Patterns, projects and techniques
The winner of the lace knitting pattern box set is commenter 18, Juli, who said she thinks it would be good to choose a pattern and stick it in your project bag while you’re working.
That’s a great idea.
I will say that I already emailed her and the email bounced back, so if you are Juli please get in touch with me (knitting at craftgossip dot com) with your mailing address so I can get the set out to you. Otherwise I’ll draw a new winner.
Thanks to everyone for visiting and entering!
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]
Can I pretend to be her? I’m recuperating from an ACDF surgery and stuck in a hard collar neck brace. No driving so knitting is the only thing keeping me from going stir crazy! Lol