We love Teresa Gregorio’s Writer’s Top from Knitscene Spring 2017–and not just because it’s designed for Berroco Mykonos™! The color combination and the simple graphic element over the shoulder is a perfect combination for a lightweight tee. We asked Teresa to tell us a little bit more about her design and what inspires her.
Yarn with lustrous, silky shine always catches my eye; with a drapey fiber content and deep, rich colors, I knew Mykonos was the yarn I needed to work with when designing my Writer’s Top for Knitscene Spring 2017. I envisioned a lightweight, relaxed top that would complement the season, using a yarn that came in a variety of exciting colors so that I could fulfill my own vision, but also allow other knitters to pick totally different color schemes. Mykonos was perfect!
The colorwork is inspired by the color and showy splendor of the ring-necked pheasant’s tail feathers. I love birds, so I often find inspiration in their looks (and personality! My lovebird Elbie is a constant inspiration to be inquisitive and a touch naughty).
The colorwork on the Writer’s Top creates visual interest and structure to this simply-shaped piece, and it is pretty fun to knit! Something you may notice about this design is the difference in suggested needle size for the pattern, as opposed to the suggested needle size on Berroco’s website—1.5 US to 4–6 US! Mykonos has the strengths of drape and shine, along with which comes slipperiness. I was tipped off to this when I was winding the yarn—I was winding it with such speedy enthusiasm that the yarn cake flew off my ball winder (more than once!). I decided to be a patient, responsible adult and used my swift to wind my hanks of Mykonos by hand, instead. The smaller needle size suggested in my pattern balances the slipperiness and allows the knitter to achieve the tidy stitches desired for the colorwork.
Like any colorwork, there’s a magic that happens when you block it. My Mykonos somehow got even brighter and lovelier after it dried. The stitches were crisp and tidy, the colorwork was neat and perfectly delineated. The fiber content, beautiful colors, and hand to the yarn all harmonize in the finished knit, producing the simple grace I was hoping for. I was pretty sad when I had to send my sample in to Knitscene to be photographed! I can’t wait to get it back.
If you dig my Writer’s Top, you might be interested in what I’m up to in 2017, the #KnitPetiteProject. I’m 5’1″; I come from a family of short women. But you know what? Nearly half the American population is petite! For years I’ve wondered why such a large demographic isn’t more widely served in clothing, both ready-to-wear and for the needle crafter. The #KnitPetiteProject is a year long journey where I’ll be examining how petite sizing (that is, anyone under 5’4″) affects and intersects with knitting. I want to help women take control of their own clothes through knowledge sharing and community. Follow the project here and on the hashtag #KnitPetiteProject.
You can purchase the Writer’s Top pattern as part of the Knitscene Spring 2017 issue. Find Berroco Mykonos at an LYS near you with our store locator.
I LOVE that design! Congratulations! May I recommend this for a spring or summer KAL?
Funny … I’m 5’4″ … would I be considered not “normal”, but not “petite” either?
Thanks!
BTW, I must have mis-typed: most of the resources I’ve seen about petites say it’s 5’4″ AND under, rather than just under 5’4″. Sorry about that!
That said, it looks like it often depends on the store you shop in, because each company is allowed to use whatever sizing it desires.
Added to that, I have yet to find the height that is generally used for standard women’s sizing. Still searching! But, I’d be willing to bet it’s taller than 5’5″.
Cheers!
Teresa
Oh, I didn’t mean to correct you! I just wanted to have fun with what the world thinks is “normal” and what not. Totally agreed on the difficulty to find a standard for that. I think it’s particularly hilarious when people pick a standard … one out of several.
I very much enjoyed the other comments that were posted about what height is “normal”! So funny!
Your design is “stuck” in my head. As a matter of fact, I had been looking for something short sleeved … a Texas essential. I like your design because it looks fashionable, comfortable, yet modest.
I’m 5.3 and I am a normal sized person. It’s all those other people who are not normal.
Haha, I say that ALL the time to my husband (he’s 6′ tall).
I am 4.11 and when knitting sweaters I have been altering the lengths; especially the torso and arms!! We need designers to start an Extra Petite category!!