French Girl Knits, by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes, is a glorious book. The buzz was already high, (Kim Werker was the one who told me how she snatched it up for all the beautiful projects… five minutes after saying goodbye, I was at the cash register at Urban Yarns buying my copy) and it is all well-deserved.
Veronique caught my eye for its delicate design done in the simplest of knitting. The photos confused me a bit, as I saw seams on the sleeves that weren’t accounted for in the pattern, (visit the Veronique KAL on Ravelry to read Kristeen’s explanation) and it took me a few minutes to understand the construction diagrams, but I knew that I wanted to make it.
Off to check my stash! After a trip to Japan last summer, I had cones of lightweight yarns from Avril (aka Habu) that I had thought to hold together for some future, non-laceweight project. Would any of them work for this, instead? Lightweight, teeny boucle mohair (I think) - floats like KidSilk Haze, check! A quick gauge swatch on 5mms, and I knew I was good.
I started thinking about the construction, and pondering a good selvedge for seaming purposes, and THEN I started trying to figure out if it could be made in the round. I could picture the “T” diagram with horizontal stripes on it, and then picture those stripes as they would meet in the seams, and realized it could be done. All of this was BEFORE I joined the Veronique KAL… when I had gotten through my cast-on and had it working, I looked around to see if I could share the technique, only to discover that everyone in the KAL was already talking about it, but they were working it from the outside in with plans to graft across the centre back and gathers at the end!
These photos aren’t my project, in case you’re wondering about the yarn. This is Francesca’s, the co-owner of Three Bags Full, worked in Kidsilk Haze.
Comments are welcome - Please let me know if you have any questions about this!
Provisional cast-on over cable of spare needle, using 1/3 of original cast-on stitches as pattern calls for.
Provisional cast-on over waste yarn, using all of stitches in pattern's first provisional cast on instruction.
Slide spare cable through stitches so needle tip is pulled into stitches at the same end as Step 2's stitches.
Pull working needle around so it is in position to knit stitches off spare needle.
Stretch armhole stitches around curve of working needle before beginning increases across stitches from spare needle.
Increases (K1, Yo, KI all into every stitch) across all stitches from spare needle complete. All stitches on working needle only.
Second armhole: provisional cast-on over waste yarn again, same number of stitches as Step 2. Yarn at bottom left of photo is NOT working yarn, this is tail from original cast on.
Curve working needle around to point at its other end, to begin working in the round. Slip knot from original cast-on now removed.
Hard to get stitches stretched around enough? You can use the Magic Loop method of pulling extra cable out between stitches to get around the corners eaiser. This won't be required once you have knit a few inches.
For those of you who like diagrams!
Francesca's Veronique - after 1 day!
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