I will never get tired of wearing stripes. Anytime I can incorporate stripes into my handmade wardrobe, I will go for it. The Lyon Sweater by PetiteKnit looks like a standard striped sweater at first glance, but there are quite a few details that elevates this pattern.

The upper torso shaping on this sweater is very interesting. I had never knit this type of shoulder construction before and it will not be my last, the fit is just perfect. I have heard of this technique being referred to as the European shoulder, English tailoring shoulder, or couture shoulder. Whatever the name is, the fit is really neat. The sleeves are knit contiguously which moulds the arm perfectly without being too constrictive.

Once these fun upper torso details are done, the rest of the garment is just a standard stockinette-in-the-round which can sometimes get boring. Thankfully, the stripes are fun to create, so this sweater progressed quickly throughout.

I used Marzipan as the colour for the main body and Pink Daisies for the contrasting stripes. A folded collar at the neck finishes this cozy sweater off beautifully. A successful finished sweater that has been in constant rotation in my winter wardrobe.

Lyon Sweater (Ravelry Project Page)
Pattern: Lyon Sweater by PetiteKnit
Yarn: Knitting for Olive Merino in “Marzipan” & “Pink Daisies”
Needles: Sizes US 6 & 7 / 4 & 4.5 mm

Happy New Year!

I logged into my old blog reader and I was delighted to see that so many bloggy people I follow have been keeping up with long-form writing. It is always nice to read someone’s process on how they made something, or how a recipe turned out, or about a fun adventure they had. Such a nice change from scrolling on Instagram and glancing at pictures.

Documenting life by way of journaling, or taking a million pictures, or blogging is always wonderful and this space is where I document the creative part of my life. The art of writing and blogging isn’t dead, hooray!

I have continued to enjoy making bespoke garments and each time I make something, I learn so much about fit, modifications, and style. When I make something and wear it often, I want to knit it again. Sometimes I don’t modify it other than changing the yarn I used for the original and sometimes I modify it quite heavily. The Salty Air Tee is one example. I knit the original version as the designer intended – a cute summer shirt. Then I knit it again and omitted the lacework at the yoke. Now, I am knitting it yet again with more modifications – a fancy winterification!

I bought a few skeins of this beautiful blue yarn and wanted to knit a lightweight winter garment with it. With the colour being so gorgeous, I wanted a bit of a fancy sweater rather than just a plain long sleeve t-shirt. I looked at many patterns online and nothing was quite right. Then I thought about a lace yoke sweater which would work, the lace would give me the “fancy” part and longer sleeves would make it winter appropriate. The Salty Air Tee came to mind and with easy modifications, I could make a seasonally appropriate piece.

I’m delighted to say that this is exactly what I envisioned when I wound up my yarn and began knitting. I have been working diligently on this for a few weeks and I’ve made a bit of progress. But the yarn is skinny and so this is not the speediest sweater to make. No matter, because I am enjoying every stitch using this gorgeous blue yarn. It is a sock yarn from Hedgehog Fibres in a blend of 90% merino and 10% nylon and the colourway is called “Ink”.

Very fancy indeed!

I think I found my favourite summer t-shirt pattern – the Tolsta designed by Rebecca Clow of the Creabea Knitting Podcast. This is a simple, yet highly versatile design because the modification possibilities are endless. There are so many interesting versions of the #tolstatee on Instagram and each one is lovely. The stitch gauge for this pattern is relatively large which means that you can churn out this top pretty quickly.

After my previous striped version, I decided to knit a black one with eyelet bands for some lacey texture and built-in air conditioning!


Just like my first Tolsta, I used Rowan Summerlite DK for this one too. This yarn is 100% cotton sourced from Hungary and has a smooth, soft texture. Even though black is not the colour I usually choose for summer wear, I think a little black top is a great wardrobe addition and my new eyelet Tolsta fits the bill perfectly.


What makes this piece even better is the fact that I can continue to wear it through the fall layered under a light jacket or a long-sleeved shirt.


Tolsta Tee (Ravelry Project Page)
Pattern: Tolsta Tee by Rebecca Clow
Yarn: Rowan Summerlite DK in “Black
Needles: Sizes US 7 & 8 / 4.5 & 5 mm

When it’s too warm to even think about warm woolly handknits, I always knit a bunch of summer tees in quick succession. They seem to go quickly and get worn a ton. This was yet again the summer of the handknit tee.


Last summer I knit a Salty Air Tee which is one of my favourite garments to wear. I used Hedgehog Fibres Sock for my first version. Even though the yarn is a merino-nylon blend, this tee is light enough to wear when the weather is warm with its lace yoke and cropped silhouette.


I had a couple skeins of the same yarn in a different colourway and decided that I would knit a second Salty Air Tee but omit the lace yoke on this one. This design is by Samantha Guerin who is a wonderful designer. For this version, I wanted to showcase the fun speckles on the yarn which is why I decided to skip the lace. The colourway is called “Puffball”.


I did not change anything other than substituting plain stockinette instead of the charted lace. The result is a fun little top. I feel like I have a few spring and summer patterns in my knitting library that I will return to over and over again to keep my summertime creativity going.

Warm weather knits are always enjoyable because they are quick and have great memories attached to them of summer travels, music festivals and beach time.


Salty Air Tee
Pattern: Salty Air Tee by Samantha Guerin
Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in “Puffball″
Needles: Sizes US 5 & 6 / 3.75 & 4 mm

The perfect way to welcome summer is with a cute tee fresh off my needles. Once the temps began climbing steadily in May, my summer knitting mojo was in full force. The Tolsta Tee by Rebecca Clow of the CreaBea Knitting Podcast has been mentioned a lot over these past months and Rebecca herself has knit a whole bunch of them.

This pattern is a very simple design but the thing that makes it fun is its versatility. You can knit a plain version, a stripey version (like I did), add long sleeves, add texture or lace or cables. It is more like a recipe that can be altered to suit the vibe you are going for.

I chose to knit mine using Rowan Summerlite DK in a lilacy-pink with the stripes in a lovely antique gold shade. Summerlite is a 100% cotton yarn with a soft matte finish and comes in lots of colours. I think it works really well and I love the outcome!

A cute summer t-shirt with a bit of interest that knits up really fast and is easy to care for.

I have a second Toltsa on the needles and this time I’m using the same yarn but in black. I’m going to add some eyelets and maybe some texture.

Tolsta Tee (Ravelry Project Page)
Pattern: Tolsta Tee by Rebecca Clow
Yarn: Rowan Summerlite DK in “Blushes″ and “Pickles”
Needles: Sizes US 7 & 8 / 4.5 & 5 mm

About halfway through this past year, I realized that I had knit 6 sweaters during the 6 previous months. Shocking, I know! As most of my knitting friends are aware, I am not the fastest knitter. In fact, I’m pretty slow — preferring to savour the process rather than churn out finished products. With six sweaters under my knitting belt, I thought it would be crazy to see if I could knit another half a dozen garments before the end of 2022. What a crazy idea!

It’s December and I’m so thrilled to report, I am on the home stretch of my twelfth finished garment of the year. Gasp, I can’t believe it either!

A couple of these many sweaters were finished in 2022 after being started in previous years. I’ve added them to the list because they are now completed and part of my handknit sweater rotation.

I have learned so much through this year of sweater knitting.

Making and wearing handknit garments gives me so much pleasure and joy.

Seasonal knits can be fun.

I am most definitely a monogamous knitter. Too many projects stress me out!

WPK (wears-per-knit) percentage is important.

Not all my sweaters were successful with the WPK (wears-per-knit) percentage. Some finished garments are in the single digits for WPK and I am happy to pass these along to knit-worthy friends and family.

“Ooh shiny” can be fun, but not always practical.

Sweater fit is more important than trending knitwear designs at least for my body type and personal aesthetic.

I have loved this year of slow fashion and making my clothes by hand. It has been a joyful experience and there will be more – maybe not another 12-sweater-year but you never know!

It’s a wrap for 2022 and I wish you all the very best for a spectacular new year!

I’ve got a new sweater on the needles. This one is called “Wayfarer” by Kiwi designer Libby Jonson. This one has some lovely fitting details which makes for interesting knitting in my books.

Wayfarer has a cable panel running down the front and there are instructions and a design chart explaining clearly how things are supposed to be knit. Did I look (glance) at the chart? Yes. Did I read the instructions? Nope!

I was progressing nicely down my sweater and wanted to take a picture for my Ravelry project page. That’s when I noticed a whole cable was MISSING! Big oops!

I had two options, rip and reknit. Hmm… no, thank you. Or I could perform sweater surgery and salvage the situation. I opted for surgery.

I basically ripped out the stitches that were supposed to form the cable all the way to the neckband and picked them back up, row by row. I did the cable chart crosses as per the chart and things worked out.

Now, does the cable column appear wonky compared to the other two perfectly executed cables? Yes. But that will be rectified through the magic of blocking wool. At least, that’s what I’ve convinced myself 😀

Stay tuned to see how I progress with my Wayfarer.

The Salty Air Tee is another summer knit and was it ever fun to knit! This cute little number has a gorgeous lace yoke and a cropped length (well, cropped for me and shortish according to my teenage daughter). It makes for a lovely, light summer tee.

I had a limited quantity of a sock yarn from Hedgehog Fibres that I wanted to use up. I wondered if I could squeeze in a summer top or modify an existing design that I’ve made previously. After a bit of a search on the interwebs, I came across the Salty Air Tee pattern and knew this was the perfect match. The colorway I used is called Teacup which has pink, brown and a few navy speckles on an undyed base. I thought the speckles would detract from the lace and it does seem that way in these pictures. In real life though, the speckles/lace combo is quite lovely.

Salty Air is designed by Samantha Guerin, who is a new-to-me designer. I love her style and I’m sure I will knit other patterns by her.

Halfway there!

The Salty Air Tee was designed with easy breezy summer moments in mind. 

Samantha Guerin, Designer

There are so many things I love about this tee.

The star of the show is definitely the lace yoke. The pattern radiates outward with strategically placed increases making a nice transition from the neck downwards over the shoulders.

The short rows at the beginning ensure that the fit at the neck is just right. And of course, it is the perfect length which makes this top wearable in the summer and with no overheating!

This pattern gets 5 stars from me!

Salty Air Tee
Pattern: Salty Air Tee by Samantha Guerin
Yarn: Hedgehog Fibres Sock in “Teacup″
Needles: Sizes US 5 & 6 / 3.75 & 4 mm

My third Ankers Sommerbluse (Ankers Summer Shirt) by PetiteKnit is finished and it has been a lovely top to wear this summer. While my handknitted wardrobe primarily consists of wool and wool blends, I like having a few summertime knits that are in rotation during the warmer months. I have been slowly adding summer pieces by knitting one or two warm weather friendly garments each year. #nevernotknitting 😀

I pretty much knit this shirt exactly like I did my second Ankers. The only difference was the yarn I used – Sandnes Garn Line – which is a blend of cotton, viscose and linen. I experienced some wrist and arm fatigue while knitting with this yarn and couldn’t knit for long stretches of time. It is so important for makers to listen to our bodies and take care of our hands! The breaks really helped and I was able to finish this top before the July long weekend.

I knit the size medium and worked short rows after the yoke to raise up the back neck. The original pattern does not have short rows. Another change I made was to knit the yoke with half twisted rib where all the knit stitches are twisted and the purls are knit normally. I think this makes the yoke look really crisp. I mimicked this style of rib for the sleeve cuffs and bottom hem too.

The fabric of this top is really lovely and cool against the skin. I usually handwash my knits, but I threw this one with the regular laundry, and it has held up nicely.

Another summer top crossed off my knitting list and now it’s back to knitting with merino – my happy place 🙂

Ankers Summer Shirt III
Pattern: Anker’s Summer Shirt by PetiteKnit
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Line in “4361 Light Aubergine″
Needles: Sizes US 6 & 7 / 4 & 4.5 mm

Yesterday I came across a post from a maker of modern clothing encouraging fellow creators to wear what they make. This got me thinking about how seasons have a huge impact on what I am currently knitting or sewing and even cooking. When the temperatures are frigid, all I want is warm, wooly and fluffy. The recipes heavily in rotation are stews with lots of root vegetables and warm bread. Once the daylight shifts though, everything I do alters too. Lots of outdoor meals, bottles of infused ice water and of course, warm weather knits. I wonder if this is the same with other makers?

While crafting for the current season we are in sounds great in theory, it doesn’t always work out in practice. Given that I am a very slow hand knitter, the projects don’t always get made into finished wearable pieces quickly. I’ve made peace with the fact that speed is not the focus of my creative journey. Enjoying the process and relaxation are what I am after. But I love the seasonal craftiness of building a handmade wardrobe – whatever season it may be.

All this rambling is to say that my current project on the needles is a tried and tested pattern that I’ve knit previously – the Ankers Summer Shirt by Petiteknit. This is my third Ankers and I think, I’ve scratched that itch well and good, haha!

This time, I am knitting it with “Line” from Sandnes Garn which is what the original pattern was designed with. I’m made one modification for this iteration which is to knit the yoke using half twisted rib and I’m really glad with that decision. The Line yarn is a blend of cotton, viscose and linen and I wanted the ribbing to look crisp. I’m about a quarter of the way through the body and I want to get this finished in the next week or so.

Speaking of warm weather knits, I finished a cute Spring Sorrel. I absolutely love the texture on the yoke. And then, I cast on for a short sleeve version of the DRK Everyday Sweater. All I need to do is finish blocking these sweaters and weave in all the ends and then they will be ready to be worn.