Courtney Spainhower’s gorgeous Worthington Gansey recently caught our eye on the pages of the Winter 2016 issue of Interweave Knits. Knit in Spud & Chloë Fine yarn (shown below is #7814 shitake), this traditional-style pullover is worked seamlessly from the bottom up and features clever details such as small underarm gussets, ensuring that very little finishing work is needed.
Courtney was kind enough to share some insight on her design process for this pattern:
When I saw that the inspiration for the winter 2016 issue of Interweave Knits was traditional knitting styles and construction (including fisherman’s gansey sweaters) I couldn’t resist sending a proposal. Normally, as a designer, I take quite a few liberties with interpreting an inspiration style but this was one I wanted to stay close to center with. I spent hours researching the roots of the fisherman gansey – even finding inspiration in the designs from Urk where diamond motifs and simple twisted cables are commonplace. I also looked closely at the wool used; the twist, gauge, and fiber content. Traditionally, the wool is a very round strand worked at a tight gauge to make the sweater as water-resistant as possible – it also provides great insulation and striking stitch definition. This all influenced my choice to use Spud & Chloë Fine: crisp stitch definition, insulating silk, and a gauge that wouldn’t put off modern knitters.