The Slingsby

The Anson and the Slingsby went on sale to subscribers at 11 this morning, with everyone else in 48 hours. It took 18 samples to get the Anson right and 12 for the Slingsby. The first orders came in the same day.

Collected the whole run from the factory today. Before anything goes on sale, every piece gets a once-over on my table.

I've also ordered custom wool combs that I'll include along with a personalised note with each order.  

The cardigan has a name. Fred Slingsby served with the RAF in the First World War and went on to found Slingsby Aviation.

The first order is in. The Anson in grey and the Slingsby in navy, six of each size. The factory says September, give or take a couple of weeks depending on when Shepley can deliver the yarn.

The Small and the Medium from the size run are spot on.

The grading is done, with the Medium as the anchor. I've dropped off the natural horn buttons at the factory, and the size run is being knitted in navy, Small to XL.

The washed samples are back, and it hasn't worked. The agitation took the knit from a nice clean texture to fluffy. It didn't just change how it looks, either. It changed the structure, and the knit now feels loose.

So nothing will be washed before it's sold. The yarn comes clean on cone, and that's how it stays.

The shawl, the placket and the hem are now knitted with three ends of yarn instead of two, so they're denser and hold their shape. The cuffs stay at two because they fold back. The buttonholes are cast off as part of the knitting, not cut and stitched in afterwards.

To date, we haven't washed the sweaters. The yarn comes 'clean on cone' meaning that it's already been washed but I want to know how it'll react if someone does throw it in their washing machine. We'll give it a shot and see what the result is.

Started on a cardigan today, with a shawl neck. I want the shawl and placket to be knitted in one piece rather than two that would be connected together at the back of the neck.

The collar is the main feature of shawl neck cardigan and when it has a really visible seam line, it feels like a compromise to me. I also think there's space for a shawl neck that isn't super bulky.

I love a traditional heavyweight cardigan but there aren't that many days that call for it here in the UK. It's always tempting to go heavy - on paper it's like shorthand for quality. But I think there's space for something more refined and breathable.

I'm looking at a waffle knit for the body to keep it breathable and I'll drop the standard pockets that they so often have. I'm not keen on how they interrupt the drape of the garment and really, who uses them?!