Elegant simplicity! For summer, Canadian designer Marie-Christine Lévesque @mclevq has released the pretty “Linaceae” top she chose to knit in Antigone “lilas”.
With its clean straight cut and more sophisticated details such as the elegant shoulder line obtained by the “contiguous set in sleeve” method and the folded hemline, this pattern is a beautiful classic that perfectly showcases the precious linen material and is a delight to wear!
“Linaceae” pattern by Marie-Christine Levesque, knitted in Antigone “lilas” in size XS.
We wanted to see what this pattern would look like with stripes, and Céline knitted a sailor-like version that we really like 🙂
For this version, we chose colors that are easy to combine, pairing the dark blue “abysse” with the undyed “lin”.
CONSTRUCTION
This pattern is knitted in one seamless piece from top to bottom: it is work flat first using the “contiguous set in sleeve” method to shape the top of the yoke and the beginning of the shoulders, before separating the armholes from the rest of the body.
The lower body and sleeve edges are finished with a folded hem in stockinette stitch. The stitches around the neckline are then picked up to knit a hem folded on the wrong side.
“Linaceae” pattern by Marie-Christine Lévesque, knitted in Antigone “lin” and “abysse” in size M.
SKILL LEVEL
This pattern involves a number of techniquess, such as picking up stitches, increases and sewing a hem on the wrong side of the work. You’ll also need to get to grips with the particular effect of the vegetable fiber on the needles: we recommend you choose wooden needles to control the slippery aspect of the yarn, and pay close attention to the regularity of your tension, especially when changing needle sizes.
DETAILS OF OUR STRIPED VERSION
Our two-tone version is knitted in size M with 5 cm of positive ease at the chest and sleeves slightly shortened to 7.5 cm (measured from armhole).
For the stripes, we alternated 8 rows of “lin” with 4 rows of “abysse” (the first stripe in contrasting “abysse” starts 8 rows after the front neckline row, and there is 4 rows of “lin” after the last stripe for the lower body, before starting the hem). We’ve moved the beginning of round to the middle of the back and minimized the shift at the color change by knitting the first stitch of the row and the stitch of a different color just below it together at the beginning of the second row after the color change. The demarcation remains slightly visible but discreet.
For this version, Céline used 3 balls of Antigone “lin” (main color) and 1 ball of “abysse” (contrasting color).
Pattern: « Linaceae » by Marie-Christine Lévesque, available in french and in English on Ravelry in 9 sizes corresponding to a finished chest circumference of 84 to 163 cm.
Yarn: Antigone (100 % ecological linen, grown in Normandie (France) without chemical inputs, 260 m (284 y.) / 100g).
You will need 3 to 7 skeins depending on your size to knit this top.
Thank you Marie-Christine for this beautiful classic!
Photo credits for the Antigone « lilas » sample: Marie-Christine Lévesque