I’m all about the summer knits right now, feverishly trying to get them done so I can wear them before the weather turns cool. I always think to myself, why aren’t I knitting spring / summer in the fall / winter so I’m prepared for the season just like designers do? It always just seems a bit weird to knit heavy yarns when it’s a zillion degrees out though right?
Well enough of that thought – let’s get back to summer knitting and especially tees. My absolute favourite “go to” or pick me up make for summer is the Tolsta Tee by Rebecca Clow. If you are not familiar with it, this is the time to see what all the hype is about. It is THE perfect basic raglan t-shirt that can be dressed up or down and just screams for your creativity.
It’s knit top down using circular needles (my favourite type of make). The pattern is written very well for all range of knitters. New to knitting? It is such a great pattern to build confidence and expand your me mades. An expert knitter? It’s a fabulous simple knit that is so satisfying.
And I’ve mentioned that I love to choose my own adventure with knitting before – well this pattern offers an extra document with resources on how to customize your Tolsta to your liking. Want stripes? Eyelets? Ribbing? iCord? It’s all up to what you want to do. I love that.
My love for Tolsta runs deep. It’s a pattern that you can binge watch Netflix (or any other streaming channel) as it’s easy to follow and knits up super quick. It calls for DK weight (psst have you checked out the summer yarns on sale right now that would be PERFECT for this make?) and on 5 mm needles it knits up rather quickly. It is so satisfying and what I would call a “palette cleanser” make with zero calories lol. I typically reach to make one after a more complicated lacework piece to reset.
What I love about this pattern is that each yarn you choose can really change the look of this basic tee. A cotton or linen blend makes beautiful summer tees and you can make a transition one for Spring or Fall with wool blend. I’ve made one in Noro Silk Garden Solo (striped version), Noro Kakigori (my favourite), Malabrigo Ultimate Sock (held double), and in Juniper Moon Cotton (one we don’t carry anymore however our DK yarns like Eco Tweed DK or Creative Lazy Hazy Summer Cotton DK would be AH-MAZ-ING). See how different they look in each knitted fabric?
So my love for this pattern continues even though some may say I have too many already….spoiler alter - I have two more in the works (really you can’t have too many right?) - one in mercenized cotton and another in malabrigo rios.
Since I love this pattern so much, I got right on the bandwagon when the Tolsta Tank was released last month. I thought this would be the perfect tank for me. This pattern offers two weights which I love and many many styles. I had Berocco Remix Light (DK weight) in my stash so I jumped to use it making the vest version.
My thoughts? Well this is a bottom up pattern. Not my favourite. I fizzled out a bit when I got to splitting the sleeves (meanwhile if it was top down, that’s my favourite part as you are halfway through right?). And then you have to pick up stitches for the ribbing on the armholes and neckline. Again, I tend to shy away from this these days…so knitting the vest wasn’t my favourite journey. BUT I absolutely love the fit and look of it.
For me you win some and you loose some. I haven’t come across a tank that doesn’t require some sort of splitting the sleeves and knitting flat or need to pick up stitches for icord / ribbing. If I’m going to have an assortment of knitted tanks, I’m going to have to get over that preciousness. For now, it’s the Tolsta tee for me.
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