A new KAL emerges: Songe d'été
May. 27th, 2020 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzI am totally blaming Kat for this KAL. She's the instigator. To be fair, she finds the best patterns all the time.
May 21st she posted a picture of a top in our crafty Whatsapp group that had Janneke and myself doing the "grabby hands". We were asking for the pattern while Kat was still furiously trying to get the link to us. And then she said the magic words:
"By the way, I wouldn't mind doing a KAL..."
The pattern is called "Songe d'été" and was by a French designer -- who probably had a bit of a squee when the three of us purchased her pattern all at once. The top has only been knit 27 times on Ravelry, so it deserves a bit more love.
It is a beautiful summer top with a lovely lace neckband, and cap or short sleeves. The top flares out towards the hips, which means I will hopefully not have to do much adjusting down there to make it fit. There's a bust adjustment with short rows to make it fit better.
It was Janneke who pointed to the website of a Dutch LYS (local yarn shop) in Groningen who had the original yarn from the pattern. BC Lino, a 100% linen. She quickly claimed the petrol colour for her project. I soon followed with purple, and Kat chose cobalt. We were giddy, and I can only imagine what the people at the yarn shop were a bit surprised at the sudden interest for this Danish yarn.
To be fair, it doesn't take much to get me interested in a KAL. If someone asked me to test-knit a pattern for them I am more than likely to jump right in. And remember the Zeeuwse Meebreideken? That had me jumping in feet-first after a short conversation with Anemoona who read about it online.
Monday the yarn went out by post, and around lunchtime yesterday Janneke posted her parcel had arrived. She had ordered extra skeins in burgundy for another project as well, so her picture was a riot of colours. Kat and I also checked the track & trace, and I left work a little earlier than usual (and skipped picking up groceries) so I could get my parcel.
I've never knit with linen before, and it's quite different from wool. The yarn feels coarse and a little brittle, but as the yarn website and the pattern state: it will get softer in the wash. Linen is perfect for summer tops and it's beautifully drapey. Officially it's a sport-weight yarn, so I cast on for my swatch on needles 3.5 mm and had a gauge of 19 stitches per 10 centimeter after blocking (read: 30 minutes in a lukewarm bath).
I had to go down to needles 2,75 mm to get near the pattern gauge. It makes for a wonderful and airy fabric that will probably be a bit see-through, but it will be so comfortable in the hot summer months!
The fact that I'm going down to such small needles is a bit of a worry, since I promised myself to no longer do "3 mm cardigans". But this is "just" a top. Famous last words!
We're all very excited to get started, and I'm still milking the "big project" wave. More soon!
May 21st she posted a picture of a top in our crafty Whatsapp group that had Janneke and myself doing the "grabby hands". We were asking for the pattern while Kat was still furiously trying to get the link to us. And then she said the magic words:
"By the way, I wouldn't mind doing a KAL..."
The pattern is called "Songe d'été" and was by a French designer -- who probably had a bit of a squee when the three of us purchased her pattern all at once. The top has only been knit 27 times on Ravelry, so it deserves a bit more love.
It is a beautiful summer top with a lovely lace neckband, and cap or short sleeves. The top flares out towards the hips, which means I will hopefully not have to do much adjusting down there to make it fit. There's a bust adjustment with short rows to make it fit better.
It was Janneke who pointed to the website of a Dutch LYS (local yarn shop) in Groningen who had the original yarn from the pattern. BC Lino, a 100% linen. She quickly claimed the petrol colour for her project. I soon followed with purple, and Kat chose cobalt. We were giddy, and I can only imagine what the people at the yarn shop were a bit surprised at the sudden interest for this Danish yarn.
To be fair, it doesn't take much to get me interested in a KAL. If someone asked me to test-knit a pattern for them I am more than likely to jump right in. And remember the Zeeuwse Meebreideken? That had me jumping in feet-first after a short conversation with Anemoona who read about it online.
Monday the yarn went out by post, and around lunchtime yesterday Janneke posted her parcel had arrived. She had ordered extra skeins in burgundy for another project as well, so her picture was a riot of colours. Kat and I also checked the track & trace, and I left work a little earlier than usual (and skipped picking up groceries) so I could get my parcel.
I've never knit with linen before, and it's quite different from wool. The yarn feels coarse and a little brittle, but as the yarn website and the pattern state: it will get softer in the wash. Linen is perfect for summer tops and it's beautifully drapey. Officially it's a sport-weight yarn, so I cast on for my swatch on needles 3.5 mm and had a gauge of 19 stitches per 10 centimeter after blocking (read: 30 minutes in a lukewarm bath).
I had to go down to needles 2,75 mm to get near the pattern gauge. It makes for a wonderful and airy fabric that will probably be a bit see-through, but it will be so comfortable in the hot summer months!
The fact that I'm going down to such small needles is a bit of a worry, since I promised myself to no longer do "3 mm cardigans". But this is "just" a top. Famous last words!
We're all very excited to get started, and I'm still milking the "big project" wave. More soon!
