The number one reason I had to knit this pattern was for the sheer sleeves. Bishop/balloon sleeves are my favorite long sleeve right now. Make them sheer, and I throw my hands up in surrender. Hence, when the Diaphanous Raglan pattern was released, I added it to my queue pronto.
PROJECT BREAKDOWN
Pattern: Diaphanous Raglan by Jessie Maed Designs
Yarn: 2 skeins of The Farmer’s Daughter Foxy Lady (70% superwash merino, 30% silk, fingering weight) in the colorway Evergreen and 2 skeins of Mighty Mo (70% Kid Mohair, 30% Mulberry Silk, lace weight) in the colorway Gary Cooper
Size: Small
Mods: Skipped the added instructions for XS, S and M to add armhole depth; skipped the waist decreases; knit to 9.5 inches (instead of 5) before starting the hem; used size 8 needles for the sleeves, which was purely by accident (I had intended to use 9’s); had only 2 grams of mohair left over in my second skein.
View my Ravelry project page here.
Can you believe how much Stormy and Turtle have grown???
I purchased the yarn back at Stitches West in 2019. Since then, I’ve been impatient to knit it up. The color is what I call 70’s green, and it’s fantastic! My grandmother had carpet and furniture in this shade, and it could quite possibly be my favorite color. But let’s face it–I love all the colors.
Now that I design knitwear of my own, it’s hard for me to find a balance in designing and knitting others’ designs. I have sooo many knitwear ideas that I often lay awake at night thinking about them, but I also love to knit for fun. And of course, there is a multitude of talented designers out there creating some really special patterns. I want to knit them all!
I’m so glad I finally set aside some time (here and there across two months) to knit one of Jessie Maed’s designs. It was a pleasure to knit, but it is an even greater treat to wear. Here I have thrown it over a thin-strapped black midi dress. It also looks great with jeans. With the V-neck both in front and back, it’s super stylish–but those sleeves! Not to be repetitive, but these sleeves are magical. They are knit entirely with mohair yarn on larger needles, which is simply brilliant. The fabric is so breathable and buoyant!
I’m super happy with my yarn choice for this pattern as well. It happens to be the yarn with which the pattern is designed, but I didn’t know that when I purchased it. It’s a perfect choice, if I do say so myself. On top of that, I’m no small fan of The Farmer’s Daughter. I’m a big admirer of the Montana-based owner, Candice, who is an amazing person through and through, but I also love her colors and her overall brand aesthetic, which is rooted in country/Western and Native American culture.
It should be no surprise that I decided to design a pattern of my own with The Farmer’s Daughter yarn. The pattern is called Halfway and is currently in testing. The release date is set for May 1st, so mark your calendars!
