Knitty is Celebrating the Clapotis

If you were around at the beginning of the knitting Internet, you might remember the Clapotis (pronounced, apparently, clap-o-tee; I’ve been saying it wrong in my head for 20 years!). Originally published in the fall 2004 issue of Knitty, it could be argued it was the first viral knitting pattern of the Internet age.

It’s easy to see why it took off: it’s fun to knit, pretty easy, stylish, you can use wild or more subdued yarn and it looks great. Plus, dropping stitches on purpose is just fun.

I have still yet to knit one, even though I’ve wanted to a few times.

Now I have no excuse, because to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the pattern, Knitty has reissued it and has declared Clapotis Fest. They produced a digital look book with the pattern worked in yarn from 63 different indie dyers (which is just a drop in the dye bucket compared to the nearly 24,000 versions that have been posted on Ravelry).

They’re also hosting a contest where you can win some of that gorgeous yarn by submitting a photo of your (newly knit since Sept. 17, 2024) Clapotis. Entries must be submitted by Dec. 1 and will be included in a similar flip book style presentation, which will be part of the Knitty winter surprise early next year. People who look at the book can vote for their favorites, and the top 50 vote-getters will get some lovely yarn (folks with the most votes will get to pick their prizes first).

Part of the point of this celebration, in addition to getting people excited about the pattern again and sharing the work of some great indie dyers, is to also honor the designer, Kate Gilbert. She was paid $50 for the pattern in 2004, and of course Knitty is free so no one has profited much from the huge popularity of this design, but Kate definitely should. If you knit a Clapotis, or have in the past, you can send her a few bucks through her Ko-fi.

I’d love to hear your Clapotis stories. Have you made one or several before? Had you ever heard of it before now? Thinking about making one? I think it might just be time for me to do it!

[Photo via Knitty]

Next Pattern:

I’m trying to include more knits for kids in my posts because I know a lot of people do a lot of their knitting for the little ones in their lives.

This child’s striped vest from Lion Brand Yarn is not only cute and great for kids who might find a full sweater too hot, it’s also an easy project if you’ve never knit a garment before.

Lion Brand rates it as level 2 easy/beginner +, probably just because there’s a little shaping and seaming invovled, but it’s nothing you can’t handle.

The pattern comes in three sizes that are meant to be for ages 6, 8 and 10. The finished chest measurement is 30, 31.5 or 33 inches, which is 76, 80 and 84 cm respectively. This makes the vest a little roomy and makes it easy to slip on over a T-shirt or other top.

It’s worked in two pieces from the bottom up, with the neckband and armhole bands worked in the round after the body pieces are sewn together. One benefit of knitting stripes on a project like this is that it’s easier to make sure your pieces are the same length because you can just count the stripes (it’s also a little easier to seam because you’re always lining up the stripes).

If you’re knitting the smallest size, you only need one skein each of the two colors you choose, and for the larger sizes you will only need two, making this project a pretty good value. The suggested yarn is Color Theory, a worsted weight acrylic yarn that comes in 18 relatively muted colors. Of course you can use any worsted weight yarn you like. Keep it acrylic for easy washing or use wool to make this a warmer garment for kids who live in cooler climates.

You can grab the pattern for free from the Lion Brand website, or get a kit that includes the yarn you need (and needles if you don’t have them already). I think this would be a great basic to knit a kid for back to school in their school colors, or make it holiday with red and green, or whatever colors the child likes.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Next Pattern:

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