Tag: spring

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Pattern Spotlight: Subtle Spring

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!

Ravello in #112 Sage Leaf.

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.

Left: My preliminary swatch for Subtle Spring. Right: My digital sketch that was included in the proposal.

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.

Subtle Spring Tee, image courtesy of Interweave Knits.

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.

Rows of eyelets border the ribbing along each edge.
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.

Yoke details on the Subtle Sprint Tee.
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.

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Bamboo Pop Accessories Inspiration

Have you have seen our new Bamboo Pop Accessories eBook?

 

Part of the idea behind these patterns was to help keep your knitting and crochet mojo going strong through the warmer months…any project from this collection would be perfect for working on poolside. It was such a blast designing this collection. I was inspired in part by all the colorful, tropical knitwear being shown by many designers in their 2017 Resort collections and a recent trip to Hawaii helped provide the names for the designs.

The bright colors and fiber content of Bamboo Pop are perfect for creating knit and crochet items that wear well throughout the spring and summer. Bamboo Pop makes these projects soft and cool against your skin, great for those days of going in and out of overly air conditioned buildings.

Anuenue Sampler: The Hawaiian word for rainbow is a perfect fit for this scarf. As a sporadic crocheter, I love working on projects where I get to try out a bunch of different stitches and techniques, so I knew my first crochet design had to be a sampler. This design also is perfect for anyone, who like me, has difficultly choosing just one color! Different colors, stitches and edging will keep you entertained.

Awapuhi: Named for wild Hawaiian ginger, the plaited stripe pattern mimics the texture of the flowers which start out white and then turn red as they mature. White and Lily Pad blend beautifully in the textured stripes, adding additional dimension, with the bright pops of Lime Green for the ribbing. This scarf will go perfectly with summer outfits, taking you from breezy walks on the beach to dinner and drinks!

Kukui: Hawaiians extracted oil from the kukui nut and burned it in a lamp called kukui hele po, which means “light, darkness goes.” This shawl transitions from light to dark with bands of White, Silken and Black divided with bands worked in a slip stitch pattern using all three colors. To create the asymmetric shape, you’ll begin at the smallest point with just a few stitches increasing gradually to the widest edge. The elongated shape is easy to wear in many different ways.

Lilikoi: Also known as passionfruit – from its gorgeous flower to delicious fruit, I could not get enough lilikoi when I went to Hawaii! This shawlette creates a fun blend of solid and variegated colors with a slip stitch pattern that helps mix the colors between sections. Garter stitch makes for a lovely, squishy fabric and also makes the knitting a breeze. The shape is a shallow triangle, in a size that is perfect for draping around your neck kerchief style.

Philodendron: Fun, bright and just a little quirky. Philodendrons are having a bit of a moment right now – from knit, fabric and print versions to real fronds showing up in home décor. The cowl is worked with a combination of a striped background and instarsia fronds, creating a wonderful statement piece for your warm weather wardrobe.

Plumeria: Plumeria are also known as the “Lei flower,” sure this cowl is a little more substantial than a lei, but you still get flowers draped around your neck! Stranded knitting is usually reserved for winter projects and I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into a warm weather project. A brighter color palette and a combination of floral and wave designs make this stranded project summer ready.

Tiny Bubbles: These tiny bubbles will make you feel fine! This scarf is a fun way to combine a solid and variegated color, or if you like, you could make each row of bubbles a different color. The bubbles are created by stripes and dropped stitches, not stranded knitting, so you are only working with one color at a time. This is another great piece to work on, wear, and add a little Pop to the warm season.

I hope you enjoyed taking a little peek behind the scenes and learning a bit about the collection and the inspiration behind it! What projects are you planning to make with Bamboo Pop?