Make Switchgrass your next knitted skirt project. The stitches are easy to work, it has no seams (i.e., very little finishing), and makes for terrific travel knitting. You can take it on vacation and wear it home!
When you’re done, you’ve got a go-anywhere staple for weekend travel or a full day of summer fun away from home. Pull it on in the morning over a swimsuit when heading to the beach and tuck a cute top into your bag to pair later for lunch on the pier or dinner in a swank seaside nightspot. We’ve paired it with the sleeveless version of our Violet cardigan. Switchgrass can be dressed up further with a slinky, strappy top and wrap. You may decide you’ll need two of them!
Hempshaugh had quickly become my go-to yarn for a multitude of reasons—shall I fill you in? First (and most importantly for the knitter) unlike many hemp yarns, this one is super soft and pleasant to knit with. You might see hemp and think “oof, ropy and rough“, but not so with this blend. It has a measure of smoothing, soothing silk and a dose of merino to add some bounce and lightness. Secondly, it is soft, cool, and dry to wear. No matter how muggy the day becomes, it always has a wrinkle-free, freshly washed look. It packs and unpacks endlessly without crumpling, even if your “suitcase” is a large sling bag tossed over your shoulder. Third, it responds well to gentle machine washing, reshapes easily, and air dries in no time. Hempshaugh Fingering behaves like an up-to-the-minute tech fabric AND a soft vintage linen at the same time. There's only a few skeins left to snap up!
Let’s talk design details: this breezy skirt in nine sizes from XS to 5X has a drawstring waistband and is knit from the top down in the round. The fabric is solid through the hip and semi-fitted, opening up in eyelet ribs as the shape flares to a swishy mesh-patterned hem. It hugs the high hips just enough to stay put all day, but the overall feeling is loose and light.
The sample shown is knit in size small to fit someone approximately size 4 to 6, depending on body type (it’s always best to choose a size by measurements rather than your “store bought” size). When a relaxed cast on is used, the waist will stretch well beyond the stated finished size to pull over the hips.
While I’ve knit mine in my favorite hemp blend yarn, the gauge will work well for our Seasons Fingering or the G.O.A.T. Fingering as well, a couple of dressier alternatives. Or if you have a wooly, fall/winter version in mind, it would be fantastic in Stone Soup Fingering yarn. Cast on Switchgrass today!
