- Pattern: in Louisa Harding #20, “Deco”
- Yarn: Louisa Harding Mulberry (silk), color #22, ~615 yds
- Size/Needles/Gauge: 34″ bust, 5.5 spi after blocking on US 5’s
- Time to knit: 1.5 weeks in May/June 2011
This little confection is quite the decadent knit- I’ve never worked with pure silk before!
The pattern is all written out, which I found annoying (would have preferred a chart), but it’s simple enough that I didn’t have to reference it much. There is no errata. I had to make a few mods to ensure that the top stockinette area covered my bust; I did about an inch of short row shaping on the front side(s), and also knit until the top measured 5.5″ at the side “seams” before beginning the bottom garter/eyelet bands. The pattern is knit in the round top down, and it was somewhat of a slog, especially in the lace area. I would have converted it to flat, but my size had an odd number of lace repeats.
The yarn is really beautiful, slippery smooth, with a gorgeous sheen. Knitting with it feels very soft. The texture is plied of many tiny threads, and occasionally one of those threads would come loose either via a split stitch or snagging on my hands; the yarn had to be retwisted for it to behave. So, the yarn is a bit splitty, but I’m hoping that the plied texture will bode well for durability. There’s been no pilling so far, despite the fact that it was subject to significant friction during the knitting (I carried it everywhere and squashed it into my bag). Many silk yarns are single ply; not my cup of tea. The ribbon is from G St Fabrics, not a perfect match but close enough I suppose.
My silly dance pose is a nod to the pattern’s name. I adore the fun, flared style of this top, the saturated midnight blue color, and the ribbon straps are a genius touch- satin ribbon doesn’t stretch!
OhSewCrafty Blog 
Leave a comment