Web-Letter, Issue 4 – Provence Broken Rib Yoke Hi! Welcome to our fourth weekly web letter. As I’ve explained before, I’ve recently become creative director at Classic Elite and I’m learning a lot about yarns—what they’re made of, why they behave the way they do, how to match yarn and project, etc. In this weekly letter, I’ll be writing about what my discoveries and offering a new pattern worked from one of our favorite yarns. Let me hear from you if you have fiber or yarn questions—I’m making a list of things to research—and I’ll try to provide an answer. Meanwhile, read on for another great free pattern in Provence, our silky, smooth, classic summer cotton yarn.
The Story: Provence Broken Rib Tank Circular yokes often call to mind traditional sweaters worked in color patterns—think of the classic Icelandic lopi pullovers and Bohus sweaters, but circular yokes can be worked in textures, lace, and cables as well. They can even top off sleeveless sweaters. Kristen TenDyke, art director and knitter/crocheter extraordinaire at CEY, designed and knitted this week’s project. A close look at the picture will show you that her Broken Rib Tank isn’t your everyday top. Kristen likes to tinker with sweater construction, finding new and not-so-ordinary ways to construct simple garments. In this case, she’s taken a classic sweater structure—the round yoke—worked it in a simple knit-and-purl pattern and added a few short rows to the bodice to drop the neckline for a more becoming curve. If you’re not comfortable with short row shaping, check out our instructions on the technique below, or forget about using short rows altogether—the sweater will turn out just as lovely. And for more information on Kristen and her knitting and crocheting, check out her blog, (If you go there today, you’ll see her pink crocheted slipper—a great gift idea…)  I’m intrigued by the way you can work the body and sleeves of a sweater up to the armhole, then join them and work rounds to the finish—somewhere between shoulder and neck. Though traditional sweaters have decreases worked on single rounds every inch or so, diminishing yokes can also be worked in evenly distributed vertical lines as spokes or in four lines for a raglan. We’ll be exploring more possibilities for knitting yokes in the round in future issues. So check back often. The Yarn: Provence—100% mercerized egyptian cotton Provence is a smooth lustrous mercerized cotton yarn that comes in 44 beautiful colors. Last week, we talked about what the mercerizing process does to cotton fiber. This week, we tell you what makes Egyptian cotton special and how it differs from other kinds of cotton. Learn more about cotton.	more photos The Pattern: Here's the free downloadable Provence Broken Rib Tank pattern. The Stitches: Short Rows let you contour a garment lengthwise. Unlike decreases and increases that let you shape a waistline along the sides of a garment, short rows allow you to add or subtract length in select places. Here is more information on how to work short rows.
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