#WIDN: Ripple Crop Top Worsted Test Knit for Jessie Mae Martinson

I recently had the extreme honor of helping to test knit the Ripple Crop Top Worsted by Jessie Mae Martinson of Jessie Maed Designs.

This excellent design is a simplified version of her Ripple Crop Top (definitely on my to-knit-ASAP list); a bit more fitted with a straightforward construction. Overall I’m so pleased with the way it worked up and fits on my body. Jessie’s designs are truly the simple and modern garments I want to wear every day.

For yarn I chose Malabrigo Rios in Valentina, the light blushy-mauvey-lilac of my dreams. I absolutely love working with Rios, so this was an easy choice for me!

To test knit my size Large, I purchased 4 skeins total and ended up using approximately 2 and 3/4.

The 3x3 ribbing pattern of the body makes for a super relaxing beginning to this knit.

The construction of the front V-neck and straps is very engaging to make, with simple and easy-to-follow instructions. One of my favorite parts of Jessie’s designs is her attention to thoughtful details, such as the finished edge on the neckline and selvedge edge for the arm holes, making it really easy to pick up for sleeves.

I didn’t have a size 6 (4.0mm) circular needle in 16”, and I’m not a big fan of the Magic Loop, so I went with my trusty DPNs to finish sleeves.

The pattern for the Ripple Crop Top Worsted is available today! Head on over to Jessie’s Ravelry page and grab a copy!

#WIDN: Test Knit for Park Williams of ParkNKnit

i recently finished up another test knit for an incredibly lovely and talented knitwear designer, park williams of parknknit! park has designed some truly knockout sweaters, my personal favorite being (and currently in my selfish knitting queue) the aquamarline. so when she put out a testing call for her new scrappy scarf design, Cable scraps, i jumped on board knowing it would be the perfect project to warm me up for aquamarline.

i tend to wear plain basic colors, so i originally envisioned making this scarf using various grays as a base and mixing in other neutral shades. once i got going however, i was reaching for every colorful scrap in my stash to mix in.

i ended up being about 1/2” off gauge, most likely because of my yarn combos, but since i love big, oversized scarves i decided to go for it. this pattern is very simple and easy to follow, but park encourages you to use up a bunch of scraps and change colors as often as you like which makes it so incredibly addicting and fun to knit. seriously, i had a hard time putting this project down.

i absolutely love the end result. my scarf is so big and soft and warm! i particularly like the cable design running down the middle, and i think it helps blend in the color changes and make them look more fluid.

go purchase the pattern for cable scraps on ravelry here and follow park on instagram to follow along with her amazing designs!

#WIDN: Test Knit for paige parkin of the knit diaries

i recently had the pleasure of test knitting a new hat design for the incredibly talented paige parkin aka @knitdiaries! paige has designed a number of seriously cute and stylish sweaters (rainbow in the storm and piper are two of her designs that are VERY high on my to-knit list), so i was pretty excited to be involved in the testing group for her new slouchy ribbed hat, the make it fitted, make it slouch.

if you follow paige on instagram you know she has an undeniable talent for creating really beautiful marls, so i wanted to pull out something special from my stash to honor her new design. i chose a very recent acquisition, my first skein of primrose yarn co. adelaide in color paranormal. i chose a drops design fabel superwash merino in a simple navy blue (color 107) as a base.

i must say i’m not usually a swatch knitter, but i’ve been diligently doing it for test knits and i am enjoying my growing collection of beautiful swatches!

the basic construction of this hat is a simple 1x1 rib, which is kind of funny considering i just finished the 1x1 ribbed mawson hat! paige’s pattern asked for a circular needle, but since i didn’t have the correct size i didn’t think much of it and just grabbed my usual DPns.

paige wrote this pattern for all sizes, and in two variations: a fitted crown or a slouchy crown. as a big fan of slouchy hats (and versatility), i chose to test out the slouchy crown in the adult small size.

to finish out the crown, i learned two new techniques: german short rows and a 3 needle bind off. for the german short rows, i definitely wished i had purchased the correct size circular as it got pretty confusing. but for the bind off, my dpns worked great!

i love the way my finished hat fits, and it has the perfect amount of slouch. i also love that i can fold up the brim to change up the look! the design is simple and excellent for both men and women, and combining two yarns together makes for endless color opportunities. i can’t wait to make another one and perfect my german short row skills!

download the pattern for make it fitted, make it slouch here, and make sure to follow paige on ravelry and instagram so you don’t miss any of her designs!