Dear Readers
A pretty top always hits the spot, so I’ve included a mix for you this month to suit your machine or stash. If knitting in pattern is just too much of an effort right now, remember you can always transfer a stitch or two across a few rows, to open up the fabric. Leave needles out of work to make ladders and variegated yarn gives instant colour, especially when time is short. Find a favourite stocking stitch pattern that works for you and use it as your starting point. Quite honestly, the difference a bit of pattern will make to the tension is negligible with 15 cm or 6 in ease. If in doubt, always make a size larger as the last thing you need in heat are clothes sticking to you, other than a swimsuit!
If you prefer things more close fitting, a sleeveless top has lots of wardrobe possibilities. They’re a perfect fit at any time under a smart jacket and give a streamlined look worn with a cardigan. One design I’m sure you’ll earmark from this month’s selection is Clair Crowston’s lovely sweater on Page 18, with a choice of three sleeve lengths. Head for your stash and see if you’ve some Bramwell Artistic hidden away. This very popular yarn was 100% Acrylic and marketed as 2-ply but we were told it ‘knits as 4-ply’. (Joan Lafferty has her own opinion about that on Page 50.) During manufacture, the yarn was treated to give it the glossy look of mercerised cotton. It was very smooth to knit and an odd length of it made a good substitute ravel cord. So, see what’s in your stash and you know what needs to be done… knit a tension swatch. As long as your yarn can match the tension of the pattern, anything will do! Well, not quite because yarns do vary in the way they look and hang. A fluffy mohair is probably not the best choice for Clair’s lovely sweater. We’re looking forward to featuring more of Clair’s designs in the future and she often used Artistic. So perhaps now is a good time to find some new favourite yarns, to knit the great patterns from some of machine knitting’s iconic designers. Knit happy!
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