The weekend after Thanksgiving, my community celebrates the start of the winter season by lighting the ancient spruce tree in the center of my neighborhood. All through December, and deep into January, the tree illuminates at dusk. It’s the first thing we see in the evening when we round the corner toward our house; the colorful lights signal that we are almost home, where warmth and a hearty dinner are waiting just inside the door.
Spruce Island is named in honor of the patch of land where our community tree grows. Worked in worsted weight yarn, and sporting a shawl collar, Spruce Island is as comforting as the sight of that twinkling conifer. A stranded snowflake motif at the center back adds a festive touch, and makes Spruce Island a lovely sweater to wear throughout the holiday season and into the winter.

Construction
Constructed using the simultaneous saddle shoulder method described by Barbara Walker, this sweater is top-down and seamless. The saddles are worked first as two tabs, and stitches are cast on and picked up from each saddle’s side to form the yoke. The body is knit flat and sleeves are worked in the round. This is an ideal sweater for intermediate knitters who are inter-ested in new top-down construction techniques; a dia-gram illustrating the yoke construction is included for knitters unfamiliar with this construction method.

Finished Chest Measurements
23(24½, 25½, 26½) (27¾, 29½, 31, 32¾) inches; 58.5(62, 65, 66.5) (70.5, 75, 78, 82.5) cm

Yardage Requirements
Solid Version: MC - 350(380,425,460) (510,565,625,700) yards Malabrigo Rios in Playa (100% superwash wool, 210 yards/ 113 grams)
CC - 20(25,25,30) (35,40,45,50) yards Quince and Co. Lark in Chanterelle (100% wool, 134 yards/50 grams)
Two-Tone Version: MC - 240(255,285,310) (340,385,435,500) yards Jill Draper Makes Stuff Windham (100% wool, 220 yards/113 grams)
CC - 130(150,165,180) (205, 220,235,250) yards Quince and Co. Lark

Notions
Stitch markers
1 3/4” (44.5mm) toggles/buttons 3(3,3,3) (4,4,4,5) each
Waste yarn
Yarn needle