I love this yarn, and knitting it double-stranded results in a perfect weight and feel.
Pattern: Sayer by Julie Hoover for Purl Soho
Yarn: Purl Soho Cattail Silk (100% silk) – 3 skeins (618 yds/ea) in color Deep Indigo, knit double-stranded
Needles: US 5s and US 6s
Size: 43 1/2″ (fits chest size 38-40″)
I thought that the fit was spot-on, and the resulting fabric feels perfect for summertime 🙂
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The perfect summer-weight casual top!
Pattern: Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond
Yarn: Berroco Indigo (recycled denim/cotton) – 4 skeins (color Denim)
Needles: US 5s or 6s (oops – forgot to write this down!)
Size: 36″ (my gauge was a little larger than that called for in the pattern, so this is probably a final size of more like 37-38″, for about 1-2″ of positive ease)
Mods: Shortened the sleeve length – otherwise, knit to the pattern
I’m not really sure what to call this piece – the pattern calls it a vest, but I don’t think that really describes it. I use the word tunic, although that usually means something longer. It’s a hard piece to define, and I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to like wearing it, but the cabling pattern is exquisite, and the soft, squishy feel and stitch definition of Woolfolk’s Tov was a joy to knit with.
Pattern: Bue Vest
Yarn: Woolfolk Tov in color 00 (8 skeins), plus a small amount of Woolfolk Tynd in color 00 (for knitting the armhole facings).
Needles: US 5s (I had to go down one size to get gauge, which made the fabric really dense – I mean, this is a worsted, maybe even closer to an Aran yarn, with a lot of plies, and on US 5s – or even US 6s – makes for a warm, dense, and relatively heavy fabric. I think it’s a good think it’s not longer and doesn’t have sleeves!)
Size: 43.5″ (the pattern says this is to fit a 36-38″ bust, which is right in my range – I’d say that the fit is accurate, I probably have at least 6″ of ease. If I were to knit it again, I’d knit the smaller size, even though it’s supposed to be an oversized fit, just so it wasn’t QUITE so loose fitting).
The quintessential summer knit – quick and satisfying, easy and beautiful to wear!
Pattern: Big Wave by Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Quince & Co Kestrel (100% worsted weight linen) – 5 skeins (76 yds/ea) in color Wave
Needles: US 8s (down one size to get gauge)
Size: M1 (36 1/4″) – this should have given me negative ease, but I wanted a closer fit than that modeled in the pattern photos – perhaps my gauge was a little loose because I don’t think I ended up with negative ease.
A very interesting construction, and a cool way to make tank straps! This blocked out beautifully and I love the colors of Kestrel. I think it was a good call not to make it too loose-fitting – it’s a perfect summer tank 🙂
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This came out beautifully – the pattern fits so well, and the yarn colors are stunning! The combination of linen, silk, and alpaca makes for a beautiful drape in the fabric.
Yarn: Camellia Fiber Company – 2 skeins Flax DK (50% alpaca / 25% linen / 25% silk) in Strawberry, and 1 skein (for stripes) in Rose Quartz
Pattern: Clarke Pullover by Jane Richmond – the only modification I made was to shorten the sleeves
Size: 36″ – this should have given me 1-2″ of negative ease, but I think it’s a perfect fit
Needles: US 5s (downsized to get gauge)
The perfect summer knit – I had fun playing with Quince & Co’s new yarn Kestrel, and I finished it in less than a week! The pattern is North Fork, and I knit size M (40″ bust). I ended up using 6 skeins of Cove and one skein of Senza. I got gauge on US 10s and also used US 9s for the sleeves, per the pattern instructions.
My MC was Cove, which I used until I reached the Stripe Sequence portion of the pattern. From that point on, I knit as follows (MC = Cove, CC = Senza):
7 rounds MC
3 rounds CC
Knit this stripe sequence 6 times total
Once I switched to the hem, I knit in MC for 4 rounds (instead of 6), then knit the rest of the hem as instructed.
I wanted a little longer sleeves (I don’t like really short sleeves because I think they make my upper arms look big!) Also, I usually find that I need wider sleeves at the armhole opening than patterns call for. To accommodate, I picked up 8 stitches (instead of 3) after transferring the sleeve stitches from waste yarn to my needles. Then:
Knit 3 rounds
Knit decrease round
Knit 11 rounds
Knit decrease round 1 more time
Bind off
My only other modification is that I didn’t use the stretchy bind-off – I almost never find this to be necessary, and I don’t really like how it looks. I just bound off with a knit stitch, taking care to keep my bind-off loose (but not too loose), and it kept the edges neat and tidy.
I wet blocked the top on my blocking board to keep the bottom edges from curling too much, then tossed it in the dryer when it was still damp, which made it much softer and gave it a nice drape. I like how it came out, although the colors are a little muted. I think I would have knit it an inch or two longer, although maybe linen grows and stretches – I can’t remember, does it?
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