Stitches South – Knitting

Apparantly there is a fun little show being planned. Yes, I really did know about it, but since I seem to live in a coccoon most of the time it doesn’t occur to me to tell everyone about it. I can’t go. I’m a farmer in my real life (blogging being my fantasy life) and my critters do appreciate the daily feed, but there’s no reason why you can’t go!

Stitches South is April 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia (although from the white stuff falling from the sky at this very moment, I’m thinking that Georgia might not be a bad place to be. Probably not snowing there!).

So go there, now and find out all about it! And if you do go, drop me a line and let me know how much you loved it! Info here: http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/events/Eventportalsouth.php

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]

Add Some Texture to Your Summer Knitting

Book Review – Knit a Dozen Plus Slippers

Next Pattern:

Have you read?