Athena is one of those customers who is always inspiring us with her projects. She picks out amazing patterns and then comes in a few weeks later to show us her new sweater, shawl or leggings that she just finished. When she picked out some Breeze yarn in Butter I immediately asked her what she was going to knit with it. As soon as she showed me the pattern Xia by Kessa Tay Anlin, I knew I had to make one too. I am really into our summery yarns and I love knitting sweaters so much, there is no reason I can't knit and wear sweaters all summer long.
Xia is Chinese for "summer" so it really is the perfect summer top. The simple lace pattern creates a chevron pattern down the middle of the sweater on the front and back. The neck and arms are finished with a simple crocheted border - the scallops on the arms make for a feminine touch. This sweater knit up quick. Athena whipped this out in just a couple of weeks, but mine took a bit longer at a month. I am super happy with the fit and look of this sweater and am excited to wear it all summer long!
Athena's Xia is knit with one skein of Anzula Breeze. Breeze is a 65% Linen, 35% Silk lace weight yarn. Because of the fine weight of the yarn, Athena's sweater is a lighter, lacier weight fabric than mine. It is beautiful! She also made the crochet flower accessory--an optional part of the Xia sweater pattern--to wear in her hair.
I choose to knit my Xia in the Anzula Oasis - a dk weight yarn that is 70% silk and 30% camel. I used two skeins in Canary. The camel adds a little more memory and depth to the silk. I changed up the pattern a bit and chose to knit the bottom in 1x1 ribbing instead of garter stitch. I wanted a stretchier bottom band and this was a simple alteration to make to the pattern.
Now Athena and I have gorgeous matching summery buttery yellow sweaters to wear!
