Pattern now available!  This top-down pullover has endured a lengthy process from conception to completion (I will do a future post about the design process), and in the end has become one of my own most-worn designs.  

It goes well with jeans or can be dressed up, and the slightly elongated sleeves and body are flattering for most figures. 

Sadly, it appears that the Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer yarn I used has been discontinued-- but I did do extensive swatching of other yarns and was able to find a number of them that, although not an exact replacement in terms of fiber mix and properties, should work well.  

The first and third photos show the sweater with the scooped neckline worn in back, which I think I may prefer to wearing it with scooped neckline in front (second and fourth photos).  I purposely chose a lace pattern that wasn't too open, so an underlayer wouldn't be necessary--- all photos show the sweater worn over a bra only.  

See the pattern page for more details about sizes and yarn requirements.  The body-skimming fit is due to the rib stitch pattern and the drape of the yarn; there is no waist or sleeve shaping.  This means that it is VERY easy to customize body and sleeve lengths to your liking, since there are no bust, waist, or sleeve shaping decreases or increases to recalculate.  I found the top-down yoke a lot of fun to knit-- the raglan increases, casting on the stitches for the center front, and dividing for the body and sleeves all keep it interesting.  After that point, well, it is great semi-mindless knitting!  (If you see this as a travel or commuter project, I recommend doing the sleeves before the body, to keep the bulk of it down for as long as possible.)

Since the yarn I used for the soon-to-be-published Lace Cable Rib Pullover has been discontinued, I have swatched with a number of possible substitute yarns to make sure the proper gauge can be achieved. When substituting yarn, it is especially important to knit a good-sized gauge swatch and measure it after blocking.

I chose possible yarns based on ball band gauge and fiber content, hoping to find yarns with similar drape and weight.  This proved to be rather difficult!  The Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer is in a sort of in-between class, on the light side of DK and on the heavy side of sport.  My comments are below.

Clockwise from top left:

Debbie Bliss Prima, 80% bamboo, 20% merino wool, 100m/50 g skein, color #35704, using US size 4/3.5 mm needles.  Nice luster and drape, quite splitty (as Ysolda pointed out in a comment on an earlier post), a bit on the heavy side (it has 100 m per 50 g, compared to the Fil de la Mer at 128 m per 50 g). 

Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk, 83% pima cotton, 17% silk, 327 yds/100g skein, using US size 5/3.75 mm needles.  Gorgeous subtly variegated color, a bit of sheen, really nice to knit with, not quite as drapey as the Fil de la Mer, but I really liked this yarn a lot.  It also comes in solid and handpainted colors (although my preference would be for the subtly variegated or solid colors for this pattern).

Classic Elite Allegoro, 70% cotton, 30% linen, 152 yds/50 g skein, color #5650, using US size 5/3.75 mm needles.  Quite lightweight (a good thing, in my opinion), nice dry hand, moderate drape, a matte surface without much luster, knits up a tad loosely (I first tried US size 6/4 mm needles, but then went down a size, and I wouldn't be surprised if a US size 4/3.5 mm needle was required for some knitters to get the proper gauge).  I liked this yarn, but it is quite different from the Fil de la Mer.

Patons Grace, 100% cotton, 136 yds/50 g skein, color #62246 Leaf, using US size 6/4 mm needles.  Nice stitch definition and sheen, but the fabric has a crisp feel and lacks drape; I ended up not including this as a suggested substitute in the pattern, even though I achieved the correct gauge.

Frog Tree Picoboo, 60% pima cotton, 40% bamboo, 116 yds/50 g skein, color#1000, using US size 5/3.75 mm needles.  Nice sheen and soft hand, a bit on the heavy side, moderate drape.

Mirasol Nuna, 40% merino wool, 40% silk, 20% bamboo, 191 yds/50 g skein, color #1009, using US size 5/3.75mm needles.  This is a very lightweight yarn with a lot of luster; a pleasure to work with; more bounce and less drape than the Fil de la Mer, but this and the light weight will actually help the sweater hold its shape (as I state in the pattern, with the Fil de la Mer you can expect the body and sleeves of the sweater to stretch an inch or more in length while worn--this may not be the case if using the Nuna).  This swatch wanted to be a tiny bit small, so if you decide to use it, block heavily and make sure you can get the right gauge.  Lots of lovely colors. 

I also swatched with Louet MerLin sport weight, a merino wool/linen blend (I used the worsted version of this yarn for a recent unbloggable project and liked it), but it knit up at too fine a gauge.  Finally, after I did all this swatching, I noticed the tempting Madeline Tosh Pashmina on a website somewhere, and I think this could also work nicely.  As always with MT, the colors are just amazing.  It's 75% wool, 15% silk and 10% cashmere, so it would probably be less drapey than the Fil de la Mer. 

The other day I walked into a paint store to pick up some color swatches, and when I spotted this sign taped onto the counter in front of the Benjamin Moore display, I had to snap a photo.  I can only imagine the event(s) that led to them posting this notice!

 I took the photo below in Greensboro, North Carolina.  "Gnam gnam" means "yum yum!" in Italian.  If you add an "m" to the last syllable of "lasagna," you will be close to the correct pronunciation of "gnam" (and if at the same time as you say it, you touch your forefinger to your cheek and twist your hand back and forth, you will look Italian!).  

But I don't know, to me the words "gnam gnam" look more Indian than Italian, and yet "gelato" is obviously Italian; I wonder if the name has caused some confusion among the locals?

I usually try to suggest several alternative yarn choices for each of my patterns.  In the case of the upcoming Lace Cable Rib Pullover pattern, I felt this was especially important given the very expensive Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer yarn that I used.  Well, last week I realized that the Fil de la Mer has apparently been discontinued:  it no longer appears on the Tilli Tomas website, and any stores that I could find online that still carry it seem to have dwindling colors and amounts available.  

That's what I get for waiting so long to write up the pattern!  Darn it-- I do like this yarn a lot, in spite of its cost and the fact that the ball band gauge seems to be wildly inaccurate (18 sts to 4" in stockinette st on size US 5-7 needles??  I got 23 sts to 4" on US 6 needles!).  Well, it just makes the substitute yarns that much more important.

Here are the yarns I'm presently considering (I'm going to swatch with all of them):  Debbie Bliss Prima (80% bamboo, 20% merino wool); Debbie Bliss Amalfi (cotton, viscose, linen, silk); Patons Grace (100% mercerized cotton); Louet MerLin Sport (merino wool/linen); Frog Tree Picoboo (60% pima cotton, 40% bamboo); Misti Alpaca Tonos Pima Silk (87% pima cotton, 17% silk); and Classic Elite Verde Collection Allegoro (70% organic cotton, 30% linen).

If anyone has any personal experience (positive, negative or neutral) with any of these yarns, please let me know.  Any other yarn suggestions are also welcome:  they should have a ball band gauge of 22-24 sts per 4" (needle size doesn't matter).  

By the way, once I do settle on a few good substitutions, they should also work well for the Wakame Lace Tunic pattern, which also calls for the Fil de la Mer.

(The post title is also the name of one of my favorite Rock Band songs, by Paramore-- lots of fun for guitar and vocals!)

After close to a year, I'm finally almost ready to send the pattern for this sweater off to my tech editor.  Other projects and life in general just kept pushing this pullover further back in the to-do queue!  In addition, this was my first top-down project, and took a fair amount of re-knitting to get it right just for me-- and then a fair amount of thinking before I came up with a user-friendly formula so the pattern will work for sizes XS-3X (garment bust sizes will range from 28 1/2 to 49 3/4 inches; I'm wearing size S with about an inch of negative ease).  More information about this pattern coming soon!

La mia fase inelegante

I recently rediscovered these old photos.  The first, taken when I was about two years old, shows both an early fondness for knitwear, and an early flair for fashion-- not to mention a certain boldness in attempting (and carrying off quite nicely, IMO) the mini-sans-leggings look.  Also note the side-swept bangs.  Not the most flattering picture of my brother (in the high chair).   

Ho appena riscoperto queste foto vecchie.  La prima, scattata quando avevo due anni, dimostra un affetto per la maglieria ed anche un talento per la moda in giovane eta'--per non parlare dell' audacia di tentare (e di riuscire, secondo me) il look mini-senza-collant.  Anche prendete nota della frangia raccolta al lato.  Non e' una bella foto di mio fratello (nel seggiolone).

In the second photo, taken when I was in 5th grade, that early fashion sense seems to have vanished.  Look at those striped pants, pushed up to show off (yikes) black socks!  (At least Cindy, the girl on the right in the rag curls and the pastel shadow-plaid, is also wearing socks that are worthy of a septuagenarian on the Bermuda links.)  And then there is that unfortunate "Fair Isle" sweater-- although apparently my affinity for knitwear did persist.

Nella seconda, scattata quando ero nella cinque elementaria, sembra che quel senso di moda sia scomparso.  Guardate quei pantaloni a strisce, con i calzini neri!  (Almeno la ragazza a destra, con i capelli ricci e il plaid pastello, indossa anche i calzini di un settuagenario sul campo da golf di Bermuda.)  E' poi c'e quel maglione "Fair Isle" sfortunato-- nonostante che la mia affinita' per la maglieria ha ovviamente persistito.

 I don't ski much anymore.  I don't like being cold, my feet have not yet found a pair of ski boots they like, and my joints and muscles take longer to recover than they used to.  Even more reason to appreciate a vista like this when I get the chance.   

Thank you to everyone who purchased a Knititude pattern between January 15th and February 15th!  I just made a donation of $272 (50% of net pattern sales during this period) to Partners in Health, to support their relief efforts in Haiti.

I remember some of the other times in the last few years when a natural disaster attracted the world's attention, and a great outpouring of aid:  the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004; Hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans in 2005; the earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy in 2009.  Each of these times I remember thinking that after a few months, the news attention died down, but the recovery and rebuilding was only just beginning in these areas. 

In addition, what of those who have been affected by only a "small" or "ordinary" disaster-- a few houses buried in a mudslide, a school roof collapse, a drought?  Was their loss any less painful, for being less newsworthy?  And then what of those affected by ongoing, mostly manmade disasters, such as the conflict in Sudan?  

This is why a couple of years ago my husband and I started contributing monthly to Doctors Without Borders/Medicins San Frontieres (and more recently, to Smile Train).  Even after the news cameras have moved on to the next story, there are still many people in need, in many parts of the world.  In addition, as the DWB website states, "Your monthly support as a Field Partner is a guarantee of regular and predictable funds, allowing us to respond immediately to emergencies."  Regular sources of support allow these organizations to plan ahead, to focus less on constant fundraising, and to respond more rapidly when their services are needed.  So I encourage anyone who wants to maximize the impact of their charitable gift to consider monthly donations*, in ANY amount!   

Doctors Without Borders/Medicins San Frontieres

Partners in Health

Smile Train

*Unfortunately many small and/or local charities do not offer this option.

From FILATI Lavori a maglia #14 (a magazine of knitting patterns I found in a kiosk in the Milano Centrale train station):

Recognize the Plaited Tam stitch pattern? (Maybe not--it looks a bit different in long, vertical panels like this!)  When I saw the photo of this sweater inside the magazine, I immediately fell in love with the bold combination of texture and openwork in this stitch pattern.  

I had also been imagining a tam in which the stitch pattern looked like ribbons, woven up the sides and across the top, so this seemed like a good swatching possibility.  Another thing I liked about the stitch pattern was that the decreases paired with yarnovers offered a perfect starting point for the crown decreases (always important in a hat!):  just omit the yarnovers.  

Once the design had been accepted and I got the yarn, SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Sport in a giddy green ("Savory"), the sample knitting proceeded unusually smoothly.  It was only after blocking what I thought was the finished sample that I realized I wasn't happy with the center of the top:  after the last "plait" crossing, I had tried to carry the central elements of the main stitch pattern as far as possible, and continue with purl sections which decreased rapidly to the center.  But with all the p2tog decreases needed, it looked sloppy to me.  So I ripped back the top, and instead tapered the stockinette "ribbons" to the center-- definitely an improvement.

In fact, I liked the tam so much, I decided to make myself one, but in a different yarn:  I chose Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash, in a heathered aqua (#1910--color is quite accurate in the photo above).  This is a light worsted weight yarn, versus the sport weight used in the original pattern, so I ended up making the smaller size*, with 7 repeats instead of 8.  (For more info on yarn requirements and finished size using Cascade 220, see my Ravelry projects page.)

*Actually I made the larger size first, but (surprise) it was TOO BIG. For more on that fiasco, see here.

I decided to knit myself a Plaited Tam, but I wanted to try a different yarn; even though I loved the SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash Sport I used for the sample, it's not available locally, and can take up to four weeks to arrive if ordered from the SweetGeorgia website (since it's dyed to order).  So I decided to make things a little challenging for myself, and use a yarn of a different gauge:  Cascade 220 Superwash, which is more of a light worsted weight.  I did a swatch of a couple of repeats of the Plaited Tam stitch pattern, including the ribbing, and since one repeat measured 2 to 2 ¹/₄ inches at the bottom edge, after blocking, I figured the larger size, with 8 repeats, would give me a finished circumference of 16-18 inches.  Sounds good, right?  (I didn't care so much about the finished diameter of the tam-- a little oversized was fine with me).

I used Color #1910, a heathered aqua (color in photos is off-- it's much prettier in real life), and after blocking over a large plate, it was a bit oversized, at around 12" diameter.  But the ribbing part was only around 16" when measured while the tam was lying flat, so...

it was only when I tried to put it on that I realized that it was definitely too large!  I could not get it to stay on my head without it slipping down over my eyes, unless I perched it back behind my hairline (and then it looked like a wooly shower cap).

Lesson learned: even if a swatch seems to measure properly when lying flat, it is essential to consider how the fabric will behave when it's worn; in this case, the ribbing stretched too much under its own weight to hold the hat on my head.  I should have measured the swatch slightly stretched; when I did, one repeat measured 2 ³/₄ inches, which translates to a circumference of 22" (and my head is 21").  

Next:  I try knitting the smaller size!