Can I just say—I love Atlantique! It is so soft, light, and airy. Perfect for warm weather and yet so practical for every season.
In spring, summer, and fall it stands alone with sleeves or without as that piece you will wear again and again with shorts, skirts, jeans, and nice trousers. It totally works with layering pieces for fall and winter too.
Barb already has plans to pair it with jackets and other sweaters as the weather cools (and of course, she is already knitting another with sleeves in a different color, haha).
The secret is the fabric—these samples were knit in our Hempshaugh Lace yarn, an airy blend of silk, hemp, and merino. It has all the best characteristics of these three fibers—softness, drape, and bounce in one lovely package.
Just look at how beautifully the stitches line up to make a smooth, consistent fabric—the key to garments that drape just perfectly. With such a lightweight fabric, we want it to skim our figures and not cling in an unattractive way.
This design has a bit of short row shaping along the back hem to add a little length; great for activewear. The armhole is high enough to give you the right coverage, even when you go sleeveless, but still super comfy so you can move around without binding. A pretty, pleated neck finish (more short row shaping at work) secured with a few glass buttons finishes this simple silhouette with interest. The body is easily lengthened for tall women like Barb (also easy to shorten if you need a more petite length).
Karen carries it off stunningly, something about the fabric just sets off her gorgeous eyes. The pattern is written in ten sizes and takes a surprisingly small amount of yarn. The smallest size sleeveless version can be knit with just one skein! This top would translate very nicely in our Fresh Lace silk/linen blend and our the G.O.A.T. Lace merino/mohair blend, opening up the options.
You can go with several options for buttons. Barb chose to use a set of handmade glass ones created for us by Moving Mud. We have several glass options as well as small shell and bone buttons.
Speaking of glass accessories by Moving Mud, we have a selection of Sarina’s custom glass hoop earrings in stock as well. They come in a variety of shades that coordinate well with our yarns.
Karen and I are wearing Atlantique in size small (36 inch chest) while Barb is wearing size 1X (45 inch chest). Some feedback on that—Barb usually knits the next smaller size but thought with the lightweight fabric she’d prefer the larger one. However, she wishes she had stuck with her original size because the lighter fabric is more relaxed and forgiving than she expected.
I have to agree with her that this fabric is so stretchy without pulling or feeling tight. It’s best to stick to a slimmer fit than to go with one that might end up feeling baggy. We don’t find that the fabric actually grows or sags, just that it rides the curves of one’s body to an incredibly forgiving degree.
I like to say that it feels like a soft old t-shirt, no matter how many hours I’ve been wearing it. If you are finishing up your Triticum project and thinking about your next knit, this could be it!
A little scared of the mention of the short row shaping involved in this project? Our friend Carol Feller offers a terrific (and FREE) craftsy mini class on short row technique; it’s a lifesaver.
Now you go have a great weekend—knit, run, garden, LOVE in these last days of summer weather.
