Drifter - New Pattern! September 3, 2020 03:10

Simple Stockinette stitch is so often underappreciated. I've waxed and waned with my attraction to it throughout my knitting experience. At the moment, with all that's going on in the world (2020 OMG!), I'm thoroughly appreciating the repetitive, simplicity of Stockinette. There are no surprises—it's always the same, and easy.

I just so happened to be knitting the Drifter sample garment when social isolation, quarantines, etc…  began in the United States because of the global pandemic. Drifter was my refuge. The rhymthic nature of the knitting eased my body while I distracted my mind from the current reality with fiction.

The day I discovered I could read while knitting changed how much I appreciated reading. Until that day it was always either/or. But whether or not you can read while knitting doesn't matter. Drifter is a peaceful knit, with no surprises.

It begins with a tubular cast on, which creates a streamlined edge in 1x1 ribbing. Of course, any cast-on could be used, but the tubular method really kicks this design up a notch, IMO.

Miles of stockinette (ok, not that many) are worked, with some shaping for the neck hole, then the opposite edge is finished off using the Tubular bind-off, to mirror the beautiful cast-on edge.

The sample that I made used three beautiful colors of Superwash Worsted, by Sweet Georgia—Pine Tree, Deep Cove and Mink. I wasn't sure how the Deep Cove and Pine Tree would compliment each other, so I swatched the colorblock patterns in a few different ways before settling on the one I chose for the sample.

Charlotte Lee created a second sample that uses two strands of Tough Love Sock Yarn held together, to create a beautiful all-over marled look.

Of course, after indulging in the ease and peaceful knitting of Drifter, you'll have a finished sweater—a perfect layering piece for this years cooler seasons.

Read about sizing, yarn requirements, gauge, etc… here. And the Drifter pattern can be found in the Autumn with Sweet Georgia, vol 6, as well as an individual download.