I didn’t do a ton of knitting while I was in Norway, but a few days after I arrived I did cast on for a Svalbard, the ingenius cardigan pattern by Bristol Ivy from Wool People vol. 6. Norway felt like the right place to do it, because Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago, and I had decided to knit it in the Snowbound colorway of Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter (Svalbard is halfway between mainland Norway and the north pole, so there is definitely snow on the islands year round).

Bristol is the kind of designer people like me only wish we could be – she’s incredibly innovative and terribly creative when it comes to actually constructing garments and accessories. Svalbard is one of her more innovative efforts, with unusual shaping beginning at the back neck and at the underarms. Bristol describes the construction of the garment in the interview she did for the Brooklyn Tweed blog. I had never knit anything put together like this before. Incidentally, this was also my first top-down sweater, so I enjoyed documenting the process as the sweater grew. I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the evolution, as well, so I’m sharing the photos here today:

(I especially enjoyed this stage, above, because it looked like something out of Game of Thrones)

The resulting sweater, after finishing, is so dreamy and perfect for so many occasions I can hardly stand it. It’s already become my go-to work sweater (the basement where my office/studio is located can be on the chilly side) and it works well with dresses, skirts, or pants. Bristol, my hat is off to you.

I also decided to make this a contribution to Shannon Cook’s annual Summer Sweater Knitalong, which runs through September 24th. I would encourage any of you with sweaters on the needles (or sweaters ready to go) to join in! You can read all about it at the link above.

If you’re hankering for some Bristol Ivy pieces of your own, several of her patterns are on sale until this Sunday, August 31st. Check out the eligible patterns right here and make sure to use the code 29on28 at checkout to receive the 29% discount. Svalbard is not among the patterns on sale, but there’s plenty of goodness whether you like sweaters, shawls, or other accessories.

Have any of you knit Svalbard? Any of Bristol’s other designs, or other patterns from Wool People 6? I’d love to see your projects!