Featured in Knitting - the Card Game!

The cardigan version of Sevrine features a shawl collar, rounded front edges, and mirrored motifs that form a flattering hourglass shape against a reverse stockinette stitch background. The relaxed but feminine fit is timeless and wearable in a variety of settings.

This cardigan is knit seamlessly from the top down with simultaneous set-in sleeves. After establishing the back and fronts, you’ll pick up a small number of stitches for the sleeves before shaping the sleeve caps, yoke, and armholes at the same time. Once the sleeves are separated from the body, the tailored fit and silhouette are achieved through waist shaping, decreases, and short rows. Stitches are picked up along the edges of the cardigan for the shawl collar and continuous edging. Upon completion of the body and edging, the sleeves are resumed from the underarm and worked seamlessly in the round from the top down. 

In a warmer climate? Instructions are also provided for short sleeves and a narrower edging to create a more vestlike cardigan that can be worn over a t-shirt or tank top.

In September 2018, I walked out of my local yarn shop with a sweater quantity of yarn and a familiar feeling. You know the one: that on-the-brink of starting something new, creative juices flowing, and endless possibilities feeling that only a maker can know. I didn’t have a pattern in mind, but I knew that this yarn would become something special.

Then something funny happened: I kept unintentionally sketching the same design. A pullover with cabled panels, a rounded neckline, “cold” shoulders, and set-in armholes appeared eight times, to be exact, on different days and in separate sketchbooks. It was almost as if the yarn was telling me, "This is what I want to be."

Now with a clear vision in mind, I started swatching. The yarn by itself was beautiful, soft, and airy with fantastic drape, but it lacked the cozy factor I was going for. When I paired it with a mohair/silk blend, the fabric transformed. It had depth and warmth, and it felt like kittens and clouds—exactly what I wanted.

In late 2019, I cast on and quickly realized that top-down construction wasn’t practical for the design I had sketched, so I restarted from the bottom up. When I tried it on for the first time, something was off. I frogged back and reknit the yoke. Still not right. I frogged again. And again. I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. All I know is that I was feeling pretty deflated. The yarn was practically begging me to stop frogging and reknitting it, and I needed a break.

Apparently, a three-year break.

Over those years, thoughts of “needing to finish that sweater” hung over my head. Would I ever finish? Had I failed? But while the sweater waited, I kept learning—about fit, grading, size inclusivity. I poured that knowledge into other patterns. And each time I released something new, I’d pull this sweater out with renewed determination. Yet I still didn’t have the answer.

It finally hit me in fall 2023. What if I changed everything? V-neck instead of scoop neck. Closed shoulders instead of open. Raglan sleeves instead of set-in. The revisions came together perfectly, and when I finally tried it on again . . . it worked!

This design challenged me more than any other. There was a span of time where I didn’t think I could finish it. But things got easier—things fell into place—when I stopped trying to force an idea and let the design take me where it wanted to go all along. In hindsight, it feels a little like serendipity.

It was, simply, “Meant to Vee.”

Back in 2011, I set out to design the sweater I wished I had when I first started knitting garments. I wanted something stunning but approachable. Something that looked intricate but was secretly easy to make. A pattern that could help knitters take that big, scary leap into sweater-making without feeling left in the dark.

That’s how Julissa—my very first garment pattern—was born. It’s a top-down, beautifully detailed, boat neck raglan pullover that quickly became the first-ever sweater for so many knitters. But just like every knitter evolves, so do patterns.

Fast forward 10 years to 2021, and I knew Julissa deserved more. In that decade, I had learned so much about fit, shaping, finishing techniques, and how to make my knitting patterns more intuitive. I cared about this design too much to leave it in the past, so I completely updated it with everything I’d learned:

• Expanded size range to meet today’s size-inclusivity standards

• More refined shaping for the neckline and larger busts

• Extra guidance on customization for different body types and fit preferences

• Detailed explanations and links to video tutorials for professional shaping and finishing techniques

• More printer-friendly and interactive

This pattern is an oldie but a goodie; a legacy piece that has grown and improved right alongside me and the knitters who’ve made it. Ready to become a part of its history?