tiny happy

I made this loose-knit, loose-fitting top over the summer break. It took me a while to get a photo of it – it always seemed too bright or too dark to capture it properly, though that was probably my rubbish camera skills. The pattern is Deschain by Leila Raven, and I knitted it from Erika Knight Studio Linen yarn in black. 

The pattern is written for an aran-weight yarn, but the studio linen is a DK, so I made a few modifications such as knitting more repeats and changing the numbers around a bit. I think the finer yarn resulted in a more open texture too, but i like the amount of drape it has and it's comfortable to wear. I am really happy with the finished result and it's already proved useful to wear over dresses to work. If you're interested in the other modifications I made, and thoughts on the pattern, there are some notes on Ravelry.

I think Leila is an amazing designer and I would love to try another of her patterns sometime. You can see them all here.

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In the first photo above, you can see some small things I'd gathered to send along with some letters last week. I do love to receive handwritten letters (and am lucky enough to have friends who write to me from time to time!) so try to remember to write some back. This time I also sent a few hand-knitted cotton facecloths and soap too, and some hand-embroidered lavender sachets. Just because.

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Some things I've seen and liked lately:

Nicola's zucchini blossom feta fritters

A little woolen kitchen animation

Skovbær Shawl – a free one-skein pattern by Fiber Tales (video tutorial)

The Guardian's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

This page of Nigel Slater summer salad recipes

Thom Yorke's Desert Island Disc interview

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I hope you're having a good week! See you again soon.