Designer Spotlight - Jovi of Hook Mountain Handmade
Jovi of @hookmountainhandmade and her family live on the prairie of Western Illinois with their spoiled rescue dog Poppy. Not only does Jovi knit and design, she spins yarn, among other creative hobbies. She loves texture and bold, graphic color work, and this is evident in the patterns she creates.
The Hook Mountain Handmade catalog includes the sweaters, cardigans, hats, gloves, and cowls you would expect from a designer who also lived in New York, but Jovi also has designs for the summer months.
Winter Garden Sweater
Winter Garden Sweater is a top-down sweater with beautiful lines and a St. John's Wort lace detail below the bust. It's great for layering, and works just as well with jeans as with dresses. The sweater is like a winter garden: quiet, beautiful, and practical.
The pattern is written for sport-weight yarn. Tukuwool Sock has some gorgeous colors for this design, and Helli is a merino wool option for those who prefer that.
Orchard and Vine Shawl
Orchard and Vine is an asymmetrical, narrow shawl knit entirely in garter, great to wrap around your neck or even over your head as a hood. The pattern lends itself to any weight of yarn, and any number of colors. It uses just one color at a time though, so it's a great TV or travel knitting project.
This pattern also calls for sport weight yarn, though shawls are more forgiving. A different weight yarn selection will impact the size, but since fit isn't as important as in a sweater, it's not as big of a deal.
Hideaway Cardigan
Hideaway Cardigan is a perfect summer cardigan with an open front and an all-over eyelet pattern. It's lightweight enough to wear on warm days, yet substantial enough to cozy up in at the end of the day. The design is also knit seamlessly until the sleeves, and just the shoulders need a bit of seaming.
The pattern is written for DK weight yarn, and any of the 23 gorgeous colors of Mainio would be perfect for it.
Star Gazer Tee
Star Gazer Tee is a fabulously versatile piece that’s perfect for layering or wearing on its own. The design works with wool just as well as a cotton or linen yarn, adding to the versatility. It is knit top down, seamlessly in the round.
The pattern is written for worsted-weight yarn. With a bit of math you can easily substitute a DK or an Aran-weight yarn depending on how thick you prefer the fabric to be.
Hideaway Cardigan Yarn Suggestion
Hideaway Cardigan is Jovi's dream summer cardigan, and it's not hard to see why. Its boxy shape gives it a cozy feel. The overall eyelet design adds interest and texture while still keeping you warm when needed.
Lankava Mainio is a 75/25 blend of superwash wool and polyamide, and makes for a fantastic option for all kinds of projects. It comes in 23 beautiful solid colors, and I've put together bundles of Mainio for easy ordering. The hardest part will be picking which one to make your first cardigan with.
Bonus: Hideaway Sweater
Jovi has just released a sweater version of Hideaway! It uses the same all-over eyelet pattern, with slightly shorter 3/4 sleeves for a fabulous summer piece to keep you protected from the freezing air conditioning.
Since the new design is based on the previous cardigan, the yarn bundles I put together will work for both patterns!
