Green, Grey and Neon

Cast your mind back to the middle of 2019. This was before a certain virus had started to spread, before face masks and hand sanitiser and lockdowns became necessities. These were sweet, pre-pandemic days. And in those days, I knit a jumper.

It all started with a stripy green number, the one I'm wearing on the About page of this blog. I had knit that jumper over a couple of weeks in July (from the 15th to the 27th, according to my notes). I had used the wonderful, free Flax sweater pattern from TinCanKnits, which I highly recommend: it's clear, well-written, easy to follow and comes in a gazillion sizes from baby to adult. It was my first cropped jumper.

Giddy with the excitement that comes from a successfully finished knit object - particularly one that fits well and was fun to make - I cast on for another jumper. This one, I decided, would be outrageously bright. Years later, I stand by that decision. This jumper is the one I reach for when there's a chill in the air and I need a little pick-me-up.

I knit this one using the Top Down Raglan recipe in the Custom Knits book by Wendy Bernard. While very similar to the first top-down raglan I made using the Flax pattern, this one provides instructions for shaping to make the back of the neckline sit a bit higher than the front. To do this, you start off working back and forth in rows, gradually increasing on each end for a couple of inches. Then, you cast on some more stitches and join everything together in the round and continue on your merry way. Wendy covers the technique really clearly in her book, which I would recommend - it's a great resource.

I've created a project page for it on LoveCrafts here if you want to know the nitty-gritty details.

How about you - is there something (whether knit or not) that you reach for and it always makes you smile? Let me know in the comments!