Olivia Petit was originally published by Quince and Co and uses their Lark yarn — a hearty, yet smooth wool available in a range of gorgeous colors. The yarn doesn’t have an obvious plied look, but instead is plump and round which really shows off textured stitches to great effect.

This particular pattern has a very special place in my heart because it’s one of the first designs I created for my daughter, Olivia. I made it for her in the 9 month size, but she wore it for a good 4 months that winter. It’s a classic design that’s just special enough for the holidays — with a plain, double breasted front dressed up with glazed, candy-like buttons and an A-line shape punctuated with a textured flower motif in the back.

It’s one of the few designs that sprung to my head completely formed — yarn, buttons, color, shape. Worked from the top down and completely in one-piece, finishing on this is super simple.  Moreover, the yarn weight (worsted) is quite popular, so substitutions would be easy. It would be equally lovely in a nearly solid handdyed yarn or a rustic, tweedy wool. Because there is some simultaneous shaping involved (the neck shaping and raglan shaping are worked at the same time), you have to pay attention at first. But once the pattern is established, it just sails along. I hope you’ll find it as fun to knit as I did.

Links to purchase the pattern are at the end of the post.

Olivia Petit

Stats/Specifications:
Finished Size: 18¾ (21, 22½, 24¾, 26¼, 28½)” bust circumference to fit 6m (9m, 12m, 2y, 4y, 6y) with a suggested ease of 1 to 4″. Samples measures 21”.
Yarn: Quince and Co. Lark (100% American wool; 134 yards (123 meters)/50 grams); 3 (3, 4, 4, 5, 6) skeins Petal.
Needles: Body and sleeves – US size 6 circular needles. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions: Tapestry needle; stitch markers; stitch holders; 4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6) x 1/2″ buttons.
Gauge: 21 sts and 31 rows = 4” in Stockinette.

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I just love Quince’s soft color palette — super suitable for babies and kids (and great for adult garments too!) with a wide range of options certain to please everyone on your knitting list. And the yarn itself is sturdy and unobtrusive — content to play a supporting role, allowing whatever stitch pattern you choose to be the star. Can you tell how much I love this yarn line? If I had more time I’d knit an entire wardrobe out of this stuff!

For these two garments I used Finch, a fingering weight yarn, knit at a looser gauge (DK weight for MacDougal and sport weight for Roosevelt). Because knitting at a DK weight gauge in a fingering weight yarn might result in a fabric that some knitters consider too sheer, I also provide yarn amounts for knitting the cardigan in Chickadee, the next step up in gauge in the Quince wool arsenal.

For a limited time (through midnight Sunday, June 9), I’m offering each pattern for $4.00, instead of its retail price of $5.50. Specs as well as links to purchase both patterns follow.

MacDougal Cardigan
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Stats/Specifications:
Finished Size: 20 (21½, 22¼, 23¾, 26½, 28)” bust circumference to fit 6m (9m, 12m, 2y, 4y, 6y) with a suggested ease of 1 to 4″. Samples measures 23¾”.
Yarn: Quince and Co. Finch (100% American wool; 221 yards [202 meters]/50 grams); 2 (3, 3, 4, 4, 5) skeins Chanterelle (MC); 1 skein Clay (CC) OR Quince and Co. Finch (100% American wool; 181 yards [166 meters]/50 grams); 3 (3, 3, 4, 5, 6) skeins Chanterelle (MC); 1 skein Clay (CC).
Needles: Body and sleeves – US size 6 circular needles. Neck band – US size 5 circular needles. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions: Tapestry needle; stitch markers; stitch holders; 5 (6, 5, 5, 6, 6) x 5/8″ buttons.
Gauge: 22 sts and 32 rows = 4” in Stockinette with larger needles. 24 sts and 33 rows = 4” in Oat patt st with larger needles.

Roosevelt Tank
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Stats/Specifications:
Finished Size: 19 (20, 22, 23¼, 25, 26, 27, 28)” bust circumference to fit 6m (9m, 12m, 2y, 3y, 4y, 5y 6y) with a suggested ease of 1 to 4″. Samples measures 23¼”.
Yarn: Quince and Co. Finch (100% American wool; 221 yards 202 meters/50 grams); 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3) in Bird’s Egg.
Needles: US size 5 circular needles. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions: Tapestry needle; stitch holders; One ¾” statement button (button shown is a Jennie the Potter Ladybug button), 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) ½” shell buttons for back slit opening.
Gauge:24 sts and 33 rows = 4” in Stockinette.

Since turnabout is fair play, I thought I’d give you guys a peek at the non-book knitting I’ve been working on recently…

Here’s Carrie’s super cute Camilla Babe pattern in progress, worked in Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Cotton:

And Carrie was kind enough to include two skeins of Lark to make another Camilla Babe in a package Quince sent me recently (their Osprey will be turned into a scarf for one of my book projects). I just adore the delicacy with which Pam and Carrie wrap their yarns.  It makes opening it and discovering the lovely, yummy, yarn goodness inside doubly sweet!

Other possibilities I’m considering are the always popular Madelinetosh and Sanguine Gryphon, at whose dye workshop retreat I’ll be teaching this coming weekend in Maryland.

I have two ideas I would love to work out. One is a little something to throw over yourself in a chilly, over-air conditioned office, a situation I find myself in a lot these days. The other is a cardigan in a lightweight yarn (can you tell I love cardigans?) for the summer.

1. Austin Hoodie, 2. Sleeve detail, 3. Sweater Detail, 4. Hood Detail. All photographs courtesy of and property of Parikha and Hemal Mehta.

Ysolda thought I was being a bit stingy with the photos on the last post and suggested I post a few more; a request I’m only too happy to comply with. Again, the lovely Parikha served as both model and photographer, and she couldn’t have done a better job with either. I’m so thrilled with how the photos turned out. There’s a very calm, yoga-like quality to her poses and photo composition, which complements well with the feel I was aiming for with this hoodie cardigan.

I contacted Amy last fall, a couple of months before the Knitscene where I’m profiled was due to come out. I had really enjoyed creating the Geodesic Cardigan and I wanted to design a companion piece to it. I’ve long admired Madelinetosh’s colors in the Ravelry photos of other people’s stashes and Amy’s base yarns were the perfect combination of classic knitterly fibers and special, one-of-a-kind treats. Originally, I was thinking of her Prairie or Tosh Lace to create a drapey fabric similar to the Geodesic. But Amy mentioned that she was developing a new yarn, a lighter version of her very popular Tosh Merino, that she was very excited about and would I be interested in using that instead. I had barely finished reading her description of it before I hit the reply button.

Fortuitously enough, Amy was scheduled to visit NYC before Rhinebeck to give a talk at Knitty City; so I got to meet her, fondle some of her gorgeous yarn, and talk to her in person about my indie design. To my delight, I discovered that Amy’s sweater sensibilities aligned pretty closely with mine — we both prefer comfortable sweaters we can lounge around in; so she was on board with my idea of a casual hoodie cardigan with just a smattering of detail.

I’ve written a bit about my first impressions of Tosh Light before, but I’ll expand on it a bit more now that I’ve worked with it. I’ve always liked the look of single ply yarns, but hated their tendency to pill. I don’t know how it’s possible, but Tosh Light doesn’t seem to pill and it’s sturdier than your average single ply yarn. But it’s the color that really sets Tosh Light apart. Somehow, Amy has managed to make Tosh Light glow. I would have guessed there was some silk content in there, but nope, it’s 100% merino.

I’m really thrilled at the reception that the Austin Hoodie has already gotten. Thanks to Amy for donating the yarn for this project. And of course to Parikha for her gorgeous photos.

One more note about the yarn… Tosh Merino Light isn’t widely available quite yet. Amy included it in her Magolia Society yarn club and has been posting batches of it on her etsy site, but from what I understand, you have to be quite vigilant and ready to pounce as soon as an update goes up. She’s debuting it at TNNA in June and I believe it should make its way to your local yarn shop shortly thereafter.

A few more parting detail shots:

Well, the promise to post more about Alexandria went from “later today” to “later two weeks from now”…one of the hazards of a full time job I guess (especially one that requires travel to Virginia 4 days out of the week for the foreseeable future).

1. Alexandria, photo copyright Parikha and Hemal Mehta, 2. Alexandria, shoulder detail, photo copyright Parikha and Hemal Mehta 3. Alexandria, front neck detail; photo copyright Parikha and Hemal Mehta, 4. Alexandria, sleeve detail; photo copyright Parikha and Hemal Mehta,

I’m super excited about this pattern. After stubbornly resisting for years, I decided to try my hand at making a nearly seamless sweater. Knit from the bottom up in one piece, then separated at the armholes for the fronts and back, the only seam this sweater has is the 3-needle BO at the shoulders. The sleeves are picked up directly from the armhole and short rows are worked to shape the set in sleeve cap before the remainder of the sleeve is worked down to the cuff in the round. Like several other designs of mine, Alexandria was done in conjunction with the wonderful folks at One Planet Yarn and Fiber, who donated the lustrous Woolie Silk 3 ply the sweater requires and on whose website you can find the kit.

The path to the cardigan started out a little rocky. Originally, I was going to work this in the DK/Sport weight Sheep Shop 3. But after working up a swatch and knitting halfway up to the armholes, the company abruptly closed up shop, and we were forced to find an alternative. The Woolie Silk is a little heavier gauged than the Sheep Shop 3, but some quick swatching confirmed it would still be possible to work the rather large texture and eyelet motif and not have it swallow up the entire sweater. I had used the Woolie Silk in my Varese Hoodie and loved it. It’s a subtly dyed yarn, available in nearly solids (for those who like their yarn color conservative like me) and in more variegated palettes. But best of all, I love how the Woolie Silk, with its 30% silk content, really glows while at the same time retaining all the wonderful properties of wool.

I started working on the Woolie Silk version of this cardigan while visiting Gudrun in October. The fabulous Ysolda also happened to be visiting and both she and Gudrun were absolute lifesavers when it came to figuring out the collar.

In my head, I wanted a cardigan with wide bands that flowed into a generous scoop neck. The focus of the sweater would be on that dramatic band and collar (and cuffs); with the rest of the body in plain Stockinette. But I hadn’t thought through exactly how I would ensure the collar wouldn’t be too floppy. Obviously, I couldn’t just pick up sts for the collar and knit straight to the width desired and then bind off. Since the lower edge of the collar would have a much greater circumference than the topmost edge, decreases had to be worked somehow. Ysolda and Gudrun suggested mimicking the decreases you’d make for a yoked sweater (a garment I’ve never attempted before and therefore was a little leery of). But they were so clear with their description of how yoked sweaters generally worked as well as some specific suggestions pertaining to the stitch pattern I was using; that when I got home, it just took a little bit of geometry before a plan was hatched.

The other little wrinkle that happened around this time was that my model, the lovely Jess, became pregnant and I wasn’t sure when she’d be up for modeling for me again. I had grown so reliant on her and her husband’s unfailingly excellent photography and modeling (at one point, I was even thinking of roping Vitaly into modeling a men’s design for me); that her sudden unavailability left me in a slight panic.

Several emails later, Parikha was kind enough to agree to model and photograph my knits for me; and from the results, I think it’s quite evident that I really lucked out big time. I’ve long been an admirer of Parikha’s photos on her blog and her flickr stream. She has a keen eye, a talent for composition, and as a knitter, she really knows how to photograph knits to show them off to their best advantage. Plus, she’s a rocking stylist. Just look at the gorgeous photos of her completed Demi or Central Park Hoodie, the latter piece inspiring Eunny Jang to tap her for a modeling gig in the Summer 2008 issue of Interweave Knits.

I’ll leave you with a few more of Parikha’s wonderful photos. Used here with her permission.

1. Alexandria; photo copyright Parikha and Hemal Mehta, 2. photo copyright Parikha and Hemal Mehta

Yesterday, Mary Jane was in NYC unexpectedly and luckily for me, I was free to meet her. We decided to meet at School Products. I haven’t been there in a while, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to get anything. My stash is embarrassing as it is and I’m busy enough with design projects that I was fairly certain I could resist the siren call of new yarn. But this came home with me:

I hadn’t factored in the enabling influence the presence of another knitwear designer would have. We both left with some cashmere. Me with a tweedy yellow laceweight cashmere that I’m hoping will work for the Geodesic Cardigan, my newest Knitscene design; and Mary Jane with some deliciously cheery and soft fingering weight cashmere that she was already winding into balls on the subway:

By the time we made our way to McNally-Jackson in SOHO for some caffeine fortification, she had already cast on for a pair of mitts.

I’m afraid I gushed on a little too much about MJ’s work. I hope I didn’t come across too fan-girlish – even though I’m a total fan! I’ve long been an admirer of her fearless and fun sense of color. And I’ve been in love with her Super Soul Cardigan since I saw it in Veronik Avery’s inaugural issue of St Denis magazine. I’m hoping to be able to tackle it someday. I’m a timid color knitter and my fair isle tends to be too tight.

Mary Jane is as vivacious and friendly in real life as she is in her blog and work. Her passion for knitting, design, and style is plainly evident. Not content to rest on her already remarkable design achievements, she constantly pushes herself to learn new techniques and skills. I was so happy to have finally met her and hope to see her again soon!

But duty calls first. Grrrrrr…..