Triple Time is here

I’m thrilled to tell you about another new design, just published today! Introducing Triple Time…

I consider this piece to be a companion pattern to my other recently released design, The Downbeat. Not only do they share similarly music-inspired names, but they share the same construction-style and simplicity that allows you to explore different creative possibilities. Let me tell you all about Triple Time and what makes it unique…

It’s all about the fabric…

In music, “triple time” can set a graceful rhythm full of movement. This design takes that idea both literally and figuratively: it’s knit with lace-weight yarn held triple on a large needle, creating a soft, airy fabric that feels effortless to wear. The yarn is Berroco Aerial which is a gorgeous blend of Superkid Mohair & Silk. And the loose fabric created by knitting 3 strands of it on a large US 11 needle makes this piece unbelievably light, airy and drapey.

I want to give a special shout-out to Andra, a talented yarn rep here in New England who represents many of your favorite brands (such as Berroco) and whose expertise I’ve been lucky to learn from over the years. She was the one who first brought the idea of triple-stranding lace-weight yarn to me – the original spark that eventually grew into this design. I’m so grateful for her inspiration and the creative ripple effect it set in motion!

Now if your first thought is, “triple-stranding lace-weight sounds complicated…”, let me reassure you that it is most definitely not! You simply pull one strand from each of 3 balls of lace-weight. And the technique works well in this design because of it’s simplicity – there’s no worrying about complicated stitch patterns or picking-up of stitches later on – it’s worked all in one-piece from the top-down.

You can use 3 strands of the same color, or you can combine colors to create a subtle (or not-so-subtle!) marled effect. Here is one of my testers (Joan) who used 2 different shades of red (2 strands of one hue and 1 strand of another hue):

Now if open and airy it not what you’re looking for, there are lots of other options for this piece. You can use a worsted-weight yarn along with one or two strands of lace-weight, as pictured below. At the pattern gauge and on a US 11 needle, this still provides a drapey fabric but not as open and airy as the original…

Or forget double/triple stranding and use just a single-strand of aran or bulky-weight! Below is another version I knit in the aran-weight Millstone Tweed by Berroco. A totally different look but a great look nonetheless! I’ll be writing a future blog post all about this version so stay tuned for that (but you can also learn more about this option on my Triple Time tips page).

Construction and Techniques

As I mention above, this piece is all about simplicity, just like it’s companion pattern The Downbeat. And that’s on purpose – allowing the yarn and fabric to take center stage! So it’s knit seamlessly from the top-down and uses raglan construction. A few short rows are worked after the neck ribbing so that the Back sits higher than the Front (and there’s no picking-up of neck stitches at the end!). It uses the same type of short row technique as I used in The Downbeat and so my video lesson for that applies to this design as well!