DIY: Othilie Tee by Skeindeer Knits

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I knit the Othilie tee by Skeindeer Knits as part of the Summer Top Make-Along (MAL) hosted by Yarns Untangled. The MAL criteria was to knit or crochet a short-sleeved top using yarn purchased from the Yarns Untangled shop. Participants had to cast on the project between June 1 and August 15, perfect for summer knitting! I chose a cotton worsted-weight yarn that I bought from Yarns Untangled a few months prior. As for the pattern, I decided to go with the Othilie tee by Skeindeer Knits. I finished the Othilie tee in days, during the month of July.

Othilie is a quick and simple cotton top, with a hint of puff shoulders and a subtle sweetheart neckline.  Despite the set-in-sleeve silhouette, the garment is knit seamlessly in the round, working the body and sleeves together in the round, and flat when shaping for the neckline.

I used Juniper Moon Farm Neve in the Wasabi colourway. Neve is a worsted weight, cable-plied 100% pima cotton yarn. I bought it from Yarns Untangled on sale a few months ago. I didn’t have a specific project in mind other than eventually knitting myself a summer top. To ensure I had enough yarn, I bought five skeins, which totalled just over 1000 m. The Othilie tee calls for 430 to 745 m of yarn, so I was in no danger of running out. The yarn is extremely soft. However, I found that the loose plies snagged easily and pulled, and were then difficult to weave back in. The tee is knit in quite a loose gauge, so the fabric is light, soft, and fluid.

This is where I ran into trouble. I actually finished a whole top in size 4 using 4.5 mm needles for the ribbing and 5.5 mm needles for the body. These needles allowed me to get gauge. However, once I finished knitting a top, I didn’t like the fabric! I found the fabric, while light and soft, was too sheer. I also found that the top was too short! I’m on the tallish side with a long torso, and the tee seems best suited for petite knitters. That wasn’t me. Luckily, I had only used two skeins of yarn. Instead of frogging the top, I then cast on again, this time using 3.5 mm and 4.5 mm needles. To account for the tighter gauge, I knit size 6.

The photos shown here are for my second Othilie attempt. I liked the finished fabric; while still being soft and light, it was much less sheer. I also added about 5 cm to the body before working the sleeves and finishing the neckline and shoulders. Unfortunately, the tee still ended up being too short on me. As you knit the tee in the round before working the sleeves and neckline, I didn’t want to rip out all my work and then add more length yet again. So instead, I just gifted the finished tee to Tomiko.

Tomiko is petite and several centimetres shorter than me, so it fit her well. The bright green also compliments her complexion more so than mine. I love the shape of the neckline and the cute puffs on the sleeves, so I think I will eventually knit myself an Othilie tee. It just may take me a few months since there are so many other things I want to make!

Get the Othilie Tee pattern from Skeindeer Knits on Ravelry here.

Check out my other summer knits here:

• Open Edge Tee
• Cascata Tee
• Leiden Tee
• Cullum Tee
• Riley Tee
• Peone Tee for myself and for my mom