Web-Letter, Issue 113 – Sprout Child's Tunic One of my favorite books in my knitting library is Stefanie Japel’s Fitted Knits (North Light Books, 2007). Although each project in the book is worked from the top down, the variety of sweater effects is a testimonial to the versatility of the neck-down technique. Stefanie’s second book, Glam Knits (North Light Books, 2008) shows the same imaginative take on things glamorous. For a quick review of her latest book, read on. And if you’d like to knit something distinctly glamorous for a little girl, think about making this week’s web project, Stefanie’s fit-and-flare Sprout Tunic, modeled by her daughter. Creative Director
The Story: Glam Knits is a collection of 25 designs, mostly sweaters with a few accessories. If the title suggests a book of sweaters worked in Lurex, you’re mistaken. Stefani’s book takes glam to a new level. It’s true that in some pieces the glamour has to do with the yarn’s fiber—a silk blend or sequin studded hand paint—even real rabbit fur. But in others, the glam comes from design elements: a bold stitch pattern on a wide sleeve or a curving, neck-hugging collar—design details that can make a tweed cardigan suggest something rather slinky. Stefanie uses simple details—a row of buttons from elbow to wrist on a bell sleeve, a demure collar on a wide curved neck, a variegated ribbon stitched onto a basic cardigan—to give her pieces personality. And she understands the power of understatement; my two favorite sweaters, both worked in earth tones, are the Romantic Bell-Sleeved Cardi which needs no more than a not-too-sweet picot edging and deep borders of seed stitch for interest; and the Boho Blouse, a smashing round yoke pullover without sleeves knitted from the neck down.  In each book, Stefanie gives helpful information on how to adjust patterns for a custom fit. Read her notes below on designing from the top down. And for more about Stefanie and her knitting, check her blog, http://www.glampyre.com The Yarn: Sprout 100% organic cotton Sprout is a chunky organic cotton yarn. A thin cotton thread is twisted around a barely spun lofty strand to yield a slightly bumpy texture. The thick ply allows the cotton to knit up at a bulky gauge while remaining light and the thin ply keeps the yarn strong and stable. Sprout is available in a bright-and-lively 12-color palette and it’s machine washable. Add to this the wonderful soft texture, strength, and the light yet quick-to-knit gauge and it is easy to see why Sprout makes a great choice for children’s garments. The Stitches: From Stefanie: When creating a top-down raglan sweater, I take lots of factors into consideration: back neck measurement, armhole depth, chest measurement, waist shaping, and more. When the sweater is for a child, the dimensions change dramatically.  I need to think about toddler bellies, diapered bums, and children’s larger heads. The Sprout tunic is designed with all of these measurements in mind. Rather than stopping the V-neck when the stitch count for the front matched the stitch count for the back, I continued the neckline opening into a little keyhole slit and closed it with a pearl button. The deeper V will make sure that the neck opening is large enough to accommodate a toddler’s proportions. I also increased at the waist, rather than decreasing as I would in an adult design, to make room for a toddler’s belly and diapered bum.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Sprout Baby Sweater pattern. If you have difficulty downloading or printing the PDF pattern above, try these: page 1, page 2
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	Sprout Set Pattern available in Web-Letter Issue 94
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