Lemon Boatneck Top - Cast On!

Onling does these seasonal boxes - patterns, yarn, and some extra goodies, typically tea and lotion, and I like to buy them, mostly because I really like the tea and the lotion, but also because I like the yarn/pattern pairings they offer.  These boxes are a reasonable way for me to try something new in the yarn and pattern department.  I’ve been buying their Advent boxes for a few years now, and have also bought a few of their Spring and Summer boxes.

Lately my knitting mojo has felt a little low and I was looking for a pick me up, so I bought the Summer box and when I finished up Jezebel’s second blankie (which she has been getting a lot of use out of, curling up on it for at least some portion of every day since I gave it to her) I decided to cast on.  The pattern was a simple top that looked pretty boxy from the photo, with twisted ribbing on the hem, sleeves and neck.  There was no schematic in the pattern, and no mention of ease, but I decided that from the photo it looked like it had a reasonable amount of ease and I went with the small size as opposed to the extra-small size.  I did a gauge swatch, and got gauge, and so I cast on.

For my size the pattern has you cast on 192 stitches, and knit 2 inches of twisted rib, on a 3.0 mm (US 2.5) needle.  The body is knit on a 3.5 mm (US 4) needle.  I grabbed a 3.0 mm, 32” circular needle, and cast on.  When I went to join in the round I could barely get the stitches to meet so that I could actually work them.  I managed to work about 10 stitches before I gave up.  I did some quick math, based on the stitch gauge (which is given for the body needle), and determined that on the bigger needle I should have about 33 inches of fabric.  But of course, I was working on a smaller needle, and also trying to work 1x1 ribbing, with a twisted knit stitch.  Looking at the pattern some more I also noted that after working the 2 inches of ribbing, and another three inches of stockinette (on the larger needles), the pattern calls for 11 sets of increases at the side (4 stitches total for each increase, increase every 8 rows), resulting in 236 stitches.  That would give a measurement of about 41 inches around (my size is supposed to have a finished circumference of 40.25 inches).  Looking at the picture of the top, this just was not making sense to me, and there was no schematic to help it make sense.  As I said, the top looked pretty boxy.

So I ripped out and just decided to improvise a bit.  I cast on 230 stitches, which would give me a bit more ease around the hips, even on a smaller needle in ribbing.  I only managed about an inch of ribbing.  I’m not a huge fan of ribbing, especially 1x1 ribbing, and to call this yarn splitty is a bit of an understatement.  The yarn is Tencel Lycocell which, according to Wikipedia, is sustainably made from wood pulp.  The structure is interesting, it is actually 15 plies, but in the form of 5 3-plies, plied together.  Although calling it plied is also a bit of an overstatement as it really does not hold together that well, as you can see from this photo.

But it is soft, and shiny, and the stitches do look nice, although I have a feeling that snagging could be an issue, so who knows how well this top will wear in the long run.  At this point I have sort of abandoned the pattern and am planning on a simple boatneck top with little, if any, shaping.  I will work the ribbing on the armholes, to finish them off, and maybe an I-cord bind off on the neck.

Pattern:  Improvised, but sort of based on the Gry Top by Katrine Hannibal

Yarn:  Onling No. 14

Needles:  US 2.5 (3.0 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)