Many knitters who live in mild desert climates take a break from knitting in the summer. It’s just not comfortable to have a pile of wool in your lap when it’s hot! I know many also knit socks, but my few attempts at sock knitting have not turned out well and I haven’t tried again. In 2021 when everyone was stuck at home, I completed the Circular Yoke Summer Shirt by Purl Soho and enjoyed having a garment to wear at the end of the warm season. I like the top so much I still wear it often.

I decided on the Poet Tee for this year’s summer project – the lace pattern is so gorgeous it caught my eye. The pattern is on both front and back and made an interesting and fun knit throughout. I decided to use Southwick (52% cotton, 48% bamboo). I had used it for the Bamboo Diamond Shell in 2011 – it’s a bit on the splitty side but has a really nice sheen and great stitch definition, so I thought it would be perfect to show the lace pattern.

The first part was a bit tricky since it’s different depending on the size, and it requires that you move the BOR after the setup row. The patten called for picking up stitches along the top for a 1×1 ribbed neckband. I decided to do that after splitting the sleeves. After that, you just follow the lace chart that corresponds to the size you’re working on.

I also decided to finish the sleeves before the body, as I was suspecting my yarn estimate might’ve been a bit low. By this point the lace was coming together nicely!

Before and after blocking. It makes such a big difference!

Sure enough, I lost yarn chicken right near the end, but I joined a bit of Southwick I had from the stash and was able to finish. It’s a different colorway (Blue Mist), but it’s still blue, and not too obvious. Ha.

Pattern: Poet Tee by Sari Nordlund
Yarn: Valley Yarns Southwick in Teal
My project page on Ravelry