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Her full name is the Evolving Bella, because much like my previous sweater the Evolving Aveline, it uses my unique top-down construction method – starting with 4 different neck sizes and then evolves into 13 different sizes ranging from 80cm-150cm finished bust circumference!
This blog shows the design prototype which I love, and I hope you do too! I wanted to make something comfy to wear casually as an everyday kind of garment, but also something that plays with a bit of colour. The great news is that pattern testing is already underway and finishing up soon!
In terms of difficulty, this is easy to intermediate (but not ideal for a beginner). If you have made the Evolving Aveline Sweater, you are VERY well suited to tackle Bella. The beginning stitches are very similar, but the yarn is a little heavier weight so the gauge is a bit different. It’s probably a bit easier to make the garment itself than the Aveline, and your new challenge is sewing in a zipper!
So how did this garment come about?
Years ago, I bought this yarn on a craft trip to Melbourne with my mum and my sister and it’s a rare treat for me to raid my stash and work on a project just for me! Being a crochet designer, my creative energies are often turned outwards and for the last few months it has felt delicious to enjoy the creation process in my own little bubble while helping makers with other things (like my Sashiko Happy Coat Re-CAL which finishes soon).
Bubble aside, the just for me vibe also came from using this Noro Silk Garden and Silk Garden Lite that I purchased on this trip. I had heard great things about how the Noro Silk Garden yarn softens over time - folks rave about it - and I bought the yarn thinking its colours are joyous and it will be a treat for me one day! That day has come (and yes, it feels great!).
There wasn’t enough of the Silk Garden or the Lite to make a garment and it was the last stock the shop had so I figured hey, I’ll just alternate them! Making and wearing my E Bella prototype is a like a little time capsule of a memory shared with my mum and sister. This is something I really love about wearing it!
Because I often push my sleeves up (…and I am not going to lie, I only had just enough Noro yarn – yarn chicken haunts us all, lol…) I made myself a short sleeve version to wear over a long-sleeved base layer like you see in the pics. You’ll be happy to know though, I wrote both short and long sleeve options into the pattern document. The pattern is being tested with a long sleeve, and my testers and I are exploring other yarns too!
Want a video to see how the garment moves “in the flesh”???
Noro is in no way affiliated with me or this post - I have just been enjoying using yummy yarn from my personal stash to make something I want to wear! Many of you will recognise the contrast yarn I have used for trims and the slip stitch embroidery though – its Scheepjes River Washed …and yarn support from Scheepjes of course occupies a fair bit of space in my stash!
Like their Stone Washed, Scheepjes River Washed is a cotton acrylic blend in a range of vibrant colours and neutrals. The core of the Stonewashed is pale compared to the outer colour and the core of the River Washed is darker, and I love the inherent visual texture this creates. This iris blue-purple colour of River Washed sets off the rest of my Bella beautifully (though officially, the colour of this yarn is 949 “Yarra”). (Thank you to lovely Scheepjes for this yarn!)
Stay tuned for more of these details in the lead up to pattern release around mid October. Another Evolving Bella blog with a lot more info is just around the corner when pattern testing wraps up (subscribe here if you don’t want to miss it)!
Until then happy stitching!
Susannah
(Peppergoose)
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