FO Friday – Cempasúchil Top

Hello everyone! Long time no talk. I’m sorry I haven’t been very engaged here in the blog world. Between busy-ness at work and rehearsals four times a week, I only have a few hours to myself each day and usually I am just so brain dead that all I have energy for is knitting and watching tennis as background noise. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I’m loving getting to do a show again and work is pretty engaging in a good way right now, but it does mean there’s not a lot of time left over for the blog.

But I figured I’d hop on to finally show off in full a test knit I finished in December, the Cempasúchil Top! This pattern released today so this was the perfect chance to get my feet wet writing another post.

• Pattern: (Ravelry Link only) Cempasúchil Top
• Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in Rosemary 
• Timeline: Cast on 11/21/21; Cast off 12/31/21

This top gets its name from the Cempasuchil (pronounced: sem·puh·soo·cheel) flower (or mexican marigold) also known as the flower of the dead. It’s the flower used in the altars and ofrendas during Dia de Muertos in Mexico. It’s color and aroma transports me back to my favorite tradition of the year, and the heritage of my Mexican upbringing, while also adding a touch of vintage inspiration.

Pattern page for Cempasúchil top

This was a really fun top to knit! I really loved the texture of the body, it made it really relaxing to knit up and easy to memorize and take anywhere. This was my first time doing bottom up construction, and I definitely enjoy how you cruise to the end with the raglan decreases. I knit it in the recommended yarn, and the silk content in the Gloss Fingering makes it feel a little luxurious. I’ve worn this to the office a few times already, once under a long cardigan and once over a dress. In my size, the fit is a little imperfect – the neckline is a little too big, and it can’t really decide if it’s full length or cropped, but these would be easy fixes. You also don’t cast off for the underarms, which according to some of the other testers makes it fit a little funky. I didn’t notice this, but I also had never knit bottom up before so I’m not sure I would know any different. If you’re reading this before end of day Sunday Feb 27th, Magali is having a sale on this pattern on Ravelry.

That’s it from me for now! I’ll definitely be back around March 1, I do plan to do my monthly WIP wrap-up as usual, and I have exciting news I can share around that time as well. Again, I’m sorry I haven’t been around much, not so much because I think you all can’t live without my content, but because I miss interacting with this awesome community! My show opens March 18th, and after that my schedule will clear up some and hopefully I’ll have some more energy for engagement here. Have a great weekend everyone!