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Cotton=Summer. Summer=Cotton.

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Nancy, of NobleKnits.com puts out a really cute newsletter. In her latest, she outlines the Top Ten Reasons To Knit With Cotton. 

  1. Cotton is hypoallergenic.  It doesn’t irritate sensitive skin or cause allergies.
  2. Cotton is soft and never itchy.
  3. It doesn’t cause static electricity.
  4. If cared for properly, cotton is long lasting.
  5. Cotton blends well with other fibers.
  6. Cotton is highly absorbent and produces vibrantly colored yarns.
  7. It draws heat away from your body to keep your skin cool and comfortable.
  8. Cotton absorbs moisture easily and can take up to one fifth of its weight in water before it actually feels damp. Cotton absorbs body moisture and evaporates it to the surrounding air, thus allowing your body its natural tendency to breathe – keeping you cool in summer and dry and warm in winter. Not only are you more comfortable in cotton, you are healthier wearing it!
  9. Cotton does not contain any chemicals making it a natural fiber.
  10. Cotton has individuality & character. Each fiber grows a little differently–with sunshine & soil–and takes on characteristics that indicate its life & style… just like the people who wear it.

The Bolero Style sweater above is knit from Knit One, Crochet 2’s Ty Dy Yarn. I’ve knit with this before, and it’s really soft. Does split a bit, but that tends to be a cotton thing. You’ll never guess what color I used. Ok, yeah, it was green, and the item I knit was never finished. The yarn – really gorgeous flowing colors, the vest pattern? Not so much, but this Bolero is more my style. Do I smell a tinking session?

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Have you read?

A Perfect Little Ribbed Sweater Knitting Pattern

Last year I shared with you Maxie’s Tank Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva, mostly because I really wanted to knit one (and I still do, maybe this year I’ll finally get to it!). I also am really attracted to patterns that seem to look good on everyone, which this tank top does.

Now Ainur has released a sweater version of the top, known as Maxie’s V-neck, and it seems to have that same wonderful property of looking amazing on everyone, at least as far as I can tell from the pattern’s project page on Ravelry.

This is a top down, V-neck, ribbed top that can be knit with short or long sleeves. Bust darts help with the fit. There are also 13 size options available so you can find just the right fit for you.

The sizes are designed to fit actual bust measurements ranging from 29-32 inches (74-81.5 cm) up to 62-64 inches (158-162.5 cm) and the pattern has instructions for A-C cups, with modification notes in the pattern to help folks with D+ cups make their sweater fit them.

It calls for sport weight yarn, which is probably the only thing that kept me from casting on this sweater immediately when I first saw it because that’s not a yarn weight I typically have in my stash (certainly not in sweater quantity).

Which just gives me an excuse to go shopping! Ainur used Purl Soho Wigeon yarn, which is 100 percent wool from the Falkland Islands. You can check the pattern page for other options that people have used, though wool seems to be a near universal choice as of this writing.

Ainur also does pay what you can on her patterns so if the cost is too much for your current financial situation you can use a code on the page to get a discount. (That said, if you can afford it, please support designers to the extent they ask to be compensated!)

Check out the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Ainur Berkimbayeva]

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