Web-Letter, Issue 147 – Classic Silk Short-Sleeve Top In the vast array of knitting books I own, there are only a handful of books that I turn to over and over again. Books that stand the test of time and continue to inspire every time I leaf through the pages.  I suspect the newly published New England Knits, (Interweave Press, 2010) will fall into this category. Authors Cecily Glowick MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre, along with a handful of other talented designers, have put together a collection of sweaters and accessories that are knitterly, flattering to wear and that won't look dated in a year or two. This week's free pattern, a cardigan in Classic Silk, which can be worn buttoned up the front or back, is just a sample of the design talents of prolific designer Cecily Glowik MacDonald. There are many more styles to inspire you in New England Knits. Creative Director
The Story: The beautiful cover photo New England Knits immediately sets the tone for this collection of 25 timeless, fashionable, yet New England sensible designs. This collaboration of New England native designers, Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Mellissa LaBarre, is sure to be a perennial favorite among knitters. The book is cleverly laid out into 3 sections that depict the true flavor of New England style—around the town; fall on the farm, and along the coast. The designs are lovely against the quaint little New England towns in which they were photographed. New England Knits is filled with great designs and knitting tips, such as how to sew in a set-in sleeve and tricks for picking up large numbers of stitches. The construction of the garments is varied throughout—there are top down pullovers and cardigans, traditional set in sleeves and cuff to cuff styles, even a beaded shawl. There really is something for everyone. The designs depict a wide range of garments including hats, pullovers, cardigans, coats, and even a beautiful skirt with the prettiest lace trim peeking out. The style is classically fashioned and figure flattering. The book also contains designs by several guest designers, including Carrie Bostick Hoge and Kristen TenDyke. Among my personal favorites are Kristen’s Old Port Pullover in CEY's Princess yarn and Cecily’s whimsical Fairfield sweater in CEY's Kumara. However, my first cast-on will be the Windsor Warmer, not only do I love the design but also love working with Marly. The Yarn: Classic Silk 50% cotton, 30% silk, 20% nylon Classic Silk is a wonderful combination of cotton, silk, and nylon. The joining of these three fibers creates a soft and lofty yarn that is a pleasure to work with as well as wear. Each fiber accepts the dye differently, causing a slight marbled effect. It knits up at a gauge of 5 sts to the inch on size US 6 (4 mm) needles. This yarn works beautifully for sweaters as well as accessories. Classic Silk comes in a gorgeous palette of 25 colors. The Stitches: All of the Classic Elite patterns are written to use the long-tail cast-on method, unless otherwise specified. In many cases an alternate cast-on may be used if desired, however for this design, and any design that has garter stitch on the cast-on edge, we highly suggest you use the long-tail method. When the long-tail cast-on is used with garter stitch, the first row of garter stitch begins on a right side row. This makes it so the cast-on row looks like a garter ridge, keeping in the garter stitch pattern. Learn how to do the long-tail cast-on.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Classic Silk Short-Sleeve Top pattern. If you have difficulty downloading or printing the PDF pattern above, try these: page 1, page 2
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	600 Vienna, Austria Pattern available for sale from Patternfish
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