I don’t do a lot of pattern testing these days, but I was inspired to try this one when I saw it pop up on my Instagram feed. A basic tee, but made special with stripes. This is the Shell Tee, by Sophie Hemmings of The Knit Purl Girl.

I’ve been trying to use up some of the yarn in my stash. You know, the yarn you buy because it’s so pretty, but you don’t know what you’re going to make with it? This beautiful multi-colored yarn was one of those. This is the Lover yarn by Sewrella Yarn, in the Stelina sock, giving it just a hint of golden shimmer. And of course, Lover being inspired by Taylor Swift. I’d brought this yarn with me on our January road trip and started a crochet project, but I just wasn’t loving the way it was working up with some solids that I chose, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to showcase the color on its own. I used HiKoo Madrona yarn in the color snow to offset the beauty of the Lover.

Another thing that drew me to this pattern was the long timeframe for testing. If you read my previous post about pattern testing, you’ll know that time is a huge factor in whether or not I’m willing to take on a project, especially as a plus size tester. This one started in April and wasn’t due until August, so I felt like that was plenty of time for me, even with a fingering weight yarn. I started on April 25th, and finished and blocked on July 5th.

This project went on a journey through the start of the summer with me! Through that time I found a refueled love of all things fiber arts at the Maine Fiber Frolic, went on a couple short road trips, and spent a lot of time hanging out at my in-laws’ pool and at the lake.

I learned some new things with this test. I’d never carried yarn in a knit top like this, instead of having to cut after every stripe and tie in all those ends. I also got to practice jobless stripes, which I hadn’t done in a long time. But my favorite might be the I-cord neckline. There were options for the hem and sleeves to be done in a rib knit or an I-cord, and I ended up mixing it up. I did a rib knit for the bottom hem and sleeves, but the I-cord neckline. I really love the way the colors flowed in the I-cord pattern!

The length of the sleeves is also customizable. I really loved the short sleeve option, especially with these bright summer colors. I also tend to wear short sleeves year round, as I’m usually warmer inside at work.

You can find the pattern for the Shell Tee on Sophie’s website, or on Ravelry. Happy knitting!