The last time that I shared this project, it was very near completion. I think I might have finished it the next day! I have worn it quite a bit and have found the fabric at this gauge (22st for 10cm) perfect for this time of year. In case you missed it the first time around, here are the details:
Pattern: Ilha, by Orlane Sucche (Ravelry link).
Needles: 3.5mm for the body, 3mm for the cuffs and hem, 3.75mm for the sleeves.
Yarn: Pure Silk by Knitting for Olive in the colour Deep Petroleum Blue, 3.5 balls.
I think I wrote a bit about the yarn the last time – it really is very nice, decent yardage (250m per 50g ball) and a good price for what it is (pure silk). And they have a pretty good range of colours – plenty of neutrals and plenty of strong, saturated jewel tones as well. I would definitely gravitate towards the dark blues, blood-red oranges and pinks.
Now that I have worn the jumper a bit, I can tell you a bit about what it’s like to wear. It is light weight, soft to the touch, and breathable in humid weather. I like the long sleeves because they give coverage on cooler or windier days. And so, in all, it is a good combination of pattern and yarn for my taste and needs!
The pattern is not difficult. If you have made a top-down round-yoked jumper before, you will be able to make this.
I did a few things differently. For the neckline, the pattern says to pick up stitches around the cast-on edge and to work a few rounds of stockinette before casting off again. This gives a rolled edge. I think it looks very pretty in the pattern photos, but from my experience with Anaashah, I know that that finish stretches out on me. Instead, I crocheted two rounds of double (UK) or single (US) crochet around the neckline. It did the job.
The other thing I did differently was not do any of the texture patterning on the sides of the body or the hem. Again, I think it’s a finish that looks very pretty but I just didn’t feel like doing it. I think there is enough interest in the yoke alone.
The last thing I would point out is that you can see in the photo above there that the fabric of the body biased to the left quite noticeably. This tends to happen me when I knit stockinette in the round with plant fibres. It happens with cotton as well. I’ve thought about it and I think it’s because I tend not to rotate my work regularly enough. Basically, I’m lazy about it. I know that it will bias the fabric and I don’t care about it enough to change the joyous monotony of endless tubes of stockinette. It is not anything to do with the pattern or the yarn (other than the fact that it’s a plant fibre, which is hardly the yarn’s fault). Also, I haven’t blocked it yet – I wanted to wear it before the summer was out! So it might improve with blocking (though I doubt it).