Project Journal: Deschain

So, if you have also fallen in love with the Deschain and plan to knit it, which I still recommend you do, here’s my advice:

Revolutionary, I know… but this was my biggest mistake. I was a little cocky and skipped swatching. In the end my top grew a lot. The Kestrel is 100% linen, spun in a knitted ribbon. Linen is well known for its supple and drapey characteristics, softening and wearing beautifully over time. My gauge was fine, but I knit each side to the length I wanted without factoring in how much it would block out. Once blocked, it grew significantly and no longer has that cropped fit that I love about the design. There is definitely a bit of frogging forecasted in my future.

That slick linen doesn’t take to weaving in ends very well. However, with an i-cord type yarn that has a hollow core, you can weave the ends into each other. Here’s a wonderful tutorial from Skacel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYyQs5Tt_ZE

Alternatively, you can tie the ends together with a double knot. I’m typically a strident believer that knots don’t belong in knitting, but this is the exception. When I do use them, I tie a double knot which allows you to cut the tails off right at the knot, making it look rather tidy. Here’s a great video from Jane Richmond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nq_7EXTWHE

My last observation about the Deschain is that the back side tends to ride up just a bit on most people. To counter this, if you have the hutzpah, I recommend adding just a few short rows to make the back come down a bit further. Put your short rows at the end and beginning of the row, and work back and forth on the right side for a few extra rows. This will result in a bit longer fabric at the back while maintaining a nice shape and keeping the same number of rows to seam on the sides.