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Gone to Seed - Digital Pattern Walk

Today, I wanted to talk just a bit about the construction of Gone to Seed, since it's different from my other designs. I'll also share some tidbits about what's in the pattern!

Jen sits at the foot of a bed, wearing a delicate handknit tee with lace detail and a plunging neckline.
You're not two rectangles. Neither is this dropped shoulder/dolman tee.

Fun Construction

To make Gone to Seed, you'll start by making two lace panels, one for each shoulder. From there, you'll pick up and knit down for each front. You'll knit a little ribbed panel for the back neck, and seam it to the lace panels. Then you'll pick up all the way across the back and work down for the body. Seam up the sides and add some slender trim, and she's ready for buttons!


Packed with Resources

I believe a pattern should include everything you need to create the garment.

Two pages of a knitting pattern, with Abbreviations, blocking instructions, and notes on the German Short Rows, SLoped Bind off, and Garter Stich Selvedge.
Resources!

The pattern spells out how to work the German short rows, how to choose a size using your

Jen stands on one foot, her arms up to balance. She wears brown hemp yoga shorts and a comfortable, loose fitting handknit top
I call these photos my 'juicy body photos' because I, for once, actually love the way my curves and bumps look in this top.

upper bust, and how to pick a cup size for the optional bust shaping. Ready for a refresher on seaming? I include a link to my favorite seaming resource, too.


Finally, you'll get a detailed schematic so that you can block to measurements - making seaming a whiz and ensuring you get a nice symmetrical garment.


Designed to FIT

I love a boxy, drapey design as much as the next knitter. But dang, my body is not shaped like two rectangles!


Neither is Gone to Seed.


Gone to Seed includes optional bust shaping in four sizes, gentle A-line shaping, and 'micro darts' for sizes 6-12, and short row shaping for the shoulders. All 12 sizes are designed to fit bodies with dynamic shapes, just like yours.


Psst - want to see more? Here's the pattern page!


A smidge of technical talk (you know you love it!)

What's a microdart?


As we work up the size chart for drop-shoulder designs, we run into a problem. Our bust circumference increases, but our shoulders don't get much wider. Traditionally, a drop shoulder design is simply the same width all the way up to the top - the bust width.


The largest size in this pattern has a finished bust of 82.75" / 207cm. That would create a wingspan, after adding the dolman shaping under the arm, of something like 43" / 107.5cm across. In the final pattern, we need to end up with a wingspan of 37.5" / 93.5cm, so we've got to do some work to keep the sleeve from landing in your elbowpit (that's a word, honestly!)

A flat illustration of the front of Gone to Seed, showing the shaping as cut out wedges, like a dart in a sewing pattern
An early sketch of the shapes I wanted to create with this sweater, drawn as if a sewing pattern

Microdarts are simple columns of increases worked after the stitches are picked up for the fronts and backs. They let us keep the total wingspan narrow while allowing us to increase to a comfortable bust circumference. Sizes 6-12 have these microdarts. They're complicated to design, but as a knitter, you'll just 'knit to marker, m1; rep from *' a few times. Easy peasy experience for you, and a MUCH better fit.


I hope that this digital pattern walk has been helpful for you as you evaluate this pattern (or as you think about how you're going to design your next drop shoulder design)! If you have questions, put them in the comments!


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