Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Summer Top!




I'm finally finishing up my warm weather sweater I planned on knitting last summer.  I received the yarn as a gift from mother's day a year ago, and knit the bulk of it while on retreat this Spring.  The pattern is Gemini by Jane Richmond and it is free and very easy to follow.  It's meant for a DK weight yarn and while the Hempathy by Elsbeth Lavold is considered DK I thought the fabric was a bit too loose at gauge.  To remedy this I added a lace weight strand of Malabrigo merino yarn and now I love the resulting fabric and the color variation the Malabrigo lends.  Of course this addition means I have to handwash the sweater, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.  I have about 4 inches left to knit which is so close and yet so far as it's boring stockinette (good TV knitting though.)  Then just a few rows and some ribbing to finish off each of the sleeves and I'm done.  This is my first knitted warm weather top and I can't wait to wear it.  Now, if it would just warm up already, but alas Spring in Minnesota is temperamental to say the least.

Joining in with Nicole for Keep Calm Craft On and Ginny for Yarn Along.


14 comments:

  1. Good idea using the yarns double stranded. Love the different colours in the close up photo you showed

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    1. Thanks Evelyn! I think I'm going to try the double strand technique again.

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  2. I never thought of knitting a summer top. This pattern is lovely and the colour of the yarn is so beautiful. Clever to use the lace weight, it really adds to the overall look.

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    1. This is my first summer top, but I see more coming. I think it will be fun to wear knitting all year long :)

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks! The hemp/cotton/merino blend is really soft and has a nice weight to it.

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks Jayne! I wasn't sure as the lace green was so different from the teal, but they blended really well I think.

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  5. Really beautiful! It looks just right for warmer days and the color is lovely!

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    1. Thank you! I' hoping to wear it lots, but we'll see since summers can get awfully hot here in MN (oddly enough)

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  6. I love the colors. the double strand makes a nice touch

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    1. Thanks you. I'm happy with the variegation the Malabrigo lace weight added.

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