging projects?
The Fern Field Wrap by Lisa Hannes is a beautiful lace pattern and coordinating little cables decorate this lovely shawl.
Fern Field Wrap is a long sideways-knit shawl or wrap. You start knitting at one tip, then work your way across to the opposite tip, creating an elongated diamond shape with an optional straight middle part. That’s a shape I find really enjoyable to knit and very easy to wear.
Lisa made her original sample with a plied light fingering held together with a fluffy fingering weight yarn, which created a DK weight. The pattern provides lots of options for easy adjustments though if you wish to use a different yarn weight and/or make a smaller/larger shawl according to the yarn/yardage you have available.
Fully written row-by-row as well as charted instructions are provided so you can choose which you prefer to work from.
SIZE OF SAMPLE
Length: 166 cm / 65.25”
Width: 50 cm / 19.75“
Adjustable to your liking or the yardage you have available.
YARN
Designed for a plied light fingering weight yarn held together with a fluffy fingering weight yarn to achieve a DK weight gauge. The pattern is easily adjustable for other yarn weights and/or yardages.
approx 574 yards (525 m) of DK weight yarn held single or each of two yarns held together or
GAUGE & NEEDLES
Not critical for this project but differences will affect yardage requirements and the finished size.
Gauge on sample: 22 sts x 27 rows = 10 x 10 cm / 4 x 4“ in lace-cable pattern.
Needles used for sample: 4.5 mm / US 7
SUGGESTED YARN
Julie Asselin Leizu DK, Malabrigo Dos Tierras or Lang Cashmere Premium held single; Lichen and Lace 80/20 Sock held double with Marsh Mohair or Garnstudio Drops Flora held double with Drops Kid Silk
The Arctic Light Sweater by Veronika Lindberg is a gorgeous cable knit sweater with intricate patterns on the front, back and sleeves. It’s worked top down on 5.0 mm (US 8) needles with one strand of merino together with one strand of silk mohair to give it a lustrous sheen. The length is slightly cropped which makes it the perfect companion to wear with high waisted jeans or a dress.
Tip! Choose a lighter colour to make the cables really stand out. If you’re going to make the effort, you may as well show it off!
SIZES
XS (S) M (L) XL (2XL) 3XL
Finished garment measurements:
Finished bust circumference: 92.5 (100) 107.5 (120) 134.5 (147.5) 158 cm / 37 (40) 43 (48) 53.75 (59) 63.25”.
Length from underarm to hem: 35 cm / 13.75” all sizes.
Sleeve length from underarm: 45 (47) 47 (47) 49 (49) 49 cm / 17.75 (18.5) 18.5 (18.5) 19.25 (19.25) 19.25”.
Upper sleeve circumference: 35.5 (39) 41 (48) 48 (56.5) 56.5 cm / 14.25 (15.75) 16.25 (19.25) 19.25 (22.5) 22.5”.
Choose the size that is 5-15 cm / 2-6” bigger than your bust circumference.
GAUGE
22 sts x 26 rnds = 10 x 10 cm / 4 x 4” on 5 mm (US8) needles holding one strand of merino and one strand of silk mohair together (before blocking).
NEEDLES
3 mm (US2.5) circular needles 40-60 cm / 16-24” for neck opening and 80-100 cm / 32-40” for hem rib, and DPNs for sleeve rib (or use magic loop technique instead).
5 mm (US8) circular needles 40-60 cm / 16-24” for the sleeves and 80-100 cm / 32-40” for body, or just a 80-100 cm / 32-40” needle if you’re using magic loop technique.
YARN
1180 (1180) 1298 (1416) 1534 (1652) 1770 yds / 1080 (1080) 1188 (1296) 1404 (1512) 1620 m of DK weight yarn and an equal amount of mohair or lace weight.
The sweater is worked holding one strand of merino and one strand of silk mohair together.
SUGGESTED YARN
Garnstudio Drops Lima, Merino Extra Fine or Sky held double with Drops Kid Silk
FOs and WIPs
Boxing Day (December 26th) was when my sister, niece and I made the drive to my son's house for our family Christmas get together. The weather was terrible so my daughter with my grandsons ended up turning around and going home. While my sister drove, I knit my swatch for the Mellow Mood Sweater by Julia Piro that Jen is teaching. The following day, I cast on my sample for the class and no I didn't get a chance to block my swatch. I used my 3 inch ChiaoGoo Shortie tips with a 14 inch cable for the mock neck.
I used the magic loop method with a 30 inch cable for the yoke.
By New Year's Eve, this was my progress. I have been working exclusively on this sweater and haven't touched my Felted Loafer Slipper Class Sample or finished my Christmas Stocking!
By the Saturday of our first class, I was on the row before separating the sleeves and the body. I love this sweater already!
This is the photo I took today of my Mellow Mood Sweater. I have a couple of inches completed on the body. I am knitting mine with Noro Silk Garden Sock Solo in colour S1 held double with Garnstudio Drops Kid Silk in colour 40 Pink Pearl.
KNIT GROUP AND GALLERY
Yanhong (CaptainMocha)'s last finished object of 2025 was the Northern Augustins No 4 that she knit using Estelle Eco Tweed Worsted.
Even the back is beautiful!
Yanhong (CaptainMocha) also finished this Easy Crochet Cardigan by @katiejoslin on Etsy.
She used Noro Saiun.
Debbie (@love.knit.spin.weave) finished her stunning Shepherdess by Jessica McDonald.
Debbie knit is using Noro Kompeito.
Bev (Bevyknits46) is wearing her not yet blocked Jane by Jessica McDonald. Yarn is Berroco Vintage held double with Garnstudio Drops Kid Silk.
My sister Mary (maryc1981) bought 4 skeins of Malabrigo Rasta to knit Christmas gifts. She knit the Tula Beanie by Jill DeMarco for her son's girlfriend but she tried it on too!
Mary knit her granddaughter TheCrushChapeau by BKnitsHandmade and then one for her grandson using 2 of the Malabrigo Rasta. The 4th hat was gifted to her friend.
Anna (Pannouschka) finished this lovely pair of Pinery Socks by Masha Ziablikova.
Emma (emmlaporte) finished another pair of I'm So Basic Socks by Summer Lee.
Farzana has knit a lot of socks for her family since taking our sock class! These are knit with Schoppel Wolle Zauberberball Starke 6.
Farzana knit this pair using West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab DK.
Jen (zjewell) knit her family socks for Christmas using WYS Signature 4 Ply in the Candy Cane colour using her sock machine.
Jen (zjewell) knit her mom another Union Cowl by Bobbi IntVeld, the pattern from the Malabrigo Holiday Kit 2024 using the Malabrigo Holiday Kit 2025.
Isabel knit this gorgeous Plumped Up Cowl by Andrea Mowry after seeing the store sample. Yarn is Malabrigo Mecha.
This is Isabel's Plumped Up Harlow by Andrea Mowry that she knit with the remaining yarn since all of us needed more than one skein of each for the cowl.
Mala finished her second Glow Crew Sweater by Violent Cat Lady using Lang Yarns Cloud. The first was for her daughter and this larger one was for her son Kieran.
Claudia (@cgriffs01) knit her granddaughter Leia this Southwood by Galt House of Yarn with the added modified cross stitch image. Yarn is Berroco Vintage.
Claudia (@cgriffs01) knit this Gramps by tincanknits and the one below for a friend's grandchildren.
Yarn for both was Berroco Vintage.
Claudia (@cgriffs01) knit this Old Money Sweater by Hinterm Stein using Rowan Felted Tweed.
Claudia (@cgriffs01) also finished this gorgeous All Fall Sweater by Natalja Ledvanova using Julie Asselin Leizu DK.
SHOP NEWS
The Mellow Mood Top Down Sweater Class started this past Saturday! Please take a look at the other classes. I inadvertantly left availability at zero for a few of the classes so it looked like they were sold out. Classes have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6.
Happy Wednesday, Happy Knitting, Crocheting and Crafting!