I designed this easy drop-shoulder sweater while house-sitting for my brother in the high desert near Taos, New Mexico. My brother’s house was “off the grid,” using solar, wind power, and rainfall in place of conventional utility services. The house stayed warm all winter with an ingenious floor plan designed to trap solar heat within deep, well insulated rooms. I was inspired by both the dramatic mountain scenery and the house’s design to create a sweater which integrates good looks with simplicity and warmth.

I found the perfect yarn for this design at the wonderful yarn store in Taos, La Lana Wools. Silver Streak is a subtly striped, all-natural yarn in an undyed mix of grey and white wools. Knitted up, it reveals gentle transitions between gray and white, adding interest without being too flashy.

A simple knit-and-purl stitch pattern creates a quilted appearance which traps heat, while the eco-friendly yarn evokes the beauty of a high desert winter.

Some yarns don’t show the stitch pattern very well at all-- they don’t pull in the right amount at the purl stitches. La Lana Silver Streak is a little obscure, and a little expensive (though reasonable by La Lana standards!) but I can think of a few different yarns that might make a good substitute. To get the stitch pattern to show up as intended, I suggest finding a yarn which is similar in construction to Silver Streak, a medium-spun single. I tested out this stitch pattern with a tightly spun multi-ply yarn and the quilting effect was lost entirely. If you have a yarn in your stash you want to use for this sweater, swatch it in the quilted stitch pattern before you get your heart set on it! For sweaters without striping effects, you might try Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair, Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted, Malabrigo or Manos del Uruguay. No yarn I know of stripes like Silver Streak, but if you want striping effects, you might try Noro Kureyon, Southwest Trading Company Karaoke, or-- best of all-- a handspun yarn from a small producer!