Today the sun is shining bright and the temperature is reminding me that spring is well on its way. Here in North Carolina, some of the spring flowers are starting to emerge and I can see buds beginning to appear on the maple tree in my front yard. The days are getting longer and I couldn’t be more thrilled. This early spring weather has me tempted to pull out my warm-weather knits. Or, at the very least, it has me tempted to cast on something perfect for when the weather is consistently warm! I’m not quite ready to say hello to linen, but a nice blend of plant and animal fibers should do the trick!
Last year we introduced Ravello, and I immediately fell in love. It is a blend of cotton, extra-fine merino, and recycled cashmere. This blend is the perfect companion for spring weather, keeping you warm during the chilly mornings yet remaining lightweight enough to keep you comfortable when the sun is shining high. This plied yarn features a subtle halo and the palette ranges from soft pastels to rich heathers.
When I saw the submission call for the Spring 2021 issue of Interweave Knits, I knew I had to propose a design that uses Ravello. The mood board features botanical motifs and soft colors. Ravello is beautiful in a variety of stitch patterns, but it excels in lace. So, with my graph-paper notebook and knitting needles in hand, I began brainstorming and playing with some ideas.
A yoke tee seemed like the perfect playground for a lace design. The motif could grow in size – starting small around the neckline and sprouting into something larger and even more beautiful. I looked to leaves and vines for inspiration. Initially, I suggested Sage Leaf for the design – a literal interpretation of sprouting spring plants. As you can see from the swatch pictured above, I thought about using a contrasting color for the hem, neckline, and sleeve cuffs for an added element of interest. Additionally, each sleeve would feature a row of eyelets before the crisp twisted ribbing.
Eventually, my swatches and sketches grew up to be the Subtle Spring Tee. The final design stayed remarkably true to my vision. Collaboratively, the editor and I opted to pass on the idea of contrast color ribbing, thinking it might distract a little from the lace motif that decorates the yoke. Instead of using Sage Leaf, we decided to lean towards warmth and romance by choosing 104 Soft Clay instead.
Image courtesy of Interweave Knits.
I opted to include the row of eyelets to the bottom hem and around the neckband instead of just the sleeves. This sweater begins with a provisional cast-on and is knit from the top-down. During finishing you unpick the provisional cast-on and work the neckband from the bottom-up. I’m so glad I wrote the pattern this way because, in the original draft of the pattern, I didn’t include eyelets around the neckband. When I received the garment from my sample knitter, I decided there needed to be more continuity between the lace yoke and the neckband. So, I unraveled the neckband and added the row of eyelets. Sometimes it’s the little details that bring a design together.
Image courtesy of Interweave Knits.
I love when a design comes together just the way I envisioned. I hope you enjoyed this peek into my design process.
You can find the Subtle Spring Tee in the Spring 2021 issue of Interweave Knits and on Ravelry. To get your hands on Ravello and start knitting, head to our website or at your local yarn store.