I have finished knitting Sel Gris – a light, summery, linen tee – just in time for autumn.  Never fear – this will give me motivation (and ammunition) for planning a sun-filled winter holiday.  (One can only dream.)

I knit this as a test for Claudia Eisenkolb.  She released the pattern a few days ago after a very successful and fun test knit.  It was my first time participating in a test and it was interesting.  I liked the intellectual challenge of helping the designer be as clear as possible, and I very much enjoyed the interchange with the other testers, all of them lovely and generous knitters.

The detail at the neck, together with the ribbed sleeves, give this tee just a little extra – it is cute and professional at the same time.  I believe that this will be a great contribution to an office wardrobe and will lend just the right touch of femininity to a suit.

I followed the pattern almost exactly, making only the following slight modifications:

• I made one extra set of waist decreases and bust increases,
• I added 1 inch in length (before 1st waist decrease),
• I picked up more stitches around the sleeve (94); thus I knit the body in a size Medium, but the sleeves were just under the size Large

I can’t  help but notice that Claudia is designing up a storm right now; she has a bunch of test knits in progress, for some lovely designs.  I am very tempted to sign up for another one, but I think I need to exercise some restraint.

Besides, I have only 30 more (albeit very long) rows of lace to go to finish my Laelia cardigan……