Gus Baxter picked up knitting pretty quickly. It was only a year ago that he signed up for his first lesson at Close Knit. Two months later, the owners called to offer him a job. Now he’s working to become a full-time designer.
American Blue is a new shawl that Gus designed using two shades of Vintage DK. Shaped like a right triangle, the shawl is knit from its short vertical leg to its tip. This design features two different sections of stranded colorwork, with a third section of solid stockinette. The longest side of the shawl has a built-in I-cord edge for stability.
How did you come up with this design?
American Blue is an exploration of geometric shapes in knitting. I love the traditional equilateral triangle shape of shawls, but what about some more diverse shapes? American Blue is a giant right triangle split into three sections. The first section is made of fat stripes that require long floats in the back. The second section is a checkerboard motif with short floats. The third and final section is knit up solid using the main color.
How did you decide on the yarn?
Vintage DK is my go-to DK weight yarn. It’s a comfortable yarn to use and wear, and everything I make in it looks great!
What’s your favorite project you’ve ever made? Why?
This past June I knit my first sweater. It was a lopapeysa called Odin (by Ragga Eiríksdóttir). Odin was my first stranded colorwork project and it came out great! I was so excited when I finished it that I wore it to work every day that week, despite the fact that it was in the 90s. Odin was such an accomplishment for me and it increased my knowledge of knitting – and more importantly, my confidence – exponentially!
If you could knit/crochet something for anyone in the world it would be…?
I am a big Taylor Swift fan. If she wore something that I made, that would be pretty awesome.
What’s your favorite thing about knitting/crochet?
Knitting and crochet are two mathematical arts. You can use basic math to figure out a lot about pattern before you start it and I like having that security. If a customer comes in and wants to use a worsted instead of a DK weight yarn, great! Knit up a gauge swatch and we can quickly adjust this pattern for your preferred yarn! Knitting taught me that we all have the power to create and that is amazing.
Do you have a cool design you want to share? Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn? You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.
Beautiful shawl. Best of luck Gus as you pursue your design career.
To top things off, Gus is a really nice guy. He’s always willing to help and he keeps his calculator in his back pocket just ready to figure out the right yarn and yardage to use for your project. He’s so creative and just understands the mechanics of knitting.