I have two patterns in the Fall 2012 issue of knit.wear: the Arc and Line Cowl and the Ribbed-Waist Pullover. When the premiere issue of knit.wear came out in Fall 2011, I really liked the clean, modern feel of many of the designs, so I was quite excited when two of my submissions were accepted for the Fall 2012 issue.
The Ribbed-Waist Pullover is a variation on a very classic design: the raglan pullover. What sets it apart are the ribbed accent panels; they are shaped into triangles (sleeves), inverted triangle (upper back) or diamonds (side waist), and thus provide more shaping at the widest part of the panels, where it is most needed: cuffs, back neck, and natural waist.
In the original swatch for this design, the ribbed panels were bordered with diagonal strips of stockinette stitch, 2 stitches wide. When the editor of knit.wear, Eunny Jang, contacted me about using the deisgn, she suggested I try using the panels without the borders, to allow the ribs to flow more organically into the stockinette body of the sweater. I was a little concerned that this would make the ribs look sloppy, as the knit stitches in 2X2 ribbing tend to be a little bigger than the knit stitches in plain stockinette, when worked on the same size needles. But after swatching I decided I liked the effect, so I went with Eunny's suggestion.
I really liked the yarn for this project (Juniper Moon Farm Chadwick, in Hannah, a lovely muted green)--it was soft, bouncy and a pleasure to knit. And the design worked up quickly; the only rough spot was the calculations for the upper back ribbing: since it flows into the neck ribbing AND the ribbed raglan seams, it was a little complicated figuring out where the point of the triangle should be so, that everything came together properly for all sizes.
And when I tried on the sample, I did notice that for the most flattering fit, the widest part of the side waist ribbing should fall at or slightly above the natural waist. My back waist length is slightly shorter than the standard sizes, and the sweater honestly didn't look great on me, because the widest part of the side waist panels were pointing right at my abdomen. Then I pulled the sides up slightly, moving the side "pointers" up to my natural waist-- and it made a huge difference!
As for the Arc and Line Cowl (photo courtesy of interweave Press), it was a fun, fast knit, with a delightful yarn (Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage), in Filigree, a gorgeous green/olive/gold colorway. With yarn held doubled, and US size 10 needles, I was amazed at how quickly the work progressed. For this project I wanted to make use of the way the lace stitch pattern distorts the fabric, to shape the cowl into a face-framing curve. And yes, even though the fabric is quite solid, the stitch pattern is in fact a so-called "true" lace, with yarnovers and decreases on every round.
I hope this doesn't sound conceited, but I'm a little surprised that this project isn't more popular on Ravelry, because in my opinion it is a little unusual, very wearable, and works up quickly-- all great characteristics for holiday gifts AND personal knitting.