Yay, I just finished something - and not just any something, but a gorgeous test knit I did for my lovely friend Julie Knits in Paris. If you've followed the blog for a while you'll know that this is not the first of Julie's designs that I've made, I do adore her sense of construction, and this is often what draws me into a project (rather than just the colour and stitches chosen). When I saw Julie's teaser pictures I immediately noticed the shoulder detail, and I knew this was my summer project to be.

Moonshadow shoulder detail

As I worked through the pattern I truly enjoyed the raglan shaping and the lace section, but it also brought the opportunity to learn something new - German Short Rows. I've not come across this technique before and now I'm obsessing over it. As a technique it is much simpler to do than the 'usual' wrap and turn, and I think it works very well for the transition between stockinette and lace. In the Moonshadow design the German Short Rows are used to create a longer back shaping before you start on the lace at the bottom of the body.

Let's talk about the yarn! The Moonshadow is knitted in Meadow by The Fibre Co. I've mentioned so many times before how Daphne of the Fibre Co. is a true magician coming to putting together the most amazing fibre blends, and Meadow is no exception. This yarn is a stunning blend of Merino and Baby Llama, that provide softness and bounce, Silk that gives sheen and drape, and Linen which offers a crisp hand and lovely stitch definition. It is a lace weight yarn, but for the Moonshadow you knit it on 5mm needles, still, due to the plumpness of this yarn you achieve a neat and even fabric, it is not 'netty' as you might would have assumed. The Meadow also has a very generous meterage - for my size small I used two hanks, with plenty of leftover - so it comes out quite cost effective.

Moonshadow Tunic

I wanted a slightly more fitted version so I did the size small, the pictures show my Moonshadow on a size medium dummy. Other than that I followed the pattern religiously, there is no waist shaping in the pattern, but it doesn't need to be. If you prefer a bit of a waist line there is plenty of magic to happen when blocking, simply shape the garment as you desire when it is laying wet and flat on the blocking mats, the linen in the Meadow will keep the shape for you and it is so light weight it will not sag when wearing. I simply love this design, the lace and construction make it interesting, whereas all the stockinette is perfect for mindless TV knitting, I could tell you how many series I completed while knitting this one, but to be honest that would be slightly embarrassing. So for now, go check out this pattern, and Happy Knitting!