Discovering Top Down Sweaters

This summer I've knit three top down sweaters.

Radian Yoke by Wendy Bernard

miley tee by Cheri Christianjackie by Cheri ChristianI'm swatched and ready to begin gypsy by Cheri Christian in Berroco Bonsai. Both of these designers create lovely garments and write excellent patterns. I'm in the midst of teaching a class for the Ruffle Tank at Westport Yarns.This fall I have a "Design Your Own Top Down Sweater Class" in the queue. I'm having so much fun designing my own sweater that I've already got ideas for another sweater.

The benefit of Top Down Sweaters are numerous. The biggest one by far is that you can try it on as you knit. You simply transfer the stitches to waste yarn for safekeeping and slip it on. This allows you to totally tweak the sizing as you go while you're still in a position to change it and without having to undo everything you've done.
I've started out with a simple raglan v-neck. What I learn here I will incorporate into my next sweater.

Another great factor for those of us who have random quantities of yarn and aren't sure how far the yarn will go. You can begin a top down garment and plan a design that would work short or long(ish). It could become a bolero, cropped cardigan, or capelet.

This has me rethinking some of my sweater quantity stashes that don't have a pattern assigned to it.