Floriston

©2013 twistcollective.com; photography: Jane Heller

I know it sounds funny, but I do a lot of designing on my bicycle. I live in a mountainous place, and no matter where I ride, there are always hills and more hills. To keep myself from thinking about my legs on those endless climbs, I pass the time working out the details of new designs.

On some rides last summer it was a cardigan design that kept me diverted. The idea was to create a modern shape that would skim the figure and be easy to wear, but with a bit of elegance…something feminine, but not girly…with lace details, but a geometric motif rather than a floral one…on and on it went, to the top of the hill.

The result is Floriston, just out in Twist Collective's Spring 2013 issue. It's an airy, open-front cardigan with clean lines and a little surprise – a sweet inverted pleat at the back.

©2013 twistcollective.com; photography: Jane Heller

Some more details:

• A wavy eyelet-and-rib pattern forms the cardigan's front bands and is repeated on the inside of the pleat.
• A bit of waist shaping keeps the silhouette sleek.
• The sweater fronts widen slightly at the bottom for some subtle draping without an excess of fabric.
• The bracelet-length sleeves have a little vent detail that echoes the back pleat.
• The sleeves and hem have a crisp I-cord edging.

I love the way that Twist styled the photos of Floriston. The model has such grace and charm, and that floral-print skirt is adorable. But I'm not a very girly girl, so when I had one made for me, I indulged in a lovely charcoal grey. So far I've only worn it with jeans and a tank, but I'd also wear it with some dressier ankle-length pants and short boots, or with a slim sheath dress. Pretty sure I'll steer clear of the bike shorts, though.

A new Millrace

Ever since the Millrace Scarf pattern came out last year I've been itching to use the same tip-to-tip construction and edging motifs in a shawl design. So here it is: the Millrace Shawl.

With a 14" depth at center back and a generous 76" overall width, Millrace stays nicely on the shoulders and can be styled in a lot of different ways. The shawl begins and ends with just 4 stitches. The garter stitch body and lace edging are worked all in one go, so there is no long cast-on or bind-off, and no stitches to pick up. And while the garter body makes the knitting fly along, the flowing lace motif provides just enough interest to keep it fun.

The sample is worked in Quince and Co. Tern in the Sea Grass color. Tern is a lovely yarn that marries 75% American wool with 25% silk for great stitch definition and beautiful drape. Perfect for this design.

Both Millrace patterns can be found in the Blue Bee Studio Ravelry store.