Heidi Kirrmaier's Buttercup (my version)

Hello!

Look what I made:

Honestly, one of these days I'll get some friends so I don't have
such ghetto photos. Until then...this is me and the bathroom mirror.

This is a fantastic pattern from Heidi Kirrmaier, a brilliant Canadian designer who has a collection of lovely patterns for sale and for free on Ravelry. I recommend this pattern because

• It's free! Download it from Ravelry.
• It's hilariously popular- so far, 1,459 projects have been posted! And the pattern was only published 3 years ago!
• It's knit from the top down, beginning across the upper back and working in raglan increases across the shoulders and down to connect across the bust. The bust detail is a lovely, simple lace design, and the body and arms are A-line stockinette.
• It's very easy to modify- Heidi wrote the pattern with slightly poofed sleeves, a low-rise neckline, and a swingy, A-line body, but it would be simple to adjust it for fitted sleeves (as long as you like), a higher neckline, and a tighter, fitted body.

The neckline detail is lovely, but the stretch of the yarn makes
it lower than I anticipated-hence the visible, black bra.
From now on, I wear it with a tank top underneath.

Details:

Pattern: Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier

Yarn: Schulana Sojabama - 7 balls

Needles: US 4 for the body, and US 2 for the neckline finishing






Modifications:

I had used this exact yarn before, on Shiri Mor's beautiful V-Neck Pullover. That pattern has stretched a bit since I've worn it, which, on the one hand, makes the beautiful lace work all the more apparent, but on the other hand, means it doesn't quite fit as I would like it to.

Unexpected stretch is a fairly common result when knitting. The best ways to combat it are

• Rigorously knit, wash, dry, hang, and measure your swatch, so you have an accurate understanding of the gauge, and how it changes from pre-washing to post-washing.
• Knit on a smaller needle throughout the entire project.
• Incorporate more seams into the pattern, so the fabric has support built in along the shoulders, sides, and underarms.

I did not want to alter the structure of the pattern, as I had just under 7 skeins of yarn, so I purposefully chose a top-down pattern that I could adjust if I ran out, and I had already knit an entire sweater in this yarn, so I felt I understood the gauge and how that yarn handled.

Thus, I chose option 2- I knit the sweater on US 4's, which have me (pre-washing) a gauge of 19 stitches/4 inches (the pattern calls for 22/4). My V-neck pullover was knit on 5's, so I decided to go down one size.

I also tightened up the neckline. A-line designs are meant to hang and swing from your body, so lengthening or widening of the fabric is not as critical as, for example, a fitted, knit dress. If an A-line goes baggy, it's just a bigger A-line (more swing!), but if a fitted sweater, with shaping along the bust, waist, and hips stretches out of shape, then you've got the breast portion of your sweater around your waist. (And let's not speed up the natural results of gravity any sooner than necessary...)

Tightening the neckline was simple: Instead of knitting back and forth for 3 rows along the sides and back (ignoring the front) as per the pattern, I picked up 3 of every 4 stitches ALL AROUND the neckline, on size US 2's and knit 4 rows of stockinette, before binding off knitwise. This not only added a bit more fabric around the neckline, but offered a more secure "ring" from which the rest of the fabric can hang.

As I wanted to use up all of my yarn, I added a few more rows to the sleeves (16 in total, before beginning the knit/purl bind off), which lengthened them to about 2" from the underarm.

Ghetto photo #2...
I've had that camera for over 6 years. Can you believe that?
That's quality.

Conclusion:

This is a lovely, free, fun pattern. I completed it during several academic lectures, where I was able to pay close attention to the speaker (I promise!) and continue knitting. I'd recommend a drapey fabric on a tight gauge if you're following the A-line increases, or a more resilient fiber that will maintain it's shape, if you're planning on adjusting for a fitted look through the body.

I'd also recommend tightening the neckline regardless of which yarn or body style you choose-it rides low and would likely require a top worn beneath it, as the lace pattern shows a bit of skin at the bust. But, if you're into that, I won't judge :)