Step Into Summer With Connie's Dahlia Tee

Connie is one of our local brand ambassadors focused on knitting. Her lovely makes have been a joy to follow. For more projects created by Connie, visit her instagram at @conniemakesthings

Pattern: Dahlia Tee by Carmen Garcia de Mora
Yarn: Kelbourne Woolens Mojave
Size: 1
Modification: Added length

I can’t believe it’s summer already!  I don’t know about all of you, but I have very few summer knits in my wardrobe.  When I was looking for a summer knit pattern, I came across this tee.  I was attracted by its simplicity and elegance. 

This tee is designed by Carmen Garcia de Mora.  You can find her on Ravelry here.  You can see more of her work on her Instagram, @carmengcarciademora.  She has been working as a knitwear teacher in Barcelona since 2015 and has 31 designs published on Ravelry.

 This pattern is recommended to use Lang Yarns Soft Cotton or Katia Fair Cotton.  I was a bit confused because Lang Yarns Soft Cotton is worsted and Katia Fair Cotton is fingering.  I was a bit hesitant to use worsted because I worried it would get hot.  I finally settled on using Kelbourne Woolens Mojave.  The colors are so vibrant.  It’s perfect for a summer top. 

I chose Flamingo Pink as the main color and Amber helped me pick out Natural as the contrasting color. This yarn is considered good for double knitting. My gauge for this pattern was 20 stitches and 35 rows per four inches. Since I am using a lighter weight, I thought I should knit in a larger size.  After considering I personally prefer a tighter fit, I decided to go with size 1. The finished bust for size 1 is supposed to be 89cm, or about 35 inches.  Mine turned out to be 34 inches. 

I added length to my piece.  The finished length from the underarm is 17 inches.  Overall, I used about three and a half skeins for the main color and less than a skein of the contrasting color.  I can’t help pointing out that Mojave is only $10 per skein.  So affordable! Plus, this yarn feels amazingly soft.  It’s really perfect for a summer top!

The pattern is easy to follow.  This piece is knitted from the bottom up and the main body is worked in the round.  The sleeve ribbings are worked separately from the body, then joined and continued with raglan shaping.  Knitting in the round was fun and relaxing.  The raglan shaping required a bit more attention.

I’m happy to add this piece to my summer wardrobe.  I look forward to knitting the Jasmine Tee when time permits.