Zara Tee

I am particularly proud of this tee that I knit for the Tops, Tanks, and Tees Knit-along.  It’s Dianna Walla‘s Zara pattern and involved some things I’ve never done before.

I’ve never mixed crochet and knitting on a project. I’ve barely even crocheted anything, so this was very engaging. It really wasn’t fiddly, either.

I’ve also never knit colorwork with linen/ cotton yarn. The windowpane style it created is a new addition to my wardrobe, too. I love it!

On top of all of that, I don’t think I’ve ever knit an oversized summer top that was also cropped. I have only admired them on Ravelry, so it was nice to actually have my own.

And did I mention is is very appropriate for my climate?!?  I used Lindy Chain that washes well and is just a bit heavier than t-shirt jersey because, within a week or so, it will be so hot I will undergo a yearly ritual.  If you live in the Southern U.S. you may experience this same phenomenon.

It goes something like this, the details vary but the outcome is always the same:  You remember you have to bring a dish to some event, only hours before said event begins. After sweating over the stove for thirty minutes, you realize your are missing a key ingredient. You begin to feel flushed. You turn off the burners, rush to throw on shoes, spend 10 minutes looking for your keys, all the while a “Danger” warning flashing in your head. When you find them and are a mile from home, your tire goes completely flat. You are instantly drenched when you step out of the “Max AC” of your car to check out your tire. At this point your eyes are a more vibrant green than normal. Your husband, who always calls/ texts/ calls/ calls kids/ texts/ calls/texts/ calls kids again… until you answer his phone calls, won’t pick up. It’s ok. You’re prepared. You had him oversee you changing a tire years ago on a Sunday afternoon, when your Uncle and Aunt drove by and looked puzzled as your husband sat in a lawn chair, chilling, while watching you lug a tire out of the trunk. You are ready for this. As you lift the spare from the trunk, you suddenly realize, truly realize, that it is hot. It’s not just hot. It is so hot that you are practically cooking inside of your body. It is angry hot. Then the lug wrench won’t budge and… oh just watch the clip!! Southern women, you know how this ends:

So I am trying to choose summer knits that won’t cause me to freak out, with no warning to those around me, ripping the clothing from my flesh (except for purple capris) as I flip my car, you know?

Here are the details of this knit.  I said on my podcast that I was adding a one square repeat in length. Maybe I thought that I did, but I didn’t.  Now that it is completed, I am glad I accidentally knit it at pattern’s length because I really like the cropped shape.

Details:  I knit a size 45″, using US 4 needles and 6 skeins of Lindy Chain in Black and 1 skein in Linen.  The linen was just scrap yarn. The pattern didn’t require very much. For the crochet, I used hook size D.

Though linen is harder to find a knitting rhythm with, I think the cotton helps out and I didn’t struggle too hard with this project.

Modifications: It is worked in pieces, and for some reason I knit one side a few rows longer than the other.  It must have been Senior Mom brain.  As in- my son is a senior and I am his mom.  I’m not quite a senior yet 🙂 Anyway, when I realized I’d done this, I just used the longer side for the back. I laid the front on top of it and about 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of the front, I began the mattress stitching to join the sides.  This made a little split hem and hi/lo hem effect.  It’s kind of cute.

That was unintentional; however, I purposely planned to make the sleeve opening deeper (6.5″) and so picked up 8 extra stitches per sleeve. It fits perfectly.

Note:  I would do the applied crochet vertical lines on each side before seaming them together, as it is just easier to work from front to back on a piece of flat knitting.

Another thing I love about this top is that there is no I-cord edging, or finishing, to do to the sleeve and neckline edges.  This leaves little to drag your feet about, when finishing.

Even the ends weren’t a big deal to me. I just wove them a bit away from the edges and tied them into a few knots, then snipped with about 3/4″ remaining.  If there were two ends near each other, like at the side seams, I’d tie them together and repeat the knots and snipping. I have never had a problem with any of the summer knits I have handled this way unraveling or peeking through to the right side of the knit. So far, so good.

I wore this yesterday at high noon for these photos and, though it was hot, I didn’t get heat angry. That’s good because you wouldn’t like me when I’m heat angry.

It’s amazing how often I hear this theme music in the summer.

(image via Pinterest)

More on this knit on Ravelry, my podcast episodes 10-12 (I think), Kollabora, Flickr