Vanessa Pellisa - The Bertha Sweater

We are thrilled to present to you The Bertha Sweater designed by Vanessa Pellisa 🤎 Knitwear designed based in Barcelona, Vanessa created the Bertha set as 1 pattern and 3 versions!

We had the joy to finally meet Vanessa in person during the Barcelona Knits Festival, 2023 Edition, where we could present The Bertha Sweaters kindly and preciously lent by Vanessa!

A few words from and about Vanessa

"My professional background, until I became a knitwear designer had very little to do with fashion or craft! I owned an indie music record label for years and then spent a good 20 years working as an A&R manager for several record labels in the indie music industry. I loved my job and it allowed me to travel, and meet super-interesting people and it basically made me who I am. I have also spent a good portion of my life writing about music and books as a freelance journalist for magazines in Spain and contributing to culture sections for the national radio here.
After that, I trained as a tech editor and pattern writer and applied all of that technical knowledge to my knitting- which I have loved my whole life! Now, I am happy to be fully devoted to my knitting company, which has grown a lot in the past two years! I feel so lucky to be able to call this my main job and I feel super proud of being able to support my little family with my knitting! I love teaching workshops and next year I will be traveling to different yarn festivals to teach my favorite techniques."

Vanessa writes about The Bertha Sweater

"The Bertha Set was inspired by the need to own a sweater that would fit me REALLY well. I was doing some wardrobe planning and trying on sweaters at home, feeling a bit disappointed with the fit and look of some of my most loved garments. 

My body has changed a lot in the past few years - particularly after having a baby! So I thought that it would be really nice to create a garment that could accommodate a changing body - much like a well-made coat can fit you well throughout the years, regardless of how different you look. 

Women’s bodies CHANGE, but I haven’t met many of us who are accepting of this. We are eager to embrace change in all aspects of ourselves. We are happy to grow emotionally, as we feel more mature and at ease with ourselves, or intellectually, having learned, read, and digested more knowledge with the passing of time. Ah! But when it comes to our bodies, then change is suddenly not so attractive! 

I wanted a sweater that could grant all attention to the shoulders and neckline, and then be transformed into a set of wearable pieces, with its own singularities and that could work with different outfits. I love the idea of uniform dressing and this fits the bill perfectly! Same, but different. 

I am so pleased with the set came to be and with the beautiful sweaters knit by my testers, which show the design on different bodies and in different styles. I hope to see people knitting many repeats of the Bertha for their own wardrobes and getting a ton of wear out of them!"

Vanessa writes about Le Gros Silk & Mohair + Lillemor's Pure Wool

"I loved working with Le Gros Silk & Mohair and Lillemor's Pure Wool. They are total opposites! Both have a lot of personality, too! I think that the Bertha would not be the same in a different yarn. Le Gros makes it super luxurious, but the color palette is so understated that it could easily pass as a nod to the 'quiet luxury' trend. And Lillemor is simply SO special and unique, I have never knitted with such a yarn!  

Oh! I can't wait to wear my Berthas this winter! I hardly ever wear my samples, but this time. This time, I will!"

The Pattern

• 1 Pattern, 3 options included (The Bertha Sweater + The Lace Edition + The Slipover)
• The pattern is available in English + Spanish 📋
• You can find it on Ravelry and on Vanessa Pellisa's online shop 🤎
• It is not included with the Wool Bundle for Copyright purposes 📒

The Wool Bundle

Choose the Wool Bundle for the version of The Bertha Sweater you want to knit! Between:

1. The Bertha Sweater Original with Lillemor's Pure Wool, Original Color OR Custom Colors
2. The Bertha Sweater Lace Edition with Le Gros Silk & Mohair, Original Color Red Burgundy OR Custom Colors
3. The Bertha Slipover with Le Gros Silk & Mohair, Original Color Rose Grey OR Custom Colors

Custom Colors

If you would like to knit your Bertha Sweater in Custom Colors, you can just select "Custom Colors" and send us a little message with your choice of colors through the Chat! Choose any color between our color range of Le Gros Silk & Mohair 💌

Photos

📸 Photos courtesy of Vanessa
📲 @VanessaPellisa #BerthaSweater