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Emily Wessel

Hi! I’m Emily Wessel, I design fun-to-knit patterns and helpful technique tutorials. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland with my husband and two kids, where I like to run, knit, learn languages, and hang out with friends. I am co-founder and designer at Tin Can Knits - www.tincanknits.com

25 Comments

  1. Laurin Likosky
    April 26, 2021 @ 1:39 pm

    Did you knit the body 12 inches and additional 1.5 inch in the ribbing (13.5 in total) or was it 12 inches total? (10.5 in plus 1.5 inches). It is gorgeous and the length is perfect. The yarn- wow!

    • Alexa Ludeman
      April 28, 2021 @ 9:24 am

      Hi – That’s 12″ total

  2. Carol Stephanson
    December 24, 2020 @ 9:02 am

    I fell in love with your gorgeous sweater and was so sad to see that it’s one of a kind, although a lovely accomplishment! Can you suggest a yarn available to buy that would give a similar result?

    • Emily Wessel
      December 28, 2020 @ 6:08 am

      Hi Carol – There are several yarns that give handspun ‘effects’ though each is a little different in some ways from handspun. Noro is a Japanese brand that does dozens of exciting handspun-style yarns. In the USA Spincycle Yarns do mule-spun yarns that give a very similar effect to handspun. Best luck! Emily

  3. sarahjaneireland
    October 28, 2020 @ 3:42 pm

    Wow, such amazingly vibrant colours! Absolutely gorgeous 🧶

  4. Wendy Boughton
    October 27, 2020 @ 10:42 am

    Hi Emily. I posted a few days ago that I was 2 rows from completing the body of my Flax sweater. I am now onto the arms, my first go ever at arms and…boom. Flummoxed. I had a really difficult time trying to figure out the instructions. I got my stitches onto the circular needles and then realized I had no working yarn (🙄 duh) and could not figure out how to proceed. I ended up searching videos and such for a really long time before I kinda figured it out. A tutorial on that part of the pattern would be super helpful. The instructions at that part just don’t explain it to us newbies. I am still not sure that I did it right but I have working yarn now and there is only a small hole left, though I am 2 stitches over the count in the pattern. I am forging ahead anyway. It’s getting cold here and I want to wear my sweater! 🙂

  5. Lisa
    October 26, 2020 @ 6:52 am

    Hi Emily! This is GORGEOUS! What an inspiration! I am a new spinner. I have only used a drop spindle so far, but I am getting a wheel soon. What type/model of wheel was used to make this beautiful yarn? Thanks!

  6. Olivia
    October 26, 2020 @ 5:37 am

    Absolutely LOVE the colors! Your sleeves are great, I always have trouble when following a pattern, the sleeves come out too bulky and wide. I’m so impressed.

  7. Helen Schendel
    October 24, 2020 @ 1:06 pm

    Love it. I too havw made a number of Flax sweaters. I would lilke to make another for myself. How would I go about making the neckline higher. I prefer my necklines higher than the first sweater I made for me. Thank you Nellie

    • Emily Wessel
      October 26, 2020 @ 12:28 am

      Hi Nellie – I’d suggest you cast on using a smaller size, one or two sizes smaller than the one you want to knit, and then increase more within the raglan increase section (to get to the correct full yoke stitch count for the larger size). That way you’ll have a smaller cast-on number, and a longer yoke depth, which will make the neckline sit higher.

  8. Bindy in Australia
    October 23, 2020 @ 8:15 pm

    Great sweater – love the colours.

  9. Elizabeth
    October 23, 2020 @ 6:24 am

    Your colors are absolutely gorgeous!

  10. Wendy
    October 22, 2020 @ 7:10 pm

    I am completely inspired by you! I am making this sweater pattern myself right now and am soooooo close to finishing the body. Two rows to go! And, this is my first ever sweater. To say I am thrilled with this pattern is an understatement. I can’t wait to finish it.l

  11. Lynn Carter
    October 22, 2020 @ 4:10 pm

    Hi ,
    I absolutely love your patterns . I also love knitting top down jumpers . I’m asking how I can avoid the often dramatic colour change when starting the sleeves after finishing the body of the jumper .It’s particularly obvious with graduated colour progression yarns .This has often changed dramatically by the time I get to the sleeve . It’s very obvious to me , recipients often don’t notice .
    Thank you .
    Cheers ,
    Lynn Carter

    • Emily Wessel
      October 26, 2020 @ 12:31 am

      This is a problem with gradient / colour changing yarns that there’s no easy answer to. One strategy is to use a new ball, and find the point in that ball where the gradient is at the same point at which you started the body at (match the colours manually). Other than that, another strategy is to stripe the colour-changing yarn with a solid colour, so the colour change isn’t so obvious.

  12. Rose
    October 22, 2020 @ 3:52 pm

    Wow! What a beautiful sweater and what an inspirational blog post!! Thank you for the notes on your spinning as well. You have done a great job!

  13. Susan
    October 22, 2020 @ 8:30 am

    Oh my gosh, that is the most beautiful spun yarn colored sweater I’ve ever seen. You did a terrific job, an inspiration for me to spin which I know is a huge undertaking with great rewards.

  14. Chantal Collin
    October 22, 2020 @ 8:04 am

    Gorgeous sweater and yarn. Thank you.

  15. askcarolynwarren
    October 22, 2020 @ 7:50 am

    What a gorgeous yarn! It shows itself off beautifully with Flax.
    BTW, I like your long hair. It’s very pretty.

  16. ReginaMary
    October 22, 2020 @ 7:23 am

    Emily, this is so dreamy! Your beautifully spun yarn has transformed this simple pattern into something quite special.

  17. sophy0075
    October 22, 2020 @ 7:05 am

    How many grams of fiber did you end up spinning for the sweater? How did your yarn gauge compare to that of the original Flax pattern? I’ve been spinning a lot in the Livestock Conservancy’s Shave ‘em to Save ‘em program, and would love to be able to combine my results in a commemorative sweater. (Although I would probably split Flax in the front and make a cardi.)

    • Emily Wessel
      October 26, 2020 @ 12:37 am

      The green yarn was made from 400g of fibre, and then I just used a little more for the cuff and hems. Probably 425g total, if I had to guess? It’s a cropped length though (12″ from hem to underarm). The gauge is a little less, 5 sts per inch not 4.5 sts per inch I think.

  18. Catherine Martin
    October 22, 2020 @ 6:40 am

    so many steps, such a gorgeous result!

  19. Kelly Criss
    October 22, 2020 @ 6:20 am

    Oh how gorgeous your sweater is! I haven’t ventured into spinning or plying yarns yet but I have dyed some and your flax light is on my to-do list. I was wondering though, if you’d be willing to add those short row shaping instructions you used on the neck, into the pattern as an update?