New Petite Purls is Live!

It’s been a big week for online knitting magazines, and with all the excitement about Knitty’s 10 anniversary issue I missed the fact that a new Petite Purls is out, too.

If you don’t know Petite Purls, this is a really cute magazine devoted to knitting (and sewing, and crochet) for kids. The latest issues includes cute projects for summer and fall, including two dresses that are part fabric, part knitting, a knit polo-style shirt, a baby’s shirt with a pocket for a sewn owl friend and a cardigan with OX cables running down the sleeves, to name a few.

The project that first caught my eye when I was scanning Ravelry this morning was Aisling the Elf, a cute little knit doll with fabric fairy wings and a tulle skirt.

There are also patterns here for sewn aprons, patchwork shorts, a summery skirt and a felt playhouse built on a set of bunkbeds, among other projects. So much fun!

[Photo by Rachel Borello Carroll via Petite Purls.]

If you take a look at the issue I’d love to know what catches your eye. Spill it!

Next Pattern:

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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