A confluence of events conspired to create lite!

con·flu·ence noun \ˈkän-ˌflü-ən(t)s, kən-ˈ\
1: a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point
2: the flowing together of two or more streams

The event…

The TNNA meeting in June is the largest needle arts trade show of the year. It is an opportunity for local yarn stores, designers and other participants in the industry to see yarns, designs, accessories, publications and just about anything else you can think of related to knitting, crochet and needlepoint all in one place.

As many of you know, this past June was the first time that VERSACIKNITS sponsored a booth at the covention. It was an exciting event; a big leap forward!

While I was busy deciding what the booth would look like and what I needed to prepare for the show, I also knew that each day on the convention floor I should be wearing something VERSACIKNITS.  I had decided on biscotti knit in Shibui Yarns Linen and prosecco knit in Alchemy Silk Purse, but I still needed one more garment! I was running out of time and bumping up against deadlines, so I really didn’t think I had time to devote to a new design, but…

The amazing Fibre Company Meadow arrived…

One day in May, I met up with my friend Antonia for lunch in Philadelphia. Antonia, a yarn manufacturer representative and fellow designer, brought with her a lovely gift for me from the owners of Kelbourne Woolens, Courtney and Kate: a lovely Fiber Company project bag. And, inside of it, to my great excitement, two skeins of their newest yarn, Meadow.

Meadow is a very special yarn. With characteristics of a classic, old school hand-dyed merino, Meadow’s other luxurious fibers  (baby llama, silk and linen) make it truly unique.  Working with this cacophony of fibers is a physical and visceral joy and creates a finished fabric with texture and depth that is rarely achieved with a single strand of yarn. From my perspective, Meadow is a worthy addition to The Fibre Company line.

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I am not a lace shawl knitter (typically what I think of for lace weight yarn), so instead my instinct was “sweater”. With limited yardage and the desire for a wearable design, I needed to find a pattern stitch that would show off the lovely yarn when knit on a larger needle with a more open loop.

After working many of my favorites, I remembered Waffle Stitch. I have used it several times with both variegated multi-colored and hand-dyed semi-solid colored yarns to wonderful effect! Because you are knitting in the stitch below on alternate right side rows, you eliminate the striping that can sometimes result with these yarns. The blend of fibers in Meadow really created a spectacular look. And, knit on US #8 needles, the resulting fabric had a wonderful loft as well as ample stretch.

The design…

For years I have owned what I consider to be the perfect summer pullover. A classic Eileen Fisher: simple, loose fitting but not at all oversized, light enough to drape over your shoulders, warm enough to stave off the chill of a movie theater or a cool summer night, slightly textured to be interesting while not overpowering. Throw it on over anything and it looks great! Every time I wore mine I’d think, “I really need to design a sweater like this for VERSACIKNITS”, but I just never got to it. This was my chance.

Voila, lite…

 The essential year-round pullover, lite is a light and breezy basic pullover with ¾ length sleeves and a scoop neck. The waffle texture adds just the right amount of interest, highlighting the unique color and texture of a special lace weight yarn, while the looser knit from the larger than usual needle sides provides loft and lightness with plenty of stretch. A classic design, lite is knit in pieces from the bottom up, shoulders are seamed and sleeves are set-in. The neck edge requires no finishing.

You can learn more about lite, on Ravelry  or purchase the pattern here.

LYSs can also purchase hardcopies of lite through Deep South Fibers.