Letters
I Totally Paused: The As If Tee
Dear Ann,
Sometimes a pattern keeps at you until you give in and knit the thing. I am experiencing that phenomenon right now with the As If Tee by Shay Johnson.
Photo by Shay Johnson.
The As If Tee pattern is one year old this month, and that’s about how long it’s been sneaking up on me and whispering “you want to knit me” in my ear. The original is knit in Machete Shop OG Aran for the body and Machete Shop Kid Mohair for the “window.”
It didn’t help that one of the first ones I remember seeing in real life was this one, by Kristy Glass.
Kristy’s version is in Asylum Fibers for the main body and Shibui Silk Cloud for the see-through bit. PHOTO BY KRISTY GLASS.
I think what draws me (and, evidently, many other knitters) in is the As If Tee’s clever use of laceweight mohair to create a decollété illusion across the collarbone and shoulders. The rest of the sweater is knitted in a heavy worsted or Aran weight yarn, so you get the fun of knitting with two wildly different yarns in the same project. (The gauge is 18 stitches over 4 inches/10cm, which makes for a speedy knit.)
And it’s so wearable: look at the projects on Ravelry. I see it looking great on a lot of different shapes and sizes, including mine. Bonus: I get to wear that strapless bra I’ve been holding onto since 1999. I knew I’d need it again someday; take that, Kon Mari!
But do I really need a low-cut (faux-cut), dressy top? That was holding me back: that parsimonious voice in my head saying, “who do you think you are, a party person? What’s next: red lipstick?”
The Last Straw
Then Dana Williams-Johnson included the As If Tee on her rundown of short-sleeved tops last month.
Have mercy! A knitter can resist Kristy Glass some of the time, and Dana Williams-Johnson some of the time, but when they double-team you, you can resist none of the time. Just cast on.
It’s All Over But the Yarn-Picking
So now I’ve got the pattern, and I’m officially at the Delicious Dithering stage: what yarns?
Since this is going to be Special Occasion Party Wear for me, I want to go with a dark, dramatic color. My go-to dark dramatic color is deep blue. The specific deep blue I have in mind is Periwinkle Sheep Merino DK in Cadet:
I know DK is not the specified yarn weight, but I’m thinking that if I carry the mohair yarn along with it for the body, it just might work. What do you think? Crazy, or crazy smart?
Or, to stick to the correct yarn for this gauge, I could go with Spud & Chloé Sweater, in Lake:
Which mohair?
Gah. Neighborhood Fiber Company Loft, shade Rosemont (the pale blue)? Or should I do a bit of stash-diving for Rowan Kid Silk Haze, shade Lord (more of a navy), of blessed memory?
I’ve got a lot to think about.
Love,
Kay
P.S. In designing the As If Tee, Shay Johnson was inspired by 90s nostalgia and the movie Clueless. “I totally paused” is my favorite line in that movie. If you haven’t seen it, see it and smile.
I’d prefer a smooth yarn by itself for the lower part, to have more contrast with the mohair top. Use the Spud and Chloe!
Kay, you make me laugh so much as in “take that, Kon Mari”. I have a Kon Mari friend who taunts me with her lean, mean closet, while I am apt to pull a 20-year-old sweater out from under a large pile of half-forgotten fashion relics and yell “this is just the thing!” Looking forward to your yarn choices. It looks like a great project!
What Phyllis said. Plus, how warm is it going to be if the whole body is mohair? For me, that’s starting to sound too warm.
Love the colorway options.
Don’t use the spud and chose yarn…it is not a party yarn. Go for what you like the best, you can make it work. Spoken as a knitter who never follows the rules!
Oh I’m in love. I’m thinking maybe the chocolate milk spud and Chloe and the Druid hill mohair? Can someone who has seen these yarns in person tell me if these colors will work together?
I’m headed to World HQ TODAY so I will report!
Thanks!
Geez…as if my queue wasn’t already busting at the seams…well, what’s one more? 😉
I too have had this on my radar…now I’m obsessed! Will start looking for yarns today!! How about Shibui Silk cloud in the color suit for your mohair? I used this color in my Like a Cloud sweater and its a GORGEOUS dark blue. Can’t wait to see your finished tee 🙂
Kay, those blues would look lovely with a nice Chanel red lipstick!
agreed. Everyone should have a good red lipstick, just in case.
Kay, you are so funny! Btw, I still wear red lipstick and I am 65 years young.
I love the As if a tee. I say do a swatch with a mohair and a dk that you have on hand. I think it will be fabulous.
Pick what will look best with your stilettos (or go go boots if you’re really going all out). Same advice for the lipstick!
I used the Periwinkle yarn in Cadet for my Liberty Tree pullover. It is wonderful to knit and the color is fantastic.
I vote the Periwinkle + the variegated blue/teal/green shade of Loft carried along….that would be stunning- especially with bright pink or red lipstick (yes..go for it)
Or….Periwinkle in Beaujolais + Loft in Gwyn Oak…now that’s a party I’m looking forward to attend.
Oooh, I like your ideas!
What’s a girl to use if she is allergic to mohair? I love this pattern, but I would be scratching a lot!
Have you tried one of the brushed suri alpaca yarns? MDK carries Fyberspates Cumulus I believe, but another one I love is Qing Melted Suri— such amazing colors.
Hi Becky, you can totally use any laceweight besides mohair, perhaps a silk laceweight wouldn’t be too itchy?
I like the color of Cadet best.
I agree! (Might the fact that I already own a skein of that gorgeous Cadet be influencing me??)
Kay. Never underestimate the power of red lipstick. It’s kryptonite for grown-up ladies.
Love the As If, I can’t wait to see what you choose,
Don’t you have a fancy pants Alabama Chanin skirt in navy? (No, I’m not a stalker.). Whatever colorway you choose should go with that.
You totally sold this to me, Kay, just bought the pattern! But I frankly can’t imagine a tee in Aran weight, I’d get a heat stroke! So I’ll have to think of a way to do in fingering, max. DK. Maybe with the same size needles it’ll make a nice lofty fabric? Must brows the projects, if someone has tried that…
We could have a KAL. It might make it easier for those fighting the siren call.
Kay, re: Clueless. I still laugh when I think of Spa-RAT-acus.
Hold them double – crazy smart!
So, my experience with Spud & Chloe Sweater is that it isn’t a very dressy yarn. I love the color of the Periwinkle Sheep Merino DK. What about Shibui drift? The graphite could look good with your Lord (of blessed memory). Or? I personally wouldn’t go with mohair throughout, but that could make for a festive sweater for social occasions from November to February.
Kay, you crack me up! I wanted to mention that Shibui has a beautiful dark blue in Silk Cloud.
My one question with this sort of design: is the laceweight mohair section strong enough to carry the weight of all that heavy yarn below? Or is this top destined to stretch miserably from the shoulders and turn into a saggy disaster? There’s a VK design that caught my eye back in the early ’00s, a yoke pullover with mohair-lace yoke supporting worsted-weight wool body and sleeves. Loved the look, but haven’t made it yet for fear of epic wardrobe failure.
Mwahaha, says this knitting nerd. I puzzled with that too. Lace weight mohair is deceptively strong (just try breaking it with your hands!) Also, this garment does not lack for structural strength…. Collar, shoulder seams, side seams. Like a suspension bridge. Genius design.
I love this pattern but live in a warm climate. Any suggestions of yarn types to use so I can wear it year round?? Kay you make me laugh.
Madeline Tosh (Tosh DK) in Ceremony color is a gorgeous rich purple navy blue.
If this is for dressy wear, I’d try the yarn combo, moving to just the mohair for the neckline. I love silver with navy, so that’s what I would choose. Or navy on navy.
Amy – I was going to say the same thing! Yarn combo with navy and silver, silver for the mohair part. I think it will be dressy – calling for sapphire jewelry. Perfect kind of thing to wear on New Year’s Eve. Personally I don’t see how the weight of the aran doesn’t stretch the mohair completely out of shape, but it seems to work.
Sylph? Held double for the lower half?
FWIW, yesterday I learned that when one knits a light mohair along with a dark base yarn, the resulting fabric can look marled.
https://blog.tincanknits.com/2019/05/30/painterly-yarn-combinations-layering-mohair-over-a-base-yarn/
I have zero experience with this. Maybe the result might depend on the specific yarns?
This is going to look SO good. I love the light blue Rosemont … but I’d love to see navy kidsilk Lord.
Poor Kay. Decisions, decisions. Navy or midnight? Mohair, silk, or maybe angora? DK, worsted, bulky, or superchunky? Sleeves or no sleeves? And then she’s got to find the perfect red lipstick — fire engine red? Ferrari red? Candy apple red? Tune in again for another episode of “All My Dilemmas” ;-)!
Kay, my vote is also for a KAL in a month or two for this beautiful pattern. And just to let you know I’m sixty-six and have three red lipsticks in my war paint chest…..cause you never know.
You got me! I bought the pattern and cast on with a gorgeous grapes purple in Cascade Venezia wool & silk. I couldn’t find a matching purple until I happened upon KnitPicks Aloft in Eggplant. These 2 yarns are a stash dive for me; bought them to Knit Elton but never did it. Can’t wait to finish and rock some red lips at the same time.
Oh lordy, please DON’T do a KAL as then I’ll never be able to resist this pattern!!
Oh Lordy, Lord – I’m sure I have several skeins in the vault of untouched KSH. Let me know if you need some.
Wow! I love this beauty!!
I am almost done with mine. I hope to have it finished up today. I used spud and Chloé sweater and a lace weight I had in my stash. I went with white for my first one. Next one will be more colorful. I also made mine longer. It’s a super versatile sweater you can dress up or down!
That sounds brilliant, I’ve a long torso so I’m forever lengthening every single thing I knit. Did it still hang together nicely with the extra length?
I just came across this pattern a couple of weeks ago on Ravelry and I really was drawn to it! I don’t have the body type to pull it off, but it still calls to me! I can’t wait to see how you knit it. I like your idea of the DK held together with the mohair, very pretty!