I thought I had only one more sweater to show you for spring, but I found a couple more. How quickly one forgets! Or is it just me? Okay, just say it, it’s me. Sigh.
Anyway…
The Hay Cardigan is a light sweater with an open neckline and 3/4 sleeves that is a lovely style for summer. I made this one combining two Ito yarns, one a paper/rayon blend and one a teeny-tiny strand of wool with a wee bit of a color-changing stripe. The effect was interesting and the fabric light and lovely but the knitting was a little tedious, trying to keep both yarns together on my needle but I just had to keep my eyes on my work a little bit more than I usually do. I love it now, and think that it would be equally lovely in Shibui’s Linen and not quite so fussy to knit. There are pockets (one in the pattern but I made two) and panels of reverse stockinette to give it some surface interest (although not as much as the pattern calls for).
Next is a little shrug done in Katia’s cotton tape Tahiti. It was very fun to knit. The pattern is different from many I’ve done lately because it’s in pieces and sewn together at the end, but the seams are short and easy to do. The interesting part is that the collar and sleeves are in garter stitch and knit as you go, so there’s no picking up to do and no edging to knit at the end. The style is really cute, I love the shape and the eyelet details. The fabric came out a bit dense for summer and if I had to do it again I would use a bigger needle (which would of course yield a larger size but it would also drape a bit better around the body). It certainly works for right now over a long-sleeved tee, and for fall as well.
If this is not your thing, Katia Book #77 has many styles for Tahiti that are done with openwork for light and airy summer tops. We have 10 beautiful colors!
Our last summer sweater (I think – who knows, I may find something that I simply must make!) is this little number, a simple raglan knit all in garter stitch. I used a new yarn called Kakadu which is a light, highly textured cotton and synthetic blend that demands a simple style and a simple stitch. You can see how airy the fabric is, wearable on even the hottest day! Dress it up or down – I can see it over a plain little shift for brunch or topping off jeans and a tank.
The sweater holds its shape well – in fact, since the pattern was written for linen (which grows) I had to add a couple of inches to the length. Yet it drapes nicely on your body. There are loads of yardage on a ball. This sweater in a size 42 took less than 2 balls, so yarn + pattern = less than $40! We have beautiful colors in stock now.
Come by to try on our shop models and plan your summer favorites.
I’m expecting company this weekend so with this nice day I’m going to clean and freshen up the house. Hooray for sunshine! Hope you get to enjoy it!
