I just had a flash of an idea to start a design spotlight series. I will pick one of our designs to talk about and give a little insight into some of the details, techniques, etc.
The first piece I’m going to highlight is the Shibui Knits Slope. It is by far our most popular design and I just finished knitting one for myself and have actually cast on for a second piece.
The inspiration for this piece came from a fabric garment with a similar dramatic hemline. It was a lot of fun to transform that idea into a knitted piece.
Here are some of the design features of Slope: a dramatic curved hem created using short-row shaping, side “seam” shaping, sloped bind-off for armhole and neck edge shaping and slipped stitch armhole edgings. Most of our designs have short-row shaping and a 3-needle bind-off on the shoulders. I feel these two techniques give garments a professional finish and they were both used in Slope. This piece uses the German Twisted Cast-on, which has a bit more stretch than your typical long-tail cast-on and helps the hem lay flat when blocked. Twig has a tendency to bias while being knitted, but have no fear that it will block out beautifully and hold it’s shape.
The original design was knitted in our Twig yarn and we have also done a version in Dune. Both are lovely and result in very different fabrics. Wear the Twig version alone on those hot summer days or layered over a simple tee or button-up collared shirt. The Dune version is great for layering in Fall and Winter or when you need a little more warmth.
I did not write this option in this pattern (you will see it in upcoming designs), but it is very easy to shorten or lengthen the armhole depth, depending on how you wish to wear this piece. If you plan to wear Slope primarily alone as a tank, you may wish to shorten the armholes a half an inch or so. As written, the armhole gives room for layering.
I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this piece both times and as I said before, I have cast on for my second piece, again in Twig. I am going to make this one a couple of inches longer than the “long version” calls for, so it will be more of a tunic length.
I hope you find these spotlight segments of interest. Please do let me know. I love hearing from you.
Knit on!!
Shellie
s h e l Designs 
I finished my first (and definitely not my last) Slope a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I have worn it “dressed up” to my aunt’s 90th birthday party, with jeans to the Canadian Country Music Awards, to work, and anywhere else I could. The pattern is so well written and so beautifully designed from a technical standpoint, I can’t wait to knit it again. Twig is an outstanding yarn–such a great choice for this design. My only quandary–what colour to knit next? Thank you, Shellie. Your designs, yarn selection and your pattern writing are outstanding.
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