In my newsletters lately, we’ve been discussing the concept of mojo, and how it sometimes just seems to come and go as it pleases, in midst of a crisis I completely lost my knitting mojo and found myself in a place where I just couldn’t hold on to my needles for support. This blog post is not about mojo or the lack of it, it is actually about the project that helped bring my mojo back! Let me tell you about my current obsession – The Yolene Top by Pickles.

As soon as my motivation and urge to knit again returned I chose a new cast-on. An easy, mindless (or mindful, depending on how you look at it), rhythmical knit. The effect is exactly what I was after – currently on my needles is a project that further feeds my mojo and soothes my soul.

I adore everything about it – the neckline, the texture, the fit, the yarn used, the stitch – just everything!
Made in Pickles Sommerull (summer wool), a delicious yarn for hot summer days, in 45 / 55 organic cotton and lambswool blend it has a smooth and crisp stitch definition that will properly show off the gorgeous texture of the Yolene. The stitch repeat is very simple, you work two stitches together and then a yarn over – and that’s it – you can probably make up this top (at least the body section) blindfolded. I find myself sinking into the flow, the rhythm of this knit, I’m breathing through the stitches and the rounds are literarily flying off my needles – but I do have a couple of notes to be aware of.

Transitioning from a knit round to a purl round, I did get so lost in my own rhythm that I didn’t pay much attention to this until I was half way through the body and realised I had messed up the ‘joins’. You end each purl round with a yarn over, next knit round will then finish with that yarn over being knit together with a stitch. You slip your marker, and then when you start your following purl round, you are supposed to knit the loop from the yarn over already worked into the one stitch. I missed being consistent with which strand I picked up, but you know what – because I am so into the rhythm of this project – I didn’t mind ripping back a good 20 cm or so to start over and fix my joins.

The picture to the left shows how it looks like when just slipped the marker, and the second picture shows how I insert my needle from behind to lift the strand back onto my left needle (before completing the p2tog).

The second thing I want to mention is that of sizing. The pattern is graded into 8 sizes, but there is quite a leap between each size. Recommended ease is quite figure hugging, and I found myself dead in the middle between two sizes where one would be well tight and the other quite wide. However, it is super easy to accommodate for this. After working the shoulder straps, you are casting on stitches for the neckline and under arms before closing to continue in the round – and this will end up with the stitches equaling the total circumference of the body. I am working size M but want a smaller version, about an inch, which with my tension (measured on the finished shoulder straps) being about 8 stitches. As long as you keep your numbers in twos you can reduce or add with ease to get your desired fit. For me that meant casting on 2 less stitches for both under arms and the front neckline and the back neckline = 8 stitches less in total. And then just follow the pattern with your new stitch count.

Finally, I just have to mention, how cost efficient this top is. From my progress above – I am still on my first 50g ball and nearly half way through! This means that for the smaller sizes you’ll get this summer project for less than £20 and the largest is £34, if that’s not to be considered icing on the cake – I don’t know what would.

Sharing my enthusiasm over the Yolene Top in my newsletter, I did put a yarn kit up online, just in case you wanted to join me in this summer delight of a knit. And so many of you have already gotten yours! I’ll share my progress on socials using #KWAdoesPicklesYolene, join me if you’d like – it could potentially help us keep track of each other’s progress to cheer each other along, a very loosely formed knit-a-long. Feel free to drop me a note letting me know what you think about that idea.