Talland Tee

Today we’re celebrating Halloween, and I haven’t decided yet whether my latest project is a trick or a treat. There may have been some strange witchcraft involved.

The pattern is Talland Tee by Sonja Bargielowska. I had just over 1,000 yards (914 m) of handspun fingering yarn that appeared to be a good match for the pattern. I knit a swatch and determined that US-9 (5.5 mm) needles would work well; I liked the drape of the fabric after soaking and the knitting held its shape well.

The six inches of positive ease that the pattern calls for sounded excessive to me. I chose a size with two to three inches of positive ease as I normally would.

I have a longer torso and typically need to lengthen patterns. For this pattern, I wanted the bottom edge to land about mid-hip so I knit one extra repeat of the lace pattern chart.

I usually need to lengthen the yoke as well, but I thought this one should fit as written. I knit about 10 fewer rows for the front yoke and 20 fewer for the back to achieve armhole depths that matched the measurements in the pattern.

I added some stitches to the outer edge of each armhole to offer a little more shoulder coverage. I worked those areas in garter stitch instead of stockinette stitch to prevent the fabric from curling.

After the top was complete, I soaked it. This time, the knitting grew — a lot.

Yes, it is now a Talland Dress. The stockinette stitch yoke, which was supposed to end about an inch and a half (3.5 cm) above the widest point of the bust, comes down below the bust. The armhole depth exposes the side of my bra. The bottom edge lands just above my knees. Interestingly, it fits well around my body and measures as it should — the extra positive ease was unnecessary after all.

I don’t think I can blame this on the weight of the yarn pulling the stitches down because the growth was apparent while the piece was drying flat. I don’t know why I didn’t have the same results from the swatch. Perhaps, because the yarn is made from different types of fiber, the swatch was primarily one fiber.

I can adjust the armholes to cover my bra and, with the right base layer, wear this as a dress. I need some more time to mull it over. And I don’t have a photo of me in the dress because I’m getting over a stomach bug. Nobody needs that much of a fright this Halloween!

Be safe and have fun.