User Experience (UX) Knit: Sappho's Love

Sappho’s Love is a lightweight tee that feels like wearing a cloud

Featuring a modest scoop neckline,
rolled edges, and trim fit sleeves, Sappho is infinitely layerable with your swimsuit to the beach, or under your favorite jacket when the chill sets in. Set-in sleeves and a polished fit that drapes over your frame add sophistication to this classic long sleeved tee.

Sappho’s Love is a top-down, seamless, set-in sleeve tee. There are optional bust darts offered in four cup sizes for a custom fit. This luxuriously soft blend of llama, silk, linen, and wool is breathable and semi-sheer knit at this open gauge.

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Construction

Worked seamlessly from the top down both flat and in the round. You will cast on for each shoulder and
work the shoulder and neck shaping before joining to create the front and back. After working the arm-
hole shaping you will join the front and back and work in the round. The sleeves are picked up, shaped with short rows, and knit in the round.

Optional Bust Shaping

Sappho's Love includes instructions for knitting short rows in 4 sizes to give you your best fit.

Get the Schematic

Choose a Size

1 (2, 3, 4) [5, 6, 7] (8, 9, 10)

Choose the size closest to your actual upper chest measurement. Upper chest is measured above the full bust, at an angle close to diagonal beneath the underarms, and straight across the back.

To fit upper chest: 29.75 (33.75, 37.75, 40.75) [43.25, 46, 49] (52, 55, 58) inches / 74.5 (84.5, 94.5, 102) [108, 115, 122.5] (130, 137.5, 145) cm

Sappho's Love is designed to fit with approximately 2 inches / 5 cm of positive ease at the fullest part of your bust and 1 inch / 2.5 cm of positive ease in the upper arm.

Finished bust circumference: 32 (36, 40, 44) [48, 52, 56] (60, 64, 68) inches / 80.5 (90, 100, 110) [120, 130.5, 140] (150, 160, 170) cm

Finished hip circumference: 36.5 (40.5, 44.25, 48.25) [52.25, 56.5, 60.5] (64.25, 68.25, 72.25) inches / 91 (101, 111, 120.5) [130.5, 141, 151] (161, 171, 180.5) cm

Finished upper arm circumference: 10.74 (11.75, 13.25, 14.5) [15.5, 17, 18.5] (20, 21.5, 22.5) inches / 27 (29.5, 33, 36) [39, 42.5, 46.5] (50, 53.5, 56.5) cm

Bess is wearing size 3, Cup 1, with 4 inches / 10 cm of positive ease at the full bust and .5 inches / 1.5 cm of positive ease at the upper arm. Her upper chest is 34.5 inches / 86.5 cm and she is 5’ 3” / 157.5 cm tall.

Sappho's Love includes instructions for knitting short rows to accommodate breasts. Short rows add length to the front of the garment only, so that the hem does not rise in the front. To choose a cup size, measure your body from the top of the shoulder to your underbust in both the back and the front. Subtract the back length from the front length then subtract 2 inches / 5 cm, and choose a cup size based on the result.

Download the Schematic

Techniques

• Working German short rows
• Cable cast-on
• Sloped bind-off (optional)
• Garter stitch selvedge

Materials

• Waste yarn or stitch holder
• Tapestry needle
• 4 Stitch markers

Gauge

22 sts and 33 rows in 4 inches / 10 cm worked both flat and in the round in stockinette stitch with size A needles.

Yarn

The Fibre Co. Meadow

40% Wool / 25% llama / 20% silk / 15% linen; 545 yds / 498 m per 100 g skein. This is a hand-dyed, multi-ply, textured yarn with lots of grip. Shown in colorway Bluebonnet.

This is a heavy laceweight yarn that feels like a super soft wool / silk or alpaca blend. There is lots of drape and a little sheen. The unique texture of the linen and wool fibers in this yarn give it much more grip than many similar blends.

You can substitute this yarn with an alpaca or wool blend that includes some silk or plant fiber content. A grippier yarn that includes cotton or linen will work best.

Yardage: 795 (895, 995, 1095) [1190, 1290, 1390] (1490, 1590, 1690) yds / 725 (820, 910, 1000) [1090, 1180, 1270] (1365, 1455, 1545) m; 2 (2, 2, 3) [3, 3, 3] (3, 4, 4) skeins

If you are working the optional cup shaping, you will need an additional 20 - 100 yds / 20 - 90m.

What is a UX Knit?

We're committed to creating patterns that make a promise and keep it.

Our pre-release process includes inviting a group of knitters to experience the final, edited draft of the pattern. They receive a copy of the pattern, access to a super supportive knitalong group, and are encouraged to make fit mods to create their dream project (and I make myself available to coach on that as needed). In exchange, I ask for feedback on their experience with the pattern.

UX means user experience, and that's the point of this process. We work with our tech editor on all the numbers, the fit and grade, and all the other technical aspects of the pattern. But what we really want to know is how the pattern holds up to real-life use. That's why knitters are encouraged to make the pattern work for their measurements, their yarn choices, etc.

For us, this process is all about creating a fair exchange of value with the UX knitter. We're there to cheer you on and help you reach your knitting goals. 

When I build my team, I start first with folks who support me on Kofi on a monthly basis. We're committed to creating paywall-free educational resources for knitters and designers, and we're able to do that because of the support we receive on Kofi (and we'd love to be able to do more of it!). So those folks get first dibs on UX knitting.

About this UX Knit

This UX Knit will be run on Slack. Slack is free to join and offers chat rooms by topic. Pattern files, errata, and chat will be hosted in private channels there. Knitters are free to ask questions in the project Slack channel, or to DM me in Slack if that is more comfortable.

I expect to have patterns to knitters by April 8th. The UX Knit will conclude July 8th, a total of 13 weeks.

I am seeking 1-2 knitters per size and will be choosing knitters so that multiple cup sizes are represented.

Collaborative Knitting

A fun, supportive, productive Knit depends on clear expectations between the designer and Knitters. Here's what you can expect from me and what I am counting on from you:

  • You will receive a fully tech-edited pattern.
  • I make my best effort to respond to questions as quickly as possible and agree to respond to questions within 2 business days, absent an emergency or pre-communicated time away.
  • I will post any adjustments/errata that surface during the project; if we make a big change or correction, I will post a revised file.
  • You will receive a credit on my pattern webpage.
  • I will moderate a space free from hate speech, expressly including but not limited to racist, ableist, fatphobic, homophobic or transphobic speech.
  • It's important for me to see the fit of the sweater on a body. Knitters agree to complete their sweaters and provide a modeled photo and feedback by the last day of the UX Knit. Modeled photos can be cropped to exclude the model's face.

Although I need to see modeled photos to assess the pattern's success, you are under no obligation to share photos for marketing purposes or to have a public Instagram. Having said that - if you're okay with me sharing your photos I love to do so! I know that knitters of all shapes and sizes benefit from having lots of photos of sweaters on bodies out in the world, and I'm honored to partner with you in sharing your work to that end.

  • Knitters agree to create and block a swatch.
  • Knitters agree to communicate throughout, including letting me know if something has come up that will prevent them from completing the project on time. Things happen, we are human, and I definitely understand! With a long UX Knitting period, I can sometimes fill a dropped spot with a replacement, and I truly appreciate knitters who are able to let me know when something does come up for them.
  • Fit modifications are always welcome in my tests.
  • I rely on knitters to provide feedback about the accuracy and clarity of the instructions, the fit of the final garment, and the amount of yarn used in yards or meters.  Projects are considered finished once the feedback form is complete.

Knitters who complete the UX Knit will receive another of my self-published patterns for free, in addition to the finished version of Sappho's Love. If you wish to waive your thank-you pattern, I would be very pleased to provide a copy of Sappho's Love to a friend if you prefer.

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