Knit the Look: Kia Low’s perfect summer sweater

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Knit the Look: Kia Low's perfect summer sweater

Not many of us can pull off a gold lamé mini and Rodarte runway eyebrow “makeup,” but this slouchy little black sweater seen on model Kia Low is just the sort of staple we should all have in our closets. It strikes me as a classic Julie Hoover sort of thing, and sure enough she’s got just the pattern: Marly. All you need to do to make it a little more like Kia’s is knit an extra inch or two on the sleeve length.

Black yarn isn’t the easiest thing to come by, and Marly is written for Serena, an alpaca-cotton blend in sport weight, which makes this one extra tricky on the substitution front. (Unless, of course, you want to knit it one of Serena’s colors!) I asked Julie what she’d recommend and, interestingly, she thought of Shibui’s Twig and Pebble held together, which is the exact combo I was just swatching. Marly’s gauge is 23 sts and 32 rows over 4 inches. My swatch in those two yarns held double on US8s was 23 sts and 30 rows. So one could very likely get Marly’s gauge with a US7 or US8 needle and those two yarns, both of which come in the deliciously black Abyss. Or, as Julie points out, Shibui has a number of lace- or fingering-weight yarns that could be combined for this sweater in a variety of fabrics — Twig + Pebble, Linen + Silk Cloud, Cima + Linen. You’d just need the designated Marly yardage in each of the two yarns. And please send the sweater to me when you’re done with it!

See Vanessa’s original post for additional shots of Kia’s outfit.

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PREVIOUSLY in Knit the Look: Elin Kling’s spring shell

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

9 thoughts on “Knit the Look: Kia Low’s perfect summer sweater”

  2. I’m not sure Marlow and the black sweater you pictured are too similar (love the black one). The black one is much shorter and the hem is more fitted which really changes the shape. Also, Julie Hoover sweaters tend to be oversized, also changing the look to something more slouchy. While both have ample necklines, Marlow is more u-shaped, also adding to the slouchy factor.

    • Hi, Melissa. Not sure what you’re seeing in this pic, but click through for all the photos and you’ll see it’s quite slouchy and scoop-necked. Obviously no pattern will be an exact match, but Marly and this sweater are kindred spirits for sure.

  4. Adore the eyebrow embellishment (and she’s got a dramatic browbone to highlight, of course). In my fantasy life, I’d have occasions glamorous enough for that kind of statement.

    Marly is a nice pick! Along with lengthening the sleeves, I’d probably want to raise the neckline. The scoop neckline on Kira Low’s top seems to hit 1–2 inches below the collarbone, while Marly’s looks like it hits maybe 4–5 inches below the collarbone, and for me those are different looks. Simple enough mods, but since they both add fabric I’d definitely be weighing my swatch and calculating my own projected yarn usage (rather than relying on Marly’s yardage estimate) so I didn’t come up short!

  5. I’m just assembling another Julie Hoover design, Leigh, knit in two strands of Shibui Pebble in Abyss. It’s luscious.

  7. Pingback: Knit the Look: Elisabeth Erm’s everyday everywhere sweater | Fringe Association

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