With several inches of slushy snow on the ground, I’ve found myself missing the early springs we had in Washington, DC. The cherry blossoms and forsythia are in bloom there and I know some of my more adventurous tulips and daffodils would have emerged by now. Here, it won’t be truly safe to plant flowers until after Mother’s Day.
A few weeks ago, as I longed for that first blossoming of warmth, Mirella Freni died. She was an Italian soprano. I first heard her on a recording of La Bohème with Luciano Pavarotti. Her voice was otherworldly. I used to listen to her haunting version of “mi chiamano Mimi” over and over again. It is still gorgeous after all these years.
I had just started knitting a self-designed sweater out of a luscious blend of two Shibui yarns when I heard about Freni: Nest and Silk Cloud in the color Vintage Rose.
These lines from Mimi’s aria spoke to me:
Ma quando vien lo sgelo
Il primo sole è mio
Il primo bacio dell’aprile è mio!
Il primo sole è mio.
Germoglia in un vaso uno rosa
Foglia a foglia la spio!
Cosi gentile il profumo d’un fiore!(but when the thaw comes
the first sun is mine,
April’s first kiss is mine,
the first sun is mine.
A rose blooms in a vase,
Leaf by leaf I watch it open,
The scent of a flower is so subtle)*
And so I named this sweater Lo Sgelo. The Thaw. It probably makes no sense to anyone but me, but it’s a one-off so that’s okay.
The sweater is a tunic style turtleneck. I knit it in the round from the bottom up, using short rows to curve and lengthen the back. At the armhole, I split the front and back and added stitches for the first part of the sleeve on each side of both pieces using provisional cast-ons. In effect, I was making a T-shape. I used short rows here as well to slope the shoulders/sleeves and raise the back neck.
I first joined the shoulders and underarms using a three needle bind off. I then picked up stitches for the turtleneck. Last but not least, I picked up stitches for the remainder of the sleeves and knit them from the top down.
It fits me very well and I love the fabric.
*Translation is mine.
As we all wait for this long winter and potentially long confinement to end, stay safe out there.
Just Beautiful!!! I love it – even with all the short rows!
Comment by Mary Mathieson — March 22, 2020 @ 5:44 pm
The sweater is gorgeous. will you be publishing a pattern?
Comment by Robin — March 22, 2020 @ 11:51 pm
How sumptuous both the color and the fabric. Anything made out of that combination would be a dream. Your sweater is perfect, particularly how you did the turtleneck. Sometimes I play around with yarn combos also, one advantage of having a big stash. The best results usually come from using KSH or similar.
Comment by Chloe — March 23, 2020 @ 9:07 am
How lovely – the inspiration, the aria, your translation, the sweater.
Comment by Gretchen (aka stashdragon) — March 23, 2020 @ 12:27 pm
Gorgeous! Isn’t it wonderful we can knit a sweater just for us!
Comment by Penny — March 24, 2020 @ 12:45 pm
Simple and beautiful! I love how you softened the marl with the mohair. Can you share a few details about the hem? Is it a folded rib?
Comment by amanda — March 25, 2020 @ 2:55 pm
So lovely – the sweater and the inspiration. Mirella Freni was a wonderful Mimi.
Comment by annie — March 25, 2020 @ 3:27 pm
Che bello!
Comment by Mike — March 26, 2020 @ 7:02 am
Such a beautiful sweater. A poignant name and story!
Comment by Grace D — March 27, 2020 @ 7:29 pm
That’s pretty!
Comment by Nora — April 3, 2020 @ 11:04 am
April 6th of Easter week 2020
How can we share this pattern? Buy it from you?
I particularly like the neck part…
from Janet on the Atlantic Coast in NJ [whose son called her from NC this am to report he had just bought eggs for $6 a dozen there–Virus/Easter price gouging?]
Comment by Janet Kovach — April 6, 2020 @ 9:55 am
Hello, that’s lovely! Greetings from Sunderland! Is the pattern available to buy? I have wool and now… some time on my hands.
Thank you.
Comment by Debra — April 16, 2020 @ 4:34 am
Sweater love has struck in this divine sweater. In fact, it is so yummy that if I had the pattern, I would order the yarn immediately and put all other projects aside. It is a perfect illustration of how small details make a large difference. Congrats on a timeless beauty!
Comment by Ann — April 24, 2020 @ 12:51 pm