Ghost Whisperer by Park Williams
Pattern: Ghost Whisperer
Yarn: Oshen Mohair Great Barrier Reef
I love, love, love mohair. It’s so soft and fluffy. Until recently all of my experience with mohair has been to hold it with another strand of yarn. My comfy cozy raglan and second Oslo hat are two of my favorite color combinations with mohair and merino yarn. However, after learning more about yarn in my “knitting textbook”, The Principle of Knitting by Helen, my eyes were opened to the glory of mohair all on its own. When mohair is held with another yarn and knit on smaller needles, it will compress and lose some of the fluffiness. When mohair is on its own, especially on large size needles, it is very full. Maybe this fact escaped me because even when mohair is bundled as a hank it’s still rather compressed.
I decided to dedicate some of my time to mohair only projects this year. My first project was the Ghost Whisperer top by Park Williams. Even though there were a couple new techniques in the pattern, I felt more confident knowing that many of the other regulars at the Ritual Dyes crafting circle had already made it.
Before I begin a project, I read the pattern description on Ravelry carefully. Below are my pattern evaluation notes:
The top is knit on large needles so you will really get the full loveliness of mohair.
It is easily customizable; length, cuff, neckline.
Quick knit for short sleeves.
I got to learn something new, i-cord edging.
Ok, now for how it went.
I have to admit that it took me a little time to get comfortable working with mohair by itself but after about three inches of knitting the body I was able to work at my normal pace. I found it was very enjoyable to work with light materials.
The pattern was really clear, however, I wish I’d taken Park’s advice for a stretchy cast off for the neckline. Out of excitement, or inpatients, I decided to only go up half a needle size when I connected the shoulders with the three needle bind and cast off the back neck. My first examination of the neckline was a yikes moment, it had almost zero stretch. Thankfully the neck hole was large enough to fit over my head without needing to stretch, otherwise it wouldn’t work.
I made two small sleeve modifications. First, I picked up more stitches because I like lots of armpit room. Second, the sleeve length is three inches shorter because I have small arms. Overall the sleeves were quick to knit and look very cute; I love the look of the ribbed cuff and am so glad that I held two strands together. I was tempted to omit the second strand, but the cuff really needs the extra durability of a second strand.
In all transparency, I made one silly mistake for the first sleeve and for some unknown reason I make this same mistake over and over when I start a new sleeve. I began to work the sleeve inside out, the purls on the outside and the knits on the inside. Since I did not enjoy picking up stitches I decided to leave one row of purls. It’s definitely noticeable close up, but following the five feet rule it looks totally fine.
I decided to save the i-cord edging for last. It was really fun to watch the neckline form and the process was straightforward. Since I was feeling anxious about creating a stretchy finish, I went up to a size US 13. About halfway through it was obvious that it was the wrong choice. The edging just flopped over and did not look good. Once I redid the i-cord in size US 10.5 it looked amazing.
When I finally got to try it on, my first thought was “OMG it’s like wearing a cloud”. It’s incredibly soft and just barely warm.
Final thought:
Quick, fun, comfortable. I will be making another one or two. I think it would be really nice in linen to wear to the beach. The long sleeve version is also really cute.