Blueberry Hill Crafting

Posts Tagged with top

Tov cabled sleeveless tunic

Tov 1

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.

Tov 2

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!)

Tov 3

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).

Tov 4

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Big Wave linen tank

Big Wave 2

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)

Big Wave 3

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 :)

Big Wave 4

Big Wave 1

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Strawberry summer top

Strawberry summer top 1z

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

Strawberry summer top 2

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)

Strawberry summer top 3

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Kestrel linen top

Kestrel linen top 1

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.

Kestrel linen top 4

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.

Kestrel linen top 2

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.

Kestrel linen top 3

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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