Notes on Marie in Paris

The last few months I have been working away on a Ux or test knit for Elizabeth Margaret Designs, one half of the One Wild Designs team. My Marie in Paris wrap top is now an FO and I wanted to share some of the photos my lovely partner took and delve into this design. And, for all the Australian readers, it's Ma-REE in Pa-REE, not MAR-ee in Pah-rus (now read back and feel yourself becoming more posh!). I'll step you through my experience knitting this design and outline why I think it is a great piece, especially if you are wanting to extend your garment skills and enjoy a truly beautiful item of clothing that you made. 

Firstly, this is a wrap cardigan. You start with the body at the neckline, increasing with raglan shaping to create a tailored fit around the shoulders and underarms. Elizabeth uses compound raglan shaping, where there is more increases at the top and bottom, which creates a curved raglan line to better fit the curves of the upper body. Increases on the body edges continue throughout the whole project to make the tails of the wrap. One main thing to consider is that there is a lot of knitting to create this long wraparound tail. It certainly took a lot more time than I and many of the testers expected and the bind offs were a long process. However these tubular bind offs are so worth it as the finish is so professional. After working all of them you will be very experienced in the process which is the best way to learn I think. The ribbed neckline is shaped with short rows which makes it look very swish, and added after the body and bottom edging are completed. I found it really tightened up the body edge. I luckily worked 3 button holes after estimating where I would place the button, and I'm so glad I did as I used the loosest one. 

You can see this is quite a close fitting garment. The size chart offers 9 sizes with 2 sizes of optional bust darts. I made a size 3 with no bust darts. One of the things I really love about this is the placement of the front crossover, below the bust which I think is the most flattering and easy to wear as it stays in place and looks neat. On all the tester sizes I've seen this fits the same way. Also what is awesome as seen in the picture below is the way it stays in place, I don't think I adjusted or tugged it once during these photos and I was actually spinning on that Turkish spindle. 

A couple of special shots with my precious girl Mina. She's 11 and 1/2 now and I really try and treasure every single day. She's on a lot of medications to keep her arthritis pain controlled and manage an ongoing gall bladder issue, thankfully which have a great impact on her and she still loves life. Most people think she is still a puppy thanks to her playful nature and clumsy feet. 

The suggested yarn is a single ply to achieve a soft luxurious fabric. Achieving gauge was a little difficult for me, and I think my finished garment is a little longer in the body due to my larger row gauge. At least the sleeves turned out to be the perfect length! To reduce rowing out in the purl rows, as the body is worked back and forth, I reverse purled. I got this idea after reading this article from MDK. I used Primrose Yarn Co Adelaide singles in the colourway London Goth. I did have some frustration with this yarn as the 5 skeins I had acquired through a destash had a slightly different hue. This meant I alternated balls every row or every 2nd row throughout except the ribbing sections. Thankfully this doesn't seem too evident in the finished item, except the cuffs which are quite dark; I don't mind this as I tend to get my sleeves a bit grubby anyway. 

This week is the end of my month without Instagram on my phone. I have checked it a few times on the computer but otherwise feel like I have been able to increase my mental presence and get a lot more reading done. I will jump back on for a few days a month I think, to post and catch up a bit, but overall I feel like a big departure is better for me. I tried to set up an email signup but the addon is a bit beyond my grasp. I'll try to keep my Instagram links updated and post when I write. If you have any questions about the Marie wrap please let me know, I love talking about my knits and helping choose the perfect project for that lovely yarn you have floating around (you definitely do, we all do). Thanks for stopping by! Ellen xx

Special appearance from Audrey