The gently draped material of Azami and delicate lace lends itself to simple styling that allow the lacework to shine.

A sleek charcoal grey turtle neck dress with chunky court shoes and geometric silver jewelry provides a perfect combination with the Azami sweater.

Playing around with styling ideas for Azami made me really think hard about how this sweater would look best.  The open lace panel at the neckline needs to be taken into consideration when wearing this sweater.  By providing a darker turtleneck backdrop the lacework will really pop and you won’t have the neckline of the undergarment draw attention away from your knitting.  The v-neck opening of the sweater lends itself to showcasing an interesting necklace, although it should be kept simple to avoid being too busy.

My previous styled version, Azami in White, has a lighter, summer feel.  Neckline of the top underneath is kept low so it will not detract from the lacework at the neckline.

The sample for this sweater was knit using Valley Yarns Southwick.  This yarn is a blend of Pima Cotton and Bamboo, both fibers have a great deal of drape which complements the style of Azami well.  When working with bamboo I would strongly suggest swatching and washing your swatch as it does tend to grow.  If necessary change your needle size so that you get the required gauge.  A 100% cotton version of Azami would create a similar effect as it will also drape well.

For a cold weather version of Azami it could also be knit in wool.  This will however change the look of the sweater somewhat, you would have to take care when blocking to ensure you had nice open lacework and good drape.

The Spring issue of the Twist Collective is out.  I’m very excited to have a pattern in it, Necco Wafer Hoodie. As you can probably tell from the pattern I love bright colors for children’s clothes, this sweater was great fun to knit.  They photographed it on such a cute baby, all of my children are too old now to wear it so I couldn’t see it worn until the photos came out.  It feels a bit like looking at someone elses work!

Go take a look at the issue, the designs and colors are just yummy.  Have you ever seem such a wonderful color as the yarn in Barber Pole?  I don’t knit many socks but I think these have me tempted!  The colorwork in Sleepy Monkey is just amazing.

For anyone out there who hasn’t seen the latest issue of Twist Collective go take a look now.  There are so many patterns that I just adore I’m not really sure how I’ll ever find enough knitting time!  I especially love Gytha, the colour combinations are just so beautiful.  Heroine is such an unusual but very functional jacket.  It looks like it could withstand a cold winter!

I have actually managed to finish some knitting over the last few weeks.  I got the second of my Monkey socks finished (I have serious sock syndrome!!) and my green cabled jumper is finished.  I didn’t add in the hood as it just seemed like too much weight with Kilcarra (it weighs several pounds as it is!)…  I hope to take a few photos over the weekend and will get them up to show off the finished pieces.

For anyone looking for some top down hat patterns I will be publishing a pattern with several variations in the next few weeks.  Watch this spot..