Enter, Caroline!

Welcome to my Picnic, knitters! I intend to spend the month of June exploring bright colors, summer fibers, stripes and checks with a focus on transitional knits, pretty tee’s and tanks. The seasons finest fibers include cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp and all kinds of blends. I’ve got a bunch of new releases planned for this month!

Transitional knits have been a recent fascination of mine, both to make and to wear, since I am now living half of my life in a warm climate. Open stitch patterns, 3/4 sleeves and breathable yarns create versatile garments that transcend season. I think a great transitional knit is almost always a great layering piece, allowing for last minute changes in temperature and environment as well as complimenting lots of different items within the wardrobe.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to a great new layering piece, the Caroline Cardigan. Caroline was first published in UK based Knit Now Magazine.

With the Caroline cardigan, I’ve aimed for a feminine feel with modern versatility. A simple raglan with a slightly slouchy shape and low V-neck speaks to a vintage sensibilty that could readily be styled with well-laundered retro dresses and square, collarless blouses. Hemmed picot neck, sleeve and buttonband edges dress up jeans and T-shirts. A simple open stitch pattern creates an airy layering piece that’s perfect between seasons, particularly when worked in a tender yarn like Millamia Naturally Soft Merino.

The Caroline Cardigan is an easy knit, perfectly portable if you’re knitting on the road, with an easily memorized stitch pattern. It is worked from the top down with raglan shaping. Cuffs and edges are finished with a picot hem, which is a nifty little finish if you haven’t tried it.

MillaMia was a new yarn to me. A Swedish yarn, Naturally Soft Merino is just that: very soft and very lofty. It is an S-plied yarn similar to Sublime Extra Fine Merino which gives the yarn a superior bounce and stretch. It comes in dozens of delicious colors and is distributed in the US by Classic Elite Yarns. MillaMia is available online through Love Knitting.

So today, just for the love of knitting, I’m offering the new Caroline Cardigan pattern free through end of day tomorrow! Just head over to my Ravelry shop, pop Caroline into your shopping cart and enter the coupon code CARO22 at checkout. Then cast on! (Feel free to share a link to this page with your friends, but please don’t give out the coupon code. It helps me a lot when folks come here to visit.) If you like these little discounts (I usually offer them on Friday mornings) and are interested in my work, I’d love to see you over at the new Ravelry group Friends of Littlechurch Knits. Until we meet again, happy knitting!

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