Design Spotlight: Aalto

We released our SS17 Collection last week. Have you had a chance to check it out? If you haven’t, please check out our beautiful Lookbook.

In an effort to be more consistent with writing this blog, I am sitting at the new coffee shop in my neighborhood, Insomnia Coffee. I’m hoping to make this a weekly occurrence. I’m also firing up the Design Spotlight series and will focus on each piece in the SS17 Collection. So as not to play favorites, I’ll be presenting them in alphabetical order. 🙂

Let’s talk about. Aalto . Aalto is a poncho made using Twig held single. I love Twig. It creates a fabulous fabric held solo and mixes beautifully with many of our other yarns. The combination of linen, silk and wool results in a fairly crisp hand while knitting that softens significantly after blocking. Aalto is knitted on a size 6 needle, which results in an open, flowing fabric, perfect as a Spring/Summer coverup. Throw it on over a tank and a pair of jeans and sandals for a casual look, or dress it up a bit as we did with an Eileen Fisher shell and pant. I think it would be lovely over a summer dress.

DESIGN ELEMENTS:

• Knit flat in two pieces
• Joined at the shoulders
• Primarily stockinette stitch with reverse stockinette stitch edgings
• Shoulder and neck shaping

TECHIQUES:

• German Short Rows – shoulder shaping
• Binding off in the center of a row, sloped bind-off – neck shaping
• German Twisted Cast On
• 3-Needle Bind-Off at shoulders

I shaped the shoulders to give Aalto a better fit than just sewing two rectangles together. I like the way the shoulder seams lay on the shoulders and move easily with your arms, as shown in the photo above, without the extra fabric of a rectangle. The shaping and the reverse stockinette/slipped stitch edgings provide some knitting interest.

Aalto is a great “first sweater” project or a perfect fairly-mindless knitting project you can throw in your bag and take anywhere.

FABRIC NOTE:

You may experience a mini (or not-so mini) freak out as you knit Aalto. Twig biases – A LOT – when knitting a lot of stockinette. But please TRUST ME when I say it will block out beautifully and will hold its shape. You will be able to see this when you wash and block your swatch. 

I have yet to cast on an Aalto for myself, but I know there will be one or two in my wardrobe.

Knit on!

Shellie