A wind makes a palm stop blowing

This is the 'Leaf Yoke Top' by Angela Hahn, which appeared in Knit.1 Magazine, Spring/Summer 2009. I'm pretty sure it's the first time I've actually made something from one of the many knitting magazines around this place. I did the yoke sometime last winter, when I bought the yarn on special, then I put it aside for other things. I picked it up again a few weeks ago and the body went pretty quickly once I got going.

I was surprised when I spontaneously tried Lincraft Bamboozle and got the correct stitch tension/gauge. I had to adjust row gauge slightly, but this was no big deal as it is knit top down in the round, so I could try it on and make sure the shaping was in the right place. I really like the knitted hem, it's the first time I've done that and it was quite satisfying (and not at all hard to do). It's also the first time I've done an icord edging.

This bamboo/cotton blend is very cool, so it is wearable as a warm weather top. However it does still feel quite chunky (it's roughly a worsted/10ply equivalent), and as soon as I add a cardigan on top it's really warm. Although I haven't knit a lot of garments for me (yet) I think this confirms my preference for smaller gauge/lighter weight things, for more flexible wear and layering.

The yarn is very drapey and has no memory at all. As I tried it on during knitting, the armholes looked too big and loose. It's possible I could have made a smaller size but I like the amount of (positive) ease in this, overall. (Briefly, positive ease means the garment is bigger than you are, leading to drape. Negative ease means it has to stretch to fit you. Each can be appropriate depending on the fabric and the style of garment. The other bamboo top I made last year would be much nicer to wear with more positive ease at least from the waist down.)

The last step is an icord edging around the armholes as well as the neck. This pulled the armholes in a bit, but they still drooped too much. It would be possible to adjust the pattern but I wasn't about to reknit the whole body. In the end I cheated by weaving some hat elastic around the inside of each armhole, which doesn't show and just pulls them in enough without looking gathered. Although I've worn it once, comfortably, I'm actually thinking about doing the same thing to pull the back neckline up a little bit - doesn't the whole back look a little droopy? But I'm worried that this will pull the front neck in too, and there's nowhere much for that to go. I will try the elastic, and can always take it out again.