CALATHEA | A Studio Project

The spring air and short bursts of sunshine was just the motivation I needed to write up this studio project.

Featured in amirisu Spring/Summer 2021 Issue 22, Calathea, a design by amirisu, is a neckerchief style scarf worked flat using a curious double-twisted purl stitch pattern repeat to create a faux quilted texture that results in an equally interesting front and reverse side.

This spring/summer style is certainly on trend, and the simple colour play and somewhat contradictory yarn choices added to the appeal.

I had so much fun styling this piece, find all my project notes and styling ideas below.

Enjoy!

Andrea | Loom + Spindle

STUDIO PROJECT | Calathea

DESIGN

Calathea is a design by amirisu Magazine, first published in June 2021. The pattern is available to purchase as a digital download via Ravelry.

SKILLS

Knit and purl stitches
Twisted stitches
Increasing and decreasing
Following pattern repeats
Picking up stitches
Elastic bind-off (instructions are included in the pattern)

TOOLS

MATERIALS

WAITLIST

Cotton Fine | Putty

The Project

INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

YARN

I took a ‘no fear’ approach when it came to subbing in yarns. I didn’t completely disregard gauge but thought there was some room to play.
I had Jardim and Cotton Fine on hand that was set aside for a shop sample. The colour combo was bright and happy so I locked it in.
I used Jardim (Amber), a 50/50 cotton and wool blend, with its soft hand feel and springy texture for the ‘quilted’ side.
Cotton Fine (Putty) was used for the twisted-purl slipstitch side.

CONSTRUCTION + FINISHING

I note the skill rating on this pattern is rated as high. I think for anyone familiar with knit/purl stitches and comfortable with increasing/decreasing, it would certainly doable.
The stitch pattern was new to me, after working through a few rows I was able to memorise the pattern.
The pattern has some really nice details to make the finished piece appear seamless and the design reversible. So do take care when the pattern instructs you to slip or pick up stitches .
The elastic bind-off was a great knew skill to learn, it produced a uniform and appealing cast-off edge.
I knit to the length suggested in the pattern. My final stitch gauge was 36 stitches over 10cm - so wasn’t too far out!

STYLING IDEAS

FINAL THOUGHTS

This piece was such a good skill builder. The quilted texture is really unique and the neckerchief size kept things manageable.

Even though I used a 5 ply (Jardim) and a 4 Ply (Cotton Fine), my gauge wasn’t too far off the pattern recommendation. I think you’ll get great results with many different yarns that are on this lighter end of the spectrum.

With less than a ball of each yarn required, you can definitely stash dive for this one or experiment with a few new ones on a modest budget!