At last! We are in the throes of spring! I love winter, don't get me wrong. And to be perfectly honest, I have truly loved the snowy days and deep freeze that this winter brought us. Most people look at me like I'm a little touched when I say that, but it's true. I love snow, I love to cozy up inside with knitting on my lap and I love to bake (and eat) hearty winter meals. But even I am overjoyed that we are officially into spring. This last gasp of winter hasn't been able to fool anyone. It's as if it just popped into say, "Don't forget me." And we won't, but move over winter because spring is here to stay. It's time to wash those woolens, pack them away for next year, and break out the cotton, linen and strappy sandals.

And just as if on cue, my newest design was released. Aaaand...wait for it…in Twist Collective's Spring/Summer issue! I am beyond thrilled. I've long been an admirer of this publication. It's always full of gorgeous designs, informative articles and just tons of fashion forward yet classic garments that I want to wear and knit. It's been a secret goal of mine to find myself in their pages. And so this fall I screwed up my courage and sent them a proposal. I am not a trained designer and I am definitely not a trained fashion drawer, so sending out proposals always takes a bit of just closing my eyes and jumping. And then the forgetting game...you know the one where you convince yourself that nothing is going to come of it so you should just put it out of your mind, but really you're holding your breath every time you check your email. Do you know that game? Anyway, that's how it goes around here. And then the email came and then yarn and then this...Demeter...

A flirty spring and summer skirt, that's knit in the round from the top down. Demeter is a prettified mash up of my all time favorite summer skirts. The first: gored in eyelet fabric, sewn on the bias~the one that is so tired and bleach stained that I've taken a sharpie to it rather than retire it. And second: my go-to wear-everyday jersey knit skirts.

These shots are from Twist Collective. I really do just adore them. Isn't the model just gorgeous?! You can see more of these beautiful shots on my Ravelry page.

I liked making this skirt so much that I actually made a second sample of Demeter…one just for me.

I love how it can be dressed up or down and how comfortable it is to wear. I see myself pairing it with a tee shirt and sandals as well as dressing up with a blouse and heels. This pattern was worked in Chesapeake by Classic Elite Yarns. Let me tell you this yarn was made for skirt knitting. It's drapey, without being limp and lifeless, and it has memory. It holds it's shape wonderfully. These pictures were taken after a very busy day in which I had been wearing the skirt all day, drove for several hours and then ran errands and went to the yarn shop and sat around knitting for several hours more. And not a hint of sagginess in sight. Love!

And then there's this...don't judge, but I've gained 10…10!!! pounds since I made this skirt last fall (remember when I said I like to eat in the winter?...proof positive). And I have to say that dear Demeter is mercifully forgiving. I gain all my weight right through my tummy, hips and thighs, and I was sure that I wouldn't be able to wear this skirt for a while, but low and behold! Demeter is kindly working with me until I lose that winter weight. I love that! No room for judgey clothes in my closet.

I'm kind of in love with knitted skirts right now—with knitting them and with wearing them. This construction is my favorite—top down, seamless and in the round. It allows for lots of try-ons along the way, making it incredibly easy to customize—a little longer, a tad shorter, straighter, fuller…easy peasy. As someone who changes her mind a thousand times in the course of knitting a project, I like that kind of flexibility.

You can purchase the pattern for Demeter by following the link on Ravelry or by going right to the Twist Collective shop.

Happy spring all! I'm off to...you guessed right...knit...OUTSIDE !!!!

XoX~

alison