The merino-alpaca blend I chose for this classic raglan provides wonderful stitch definition. After I worked up a swatch of it, I decided it was the perfect base upon which to infuse color using duplicate stitch. I researched a number of Hungarian, Palestinian and Mexican embroidery motifs and, ultimately, chose a vibrant Palestinian design that features twin lions (and nods to my own status as twin).

To transfer the chart to your sweater, it helps to use a water soluble fabric marker. After marking the corresponding stitches and working the duplicates, simply spray your knitting with water and the markings will disappear as if by magic. You can also create your own design on knitter’s graph paper and continue as above.