Spring is finally here, and it’s joyous. The sun is out, everyone’s breaking out their shorts, t-shirts and sandals. So what better time to cast on… a jumper! The perfect time to finally start the jumper I’ve been collecting yarn for for over a year? Not a chance! Instead I’ve been tempted by the plethora of pattern ideas around the shop, and the gorgeous yarn I’m surrounded by constantly. So, instead of finishing the socks I promised my partner, Robert, over a year ago or the blanket I’m 80% of the way through, I’m a week (and one full skein) into the gorgeous Utopia jumper by Elena Solier Jansà from issue 17 of Laine Magazine in Black Elephant’s Wensleydale Sock yarn (Sage). In my defense, the jumper is beautifully light and perfect for the cooler mornings and evenings of London springtime. Knit in fingering weight and featuring a cropped body of simple (but visually impactful) lace, with three-quarter length sleeves, there’s a reason this jumper is in the summer edition.


I’m also in the process of moving house, so while the boxes pile up around me and more and more of my life gets packed away in preparation for the move, knitting has been a particularly helpful downtime, anti-anxiety practice and reward for getting a box done. What better project to do that with than one you’re freshly excited by and absolutely in love with.
Initially, I was torn between the Wensleydale and the equally gorgeous The Beautiful Ones in Yarnadelic by John Arbon, with its subtle pastel colour variations. The Wensleydale won me over in the end. The Sage colourway, the almost-silky shimmer and the fantastic drape, I knew it would make the perfect jumper. The yarn feels great in my fingers as I knit and I’m immediately happy with the choice I made. A week in and I’m a few rounds away from separating off the sleeves, and I already find myself imagining knitting it again with the colours staring down at me from the wall in the shop: the Dolce, Eilish, Forget Me Not and Atrament in particular seem like they’d be perfect. I almost certainly will find something else to knit before then, but it’s great to imagine. Who knows? I might even finish Robert’s socks.


Leave a Reply