Designing Mata Hari

Mata Hari is my ninth design for Twist Collective and like every pattern I've designed, it was uniquely challenging (and thus, uniquely fun) to produce the final results.

Kate asked me to design a piece for the Designers' Choice story. The idea was to design something just for me; something I'd love to wear and something I'd be happy to model. I began to think about detailing I like such as body shaping, smooth stockinette stitch, vents at the hips to ensure the garment falls flatteringly, and a low v-neck in back that is shallow enough to cover foundation garments but low enough to be dramatic.

Even better it can be turned around so that the v-neck sits in front, showing off a lovely camisole or a simple tee. The end result could be as casual or dressy as the wearer pleases.

My final submission was a vision of what one might wear to an office holiday party; flattering but still appropriate to wear around the folks you'll see the next day by the copy machine.

I think it can be helpful when submitting, to include a flat drawing of the garment, along with the sketch, so I included an approximation of what I intended for both the front and back.

There were two elements about which I had some concerns; the self-faced neckline and the bow, both of which could get quite bulky if I wasn't careful. When I was assigned Catherine Lowe Couture Yarns, Kate put me directly in touch with Ms. Lowe to determine the perfect blend of fibers and weights. The lovely thing about these yarns is that I could have any number of weights and blends of fibers in perfectly matched colors which turned out to be a great boon to the project. The body is worked in a quick-to-knit DK weight yarn (worked at a relatively loose gauge) while the neckline and bow are worked in a finer sport weight, so when folded, there's no unnecessary bulk.

But I also realize that not everyone has access to, or the budget necessary for the project yarn and many people love to stash-dive when possible, so I've included instructions for working the entire garment in a single weight yarn as well.

And, as with most of my patterns, I included plenty of tips along the way for getting a great fit. I hope it'll be a fun knit for anyone who tries it and a flattering piece to wear, no matter your shape or size.