Knitting

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Eye Candy: SWTC Saphira

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saphira swtcOne of the great things about all the knitting-related work I do is that I get to play with a lot of different yarns and work on a lot of different projects. I thought it might be fun for you (and keep me trying new things so I can share them) if I posted every now and then notes on what I’m working on and what I’m working with.

Today I got into a moment (OK, a couple of hours) of panic about how soon it will be time for me to turn in my book and how much knitting I still have to do before then. I also got word that an adorable set of twins — a boy and a girl now eight weeks old — are going to model for my book. Which means I need something for them to wear.

I’m planning a pair of intarsia sweaters, probably one with a flower and one with a truck, but I’m not sure yet. I’ve long known, however, that I wanted to knit them in Saphira, a bulky superwash merino from South West Trading Company. I had a tiny (and I mean tiny, what you see in the picture is all there was, I didn’t even leave enough to bind off) sample of this yarn to play with and I love the softness, the fuziness and the nice even stitches, which should be great for intarsia. It also knits up super fast, which is great for needing to make two sweaters while the kids are still the same size!

Now that I know my gauge it will be a lot easier to estimate how much yarn I’ll need and to make the charts for my intarsia designs. I guess that’s what I’ll be working on this weekend!

What have you been working with lately? Any new projects on the horizon for the weekend? Spill it!

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Comments

  1. I can’t wait to see what your intarsia sweaters look like. That is so cool you are giving away a copy of Stitch London.

Have you read?

Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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