Palouse Top

Wow, things have been very curious here. It’s been ridiculously cold. It froze again last week and our outdoor pipes burst (along with thousands of other people). My kingdom for a plumber. My kingdom to BE a plumber! On top of that, New Orleans water pressure got so low (with everyone running their taps to keep them from freezing) that we were under a boil water order. This is the second boil water advisory in 12 weeks. So. Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink. When I went out to get water, I was only able to get a case of small bottles. The shelves are fairly bare because the roads iced and the trucks were unable to get across the lake. Luckily, we have another case stashed from hurricane season. We soldier on!

Good thing there’s plenty of knitting! Miss Laura had a snow day on Wednesday because most of the French Quarter restaurants including Coops were closed due to broken pipes (and boil water orders are NO FUN in restaurants) so lots of knitting is taking place. We were compelled to cancel Tipsy Knitters this week, too, because of icy roads.

Remember last week when I mentioned another new design that had been published in the current edition of KnitScene? Well, here it is…the Palouse Top.

Gentle movement and intriguing lace edging are the hallmarks of this whimsical swing top. With 0” of positive ease at the bust, the Palouse Top is trim and fitted at the top and upper sleeve, then flares to create a wonderful trapeze shape at the hem. A silky yarn helps to create swish and flow in the fabric, making Palouse an adaptable layering piece. Airiness and openness is achieved with easy butterfly lace at the edges.

This is a feminine swing top worked from the bottom up with seamless yoke shaping. It has a pretty stitch detail at the hem, cuffs and neckline. (I can’t say I’m happy with the way it’s been styled, though. I don’t quite understand the odd yellow under layer.) I’m particularly happy with the shape of the neckline and with the appearance and placement of the neck decreases in relation to the stitch pattern.

I’m happy with the amount of fabric that is present in the top along with its drape and I love the butterfly lace edging.

I have to say…I really enjoyed knitting this little top. Considering that it’s worked in fingering weight yarn and has a fair bit of swing, it came to life really quickly. Palouse is made from Manos del Uruguay Alegria in the colorway Musgo. This is a favorite yarn of mine because of its softness and drape (of course) but also for the subtlety of color. I think many knitters are familiar with Alegria in its more vivid, variegated incarnation. It’s not often you find it in shops in these sophisticated tonals and they are truly gorgeous.

I’d love to see Palouse styled with a simple pair of jeans either with or without an under layer. I hope knitters will have fun with it…I look forward to seeing all of the different color and yarn choices over the next couple of months.

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