Now that we're getting close to the end of August, I decided to start thinking about knitting for cool weather. I found this beautiful wool blend yarn called New Tweed by Tahki Yarns. It's a blend of merino, rayon, and silk. Has a lovely tweed/nibs and the knitted fabric is beautiful. At first I thought the yarn was a bit scratchy, but I think it won't be too bad.
As you can see, Reid has a lovely feather and fan lace pattern in the main part of the body. I really like the scalloped edging that's created. I've made some modifications to the pattern. First I'm shortening the top by 2 inches. Next, the pattern calls for 3 needle sizes for the lace patterned body...starting with #10-1/2 for 4 inches, #10 or 5 inches, and #9 for 5.5 inches which comes out to 14-1/2 inches of an A-Line shaped body. I've gone ahead and started knitting with #10 needles and will knit for about 7 inches. Then, I will switch to #9s for about 5.5 inches. This should narrow the wide shape at the bottom. Personal preference.
I've actually knitted several more inches than the picture shows here, but you can see how the bottom is taking shape:
Here's what the top will look like when I'm done. This is a Berroco pattern from their #298 booklet called "Blackstone Tweed and Blackstone Tweed Chunky".
This pattern comes in size XS-2X. It's knitted in the round from the bottom up. Once I finish the body, I then knit the two sleeves in the round separately. I join the 3 sections and start knitting the yoke in the round. Sounds like a pretty cool project.
This will make a great transitional garment as we approach the Fall season.
Happy Knitting!
