This time, the knitter who made the project is me! Meghan! When I saw the sketched proposals of Bristol Ivy’s patterns for her collection, I knew I had to make one. They were all so modern and fun. And when the samples came in, you know I tried each and every one of them on, even though I am decidedly not a sample size. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Lita fit fairly well and only needed one adjustment to make it fit me perfectly – short row shaping in the bust. Call it a blessing or call it a curse, but the fact is, I’m busty; whenever I make a garment for myself, I must adjust the bust.
Bristol cleverly wrote in gentle bust shaping by placing decreases in two, parallel, vertical columns on the front of the sweater. While I do think that this shaping will be sufficient for most people, I need a bit more fabric in the front to ensure against the front hem riding up. To do this, I measured myself from the top of the shoulder to my bust point as Lita is knit from the top down. When I got to that measurement, I started my short-rows. I only needed to add about an inch, so I planned for only 8 short rows. And I didn’t want a strange fabric peak at my bust so I didn’t repeat the short-rows in reverse. I placed the W+Ts 10 stitches apart, and I started at the same place where the decreases will begin in a couple inches and worked outwards to the side seams.
They are essentially placed where you might find bust darts in a fitted, woven garment. Â It was a very easy adjustment to make and to be honest, I didn’t spend too much time figuring it out. Â I made a couple of measurements and then winged it.
I love this sweater.  It’s a perfect spring layering sweater and it’s just so cute.  It’s a flattering on many shapes and it was a fast knit to boot. If you have this sweater in your queue, take my advice and bump it to the top. Lita does not disappoint. I used Cumbria Fingering in Eden Valley but my second choice was Castlerigg, that soft, dusty, violet. And of course, Buttermere, the color Bristol used, is fantastic.  If you are already making Lita or another of the patterns in the Bristol Ivy Collection, don’t forget to tag it with #kelbournewoolens and #madewiththefibreco so we can see them! -MK
P.S. I do think that this many pictures of me are excessive but I really wanted to share this fantastic mural that resides in my neighborhood. Â Isn’t it divine?