My newest design is also a fun first! Designed to be knit in your choice of either one color or two colors, this is the Cornsilk Top.
Those of you who have followed my design journey over the years will remember my abiding love for madelinetosh yarns. One of my favorite “madtosh” yarns has always been Pashmina, their sport-weight blend of merino wool, silk, and cashmere. This yarn combines the elasticity of wool, the saturated colors and drape of silk, and the softness of cashmere into one heavenly skein. So it’s no surprise that I’d amassed quite the collection over the years.
For a long time, however, I waited for design inspiration to strike. Pashmina is often used for knitting luxurious accessories, but I wanted to create a garment to really show off the yarn’s drape and its depth of color. I was perusing my stash one day when I realized how well two colorways of Pashmina, “fathom” (a luminous sapphire blue) and “baltic” (a shifting kaleidoscope of blue-green shades), complemented each other.
Almost immediately, I knew that a slip-stitch pattern using these two colors would create both visual interest in a garment and a lot of fun for a knitter (So much fun: this is definitely one of those knits that will have you saying “one more row” as you watch the fabric stripes develop!)
It didn’t take long for the rest of the design to come together after that. I also knew that I’d be using Pashmina to create a design for more temperate weather: the yarn blend is not as warm as a 100% wool yarn, and I associate the beautiful drape and vibrant colors of Pashmina with longer, sunny days.
I wasn’t even finished with my blue sample before a proverbial lightning bolt struck. Why offer knitters only a two color option when they could create an equally beautiful garment in just one color? I knew exactly which color I wanted to use for the next sample: the burnished golden “gilded” colorway.
Having initially created this design to employ two colors, I’m so pleased by how well the subtle texture of the single-color option works. Because the “gilded” colorway is not a true solid, the shifts in the colorway also bring extra depth to the fabric. I can’t pick which sample I like more!
Now for some of the design details. In keeping with the warm weather, easy living aesthetic that I had in mind, I kept the overall shape relaxed and casual by including 2-3″ of positive ease in the chest measurement. Both the hem and the armholes feature a ribbing with a rolled edge. The stretchiness of the rolled edge makes the garment easier to take on and off and also makes the edges easier to cast on and bind off. The crew neck features a no-fuss rolled edge without any ribbing. Without sleeves, the top is perfect on its own in warm weather and as a vest or second layer on colder days.
I did incorporate one elegant feature, though, to enhance the fit of this top. I used English shoulder shaping, a style of shoulder shaping that pushes the shoulder seam to the back instead of its traditional position at the top of the shoulder.
Because the seam sits behind the shoulder, the garment flows more smoothly over the shoulder (and looks less bulky). All of the shoulder shaping is worked on the back, making the knitting of the front easier, too.
The top is knit in the round from the bottom hem upwards until you reach the armholes. Then the front and back are worked separately and seamed at the shoulders before the final edges are added. The pattern includes ten sizes for finished chest circumferences between approximately 36″ and 70″ (90-180 cm), including that positive ease I mentioned earlier.
To welcome the Cornsilk Top, the pattern is 25% off (no code needed) from now until midnight EDT on Monday, August 5th. As always, you can find the pattern here at Danielle Chalson Designs or here on Ravelry.
This design is one of those simple, enjoyable knits that you can reach for on a lazy, hazy, sunny summer’s day. I hope that the rest of Summer brings you an abundance of those days!
Happy knitting!
xoxo Danielle
daniellechalson.com 