I have a fun new pattern and collaboration with Ewe Ewe Yarns to share with you! If you like knitting vests and love a fun theme then this will be right up your alley!
The Back Story
First, the back-story. Heather (the owner of Ewe Ewe Yarns) and I met virtually over 10 years ago. About 5 years ago we realized that we were both born in the same year, and both in March (only 8 days apart). And around the time of our 40th birthday, we thought it would be fun to do a collaboration together to celebrate. I used her “Ewe So Sporty” yarn and created “Sporty 40“, a fun multi-color shawlette/scarf design. Fast forward to last year and we finally had the opportunity to meet in person at a knitting event (see our photo below!). And we got to talking about our upcoming 45th birthday and thought – “hey, we need a new Sporty 45 collaboration!”.
Since we were turning 45, we immediately thought of 45 records and decided a retro-theme was definitely the way to go. And so I decided to take our birth year of 1979 and make that my main inspiration source, for both the design and the colors. Here’s what my mood board looked like:
Now it was time to take the vibe of these visual elements and ideas and turn them into a knitting pattern design that would be a) approachable to knit, using simple knitting techniques; and b) carry that retro-inspired vibe but have a modern silhouette. Lots of knitting, tweaking and fine-tuning later, the Sporty 45 design was done. And because we couldn’t decide whether we wanted to go with a cardigan or a pullover, I created patterns for both!
Introducing the Sporty 45 patterns!
The Sporty 45 Cardigan and Sporty 45 Pullover are my modern interpretation of the classic late 70’s sweater vest. And knit in Ewe Ewe Yarn’s Ewe So Sporty merino yarn, it’s light-weight and perfect for layering in any season.
Sporty 45 – cardigan
Sporty 45 – pullover
Sporty 45 has that late 70’s/early 80’s sweater vest vibe, but with a modern fit and silhouette. They are both knit seamlessly from the bottom-up and feature drop-shoulder construction (with shoulders shaped using the German short row technique). They feature stripe patterning (again inspired by the styles of the late 70’s/early 80’s) that give the piece that more retro-feel.
Both patterns have 10 sizes to pick from, with finished circumferences ranging from around 35″ – 70″. And, there is a Sporty 45 tips page on my website where I share tips such as how to pick a size, how to adjust for a different gauge, how to alter the length, plus technique tutorials as well. I provide all the tips and information you need to successfully make your very own Sporty 45.
The Yarn
Sporty 45 cardigan and pullover uses Ewe Ewe Yarn’s Ewe So Sporty yarn, a sport-weight superwash merino. This soft and bouncy yarn is perfect for wearing in any season. And the color palette you have to pick from is amazzzzing! We created 9 palettes specifically for this design, all inspired by colors popular in the late 70’s/early 80’s to keep with that fun, retro vibe.
Above are just some ideas – Heather has 25 colorways to pick from so there are so many possibilities! Here is a link to view all of the colorway options!
Preview Knitters’ Sporty 45’s
I had some talented knitters preview the Sporty 45 patterns for us and below are their finished photos! As you can see, everyone made it their own – some kept with our retro theme and others went with their own beautiful color combos (or omitted the stripes all together which is definitely an option!).
Denise
Denise is wearing hers with approx. 7″ of positive ease and it’s knit with Cascade 220 Superwash Sport.
Angela
Angela is wearing hers with approx. 7″ of positive ease and it’s knit with Ewe Ewe Yarns Ewe So Sporty.
Rosie
Rosie knit hers with Darn Good Twist Sport Weight Silk.
Rita
Rita is wearing hers with approx. 8″ of positive ease and it’s knit with Sock Tweed by Grenouille Co.
Susan
Susan knit hers with Noro Silk Garden Sock Solo and made the length a bit more cropped.
Vivian
Vivian is wearing hers with approx. 12″ of positive ease and it’s knit with Ewe Ewe yarns Ewe So Sporty.
Ready to get sporty?
Interested in knitting your own Sporty 45? The cardigan and pullover patterns are available to purchase as PDF downloads here on my website or on Ravelry. They are $8 each, or if you purchase both it’s $12 (just basically buy one get one 50% off!). Links below for all the pattern details! And to purchase a yarn for this design from Ewe Ewe Yarns (using one of our fun color palette ideas or picking your own), click here.
