Web-Letter, Issue 52 – Cotton Bam Boo Little Shell Top Stitch dictionaries are a great designing tool. Who doesn’t love to swatch an interesting pattern to understand its structure and see how it works in a given yarn? But how do you go from pattern to a sweater design? Tonia Barry’s summery top is an imaginative and successful combination of stitch elements. She used a simple allover lace pattern as a wide front panel in the top’s skirt. Then she added purl-framed bands that run from shoulder to hem to draw the bodice and skirt together. Finally, she outlined the V-neck with a small lace border drawn from the allover pattern used in the skirt. All the elements come together effortlessly in her pretty Little Shell Top.
The Story: From Tonia: I love summertime and going to the beach. I also love to knit at the beach, so I’m always trying to think of a portable project in a beach-appropriate yarn. When my friend Cecily asked if I would be interested in designing something summery for the Web-Letter, I thought, “Ding ding ding—we have a winner folks!” I love CEY’s Cotton Bam Boo and its colorways. Since this yarn came out,  I’ve been playing with it. I decided to do a tank top, something feminine and functional that could be worn to the office with a strand of pearls or with a pair of jeans for a casual night out. I also wanted the design to be something that I could knit while chatting with friends at the beach. Violá, a very simple Little Shell Top. It truly is simple, there is only one row of yarn overs in the lace repeat. So, dig your heels into the sand and knit away. www.toniabarryoriginaldesigns.com The Yarn: Cotton Bam Boo — 52% cotton, 48% bamboo Cotton Bam Boo is a fine, smooth multi-strand yarn that shows off pattern stitches particularly well. We love its fine gauge and easy drape for airy, swingy tops.   Lace stitches look especially lovely in Cotton Bam Boo. The patterns are more delicate and the yarn overs more petite. The yarn’s delicate nature allowed Tonia’s placement of the purl-stitch patterns on the back to add interest without being overpowering. The Stitches: When casting on for a new project, it is important to read through the pattern before beginning to knit. A phrase to look out for is "and at the same time". When you see these words, you must read the instructions that follow and work them while working the instructions that came before them. Read more about at the same time, and see charts for this pattern.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free Little Shell Top pattern. Correction: Note 4 only applies to Right Front. Left Front decrease is ssp-tbl (slip, slip, p2tog through the back loop).
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