Sea Haven by Jennifer Shiels Toland

The process from start to finish

Jane Carr

Jun 25, 2025

I recently finished knitting the Friday Slipover by Petite Knit. Here’s the journey from start to finish.

A quick overview

Pattern: Sea Haven by Jennifer Shiels Toland

Yarn: Heirloom Australia Cosy Comfort 8-ply

Ravelry page: Mum’s Pullover

I spent the 2024 Christmas break with my parents at a beach-house near Melbourne (remember, Christmas lands during Australia’s summer!) During that stay, my mum mentioned that she wanted me to knit her a sweater. It is such an honour when someone asks for a project like this, so I was thrilled. We decided that I would purchase the yarn as her birthday present in January and then knit the sweater to give to her for Mother’s Day in May.

I pulled up Ravelry and we had a long browse through popular sweater patterns to see what she wanted. We also looked at the local yarn store to see what kind of yarns and colours suited her. Ultimately, she wanted the pattern and the yarn to be a surprise. So, armed with the knowledge of what she mentioned while we were searching, and the knowledge that she is my mother and therefore, a) I know her quite well, and, b) she is obliged to love everything I give her, I set about making a decision.

I decided to knit the Sea Haven by Jennifer Shiels Toland. The pattern is simple enough to be versatile but has texture on the yoke to provide interest. My mum lives a 2-hour flight away from me, so I also had to choose a pattern that was relatively forgiving in sizing, which I mostly find rounded yoke sweaters to be. The pattern called for an 8-ply yarn, so I also knew that I would have enough time to knit it up.

For the yarn, I chose the Heirloom Australia Cosy Comfort 8-ply. It is a blend of 70% Wool, 17% Silk, and13% Alpaca. I used the colourway Tamarind because my mum wanted something with orange or rustic tones. I chose this yarn over a wool and mohair combination because it is easier to take care of and more economical. I wanted to find something that felt luxurious, but was also easy to clean and well-wearing. I loved using this yarn so much and the finished product is beautiful. I will definitely be using this yarn for future projects because the luxuriousness to price ratio is incredible!

P.S. if you would prefer to watch this process, I made a project vlog, so feel free to check that out.

The process

After swatching and blocking with the recommended needle size (4.00mm), I was worried. It was too small to meet gauge, and, given I couldn’t just ask mum to try it on as I went, I knew that I couldn’t start until I felt confident. So, I went up a half needle size to 4.50mm. Initially I was concerned that the fabric would end up too loose, but I could hardly tell a difference between the two needle sizes and with the larger one I was able to meet the pattern gauge.

As usual, blocking made the fabric incredibly soft and really brought out the colour. As soon as I had a good gauge swatch, I knew that this would be a fun project.

Even though the pattern didn’t recommend it, I went down to a 3.50mm needle for the ribbed collar and I did a 1x2 half-twisted rib to add a bit of additional interest and tie it in with the purl bumps in the yoke. I like using a smaller needle for all ribbing, just to give a cleaner look. I also think that the 1x2 half-twisted rib turned out really really well and I find that it flows slightly better with the rest of the sweater than a 1x1 rib. I decided to also use a 1x2 half-twisted rib for the cuffs and bottom band to keep everything consistent.

The entire yoke is just a combination of purl and knit stitches, so this pattern is very beginner friendly and very easy to work up. I also really like that there is a lot of texture without having the holes of a lace, so you don’t necessarily need to wear something underneath that matches the colour and style of the sweater. The increases work in nicely with the texture and I didn’t find any issues with a jog, as the start of round was hidden very well in the design.

I always hate picking up stitches, but once I get past the initial finicky stages, I don’t mind endlessly working on sleeves. The only “sleeve island” that I experience is procrastinating the picking up stage. I knit the first sleeve to the pattern repeat recommendations, but it seemed a bit too long, so I knit the second one with two repeats less. After that, I blocked the work before completing the bottom ribbing to see which sleeve was the best length. Thankfully, my mum and I have a similar enough body shape that I could tell that the first sleeve was far too long and the second sleeve was perfect.

I frogged back the additional repeats on the first sleeve to make them even before finishing up the bottom ribbing.

My mum absolutely adores this sweater. It fits her really well and the colour suits her. She has already requested another sweater for next year!

I would highly recommend both the pattern and the yarn that I used. I thought the pattern was very easy to follow and would be a great pattern for a first-time knitter. For more experienced knitters, this was a very quick knit and I think it would highlight a special yarn without being a 100% stockinette project.