Are you ready for a surprise? I knit something just for me and the pattern is from another designer. Although I often admire other’s designs, I have a pretty packed schedule so I very rarely get to knit them. I was drawn to Rebecca McKenzie’s Mermaid Top by its pretty simplicity. It looked like to me to be one of those satisfying simple projects that would also be easy to wear. My knit wardrobe doesn’t have short sleeves in it so this fit perfectly!
The Mermaid Top didn’t disappoint! I LOVE feather and fan lace, but have never used it in one of my own designs. You know I also love a good lace-yoke, right?! The cheerful simplicity of this design makes for a high-pleasure knit, and a sweet result.
mermaid top or mermaid crop?
Rebecca designed both a tunic-length and a cropped version of the Mermaid Top. However, because I’m a designer, and can’t make ANYTHING without modifying it, I made the unshaped body of my Mermaid top 13″ long, which falls somewhere between the tunic-length version and the cropped version.
Solidarity Swap
The Solidarity Swap – a swap and KAL to celebrate the work of makers from underrepresented groups, especially BIPOC and POC, began in response to conversations around racism and representation within the knitting community. Joining the swap seemed like a fun way to get to know more of the BIPOC designers and creators in our community. This aspect of the swap was so great, I got to see many designers I wasn’t aware of before and had an opportunity to admire beautiful work.
simple, satisfying lace
There are certain kinds of knitting that I love, and LACE has always held a special place in my knitters heart. Making this project brought back the feeling of simply being a knitter again, rather than a designer, the uncomplicated pleasure of stitch by stitch creation.
It was also a chance to dig into my stash of Rainbow Heirloom yarn. I have several SQs (sweater-quantities) that are sitting, doing nobody any good, hidden away in my stash. It was a pleasure to get this beautiful yarn out of a box and onto my body!
More from Rebecca McKenzie:
Check out Rebecca’s work here on Ravelry; and follow her on Instagram to see the next beautiful design she launches! I really loved knitting this pattern and I’m sure you will see something of Rebecca’s that you love too.
Join the next Solidarity Swap!
The Solidarity Swap will begin a third swap & KAL in the spring of 2020 – sign up for the group here, or follow @clevereststitch and @geordieknits to hear when they launch another round. Jeanette Sloan’s list of POC designers & crafters and new collaboration @bipocinfiber are other useful resources.
January 24, 2020 @ 6:38 am
Looking at the photos on Ravelry, the Mermaid top is shown sleeveless, with a tiny bit of a sleeve and long sleeves, however the description doesn’t really say if there are various sleeve options in the pattern or not. Can you tell me what the instruction includes? Does it include the crop length too? Hate to buy the pattern and be disappointed that it didn’t have sleeve options included. Thank you. It is a cute top!