the Knitty Committee
A strong case for the itty bitty stitches
Summer knits, oh how I love thee! Give me a cute knitted t-shirt any day. I have a hard time switching my brain into cosy knitting mode when the sun is shining in May, but find absolutely no issue with dreaming of tops and tanks in the depths of Winter. Hence why I had cute tees and lightweight knits on the brain at Barcelona Knits Festival last November (helped by a healthy dose of Spanish sun, of course).
My friends mentioned that there seemed to be a lack of fine gauge, slim-fitting, classic sweaters in the knitting world. Could I get the idea out of my head? Could I heck. This imaginary sweater had to be brought to life! And it had to be pale pink! And I had to find the perfect yarn at the festival, right there and then!
Luckily I did find the perfect yarn (dLana La Madrilana), in the perfect colour (Sour Strawberry), and the perfect time to cast on (first week of January, mid grey & miserable season). Resulting in the Knitty Committee Top, pattern now available, mid sunny & happy season.
Use code ITTYBITTYKNITTY for 10% off until midnight BST on Sunday 18th May. Code is valid on Ravelry & Payhip.
I’m not usually in favour of throwing different sleeves onto the same body as often the armholes / neckline require adjusting, but on this occasion, it just worked.
I tried on my pink WIP whilst it was at the short-sleeved stage and loved it, so figured I’d be missing a trick to not include a short sleeve option.
I’d been meaning to make a lighter weight version of my Lawrenson sweater for the longest time, so a puff sleeve would tick that box.
And if I was going to make multiple versions in different yarns, I may as well add options to the increases and rib whilst I was at it…
So the original pale pink sweater quickly acquired a couple of sisters in the form of a red baby tee with detailed edgings, and a green puff sleeve with simple 2x2. Thanks to my fabulous testers, they have an extended family of tees and tops in every colour of the rainbow, all over the world. Lucky sisters! And lucky me, for having such wonderful test knitters. Very grateful.
The Knitty Gritty of the Knitty Committee
Fine gauge (4ply / fingering weight yarn). Yes this makes for a fair few stitches for an adult sized garment, but general consensus from test knitters was that doesn’t actually take as long as you’d think. Be brave! Embrace the itty bitty stitches!
9 sizes covering bust 28-62”. If you’re between sizes, size down.
Optional bust darts - if you have a relatively small frame compared to your bust (whatever your size), I’d recommend sizing down and using the darts. This way you’ll still have a nice neat fit around the shoulders.
My recent YouTube video provides a closer look at these tops and 10 more minutes of Lily ramblings, should you be interested. My new Winnie Top design also features, which at the time of filming, I said I’d ripped back, restarted and was finally on the right track. Somewhat amusing to watch back because I had NOT cracked it and would soon need to start the whole thing AGAIN. Third time was (thankfully) the charm though and the Winnie Top test knit is now well underway.
Fingers crossed the next few projects go smoothly, I don’t become completely distracted by gardening and forget how to knit, and I can successfully shift my brain into Autumn knitting mode before it’s ready. A few more summer pieces to go yet though so watch this space!
Happy knitting,
Lily x