I know that everyone is absolutely agog to know who was the winner of the Purl Alpaca Designs giveaway – the winner, drawn by random number generator, was Cassandra! Congratulations to you, I have been in touch by email if you could check and get back to me.
I thought it would be interesting for everyone to see the patterns that were most loved by the entrants to the giveaway.
A note for anyone planning to knit these garments – bear in mind that they are designed using alpaca yarn, and drape is one of the key ingredients to success. That’s not to say you have to use an alpaca yarn – I knitted my Icon Dress in John Arbon Knit by Numbers, which is pure merino – but you should consider this when choosing the yarn.
Purl Alpaca Designs: the chosen few
Icon Dress
I think we all know that I love this one. Not only is it the most popular on Ravelry, but it came out tops in the giveaway. I had a range of really lovely comments from different people – one of you was planning to knit her wedding dress from this pattern, another felt that it would help her continue to love her body post breast-cancer. It’s on Ravelry here and the Purl Alpaca Designs website here.
There are currently 56 projects on Ravelry, and shocker – mine is not the brightest! Check out emerald787‘s dress! Here’s a little boast – mine was recently voted number two in the Let’s Knit project picks…find out more here.
Isis Tailcoat
The Isis Tailcoat came a close second to the Icon Dress – find it on Ravelry here and the Purl Alpaca Designs website here.
The construction looks really interesting, with the knitting going in different directions depending on which part of the Isis Tailcoat you are on. This is shown in the ‘back’ photo below…I haven’t actually seen the pattern so can’t tell you if there are a lot of picked up stitches in this – but it does look like it.
A recently finished project in the most stunning blue was knitted by charmofit. It is such a glorious colour!
Esme Jumper and Venus Coat
The next most popular were the Esme Jumper and Venus Tailcoat. The Esme Jumper has a similar patterning to the Icon Dress, but with variations in sleeves, collar and below the bodice, while the Venus Tailcoat is a gorgeous airy garment, and the thing you will most often see Tracy wearing when Purl Alpaca are at shows. Note the one that Tracy wears is sleeveless. The Esme Jumper is on Ravelry here and the PA website here.
The Venus Coat is on Ravelry here and the PA website here.
Honourable Mentions
Other patterns that got a shout out from the giveaway included the Maddie Leaf Dress (my personal favourite), Niobe Jumper, and a couple of jumpers and cardigans. I had so much fun browsing through the patterns, and I think the designs are effortlessly stylish, comfortable, and extremely achievable as a large garment to knit, in most cases.
I will be keeping an eye on what comes next – and I hope I have opened your eyes to a lovely new set of designs! You can browse the full catalogue on the Purl Alpaca website here, or Ravelry here if you are that way inclined.
Thank you so much to Kari-Helene and Tracy for their generosity!
Much love,
Corrie xx
Congratulations to Cassandra! xx