Inspired by the African plains, I created this piece in 8 days for Vogue Knitting’s Magic of Mohair contest. It didn’t make it to the top 10, but I still think it’s hot! Look for me in it at TNNA in June 2011!

I started this jumpsuit with the waistband, then picked up stitches around the bottom of the waistband to knit the pants in the round from the top down. The yoke of the pants was worked according to Knitting From the Top Down by Barbara Walker, with additional leg shaping being worked into the cable pattern at both sides of the leg. Notice the leaves getting wider apart and the stems getting longer with each repeat? This created a bootcut fit on the pants. The pants were worked on a US 3 for a fabric with excellent drape.

I picked up stitches around the waistband and worked the top from the bottom up, flat. It has fully fashioned shaping and bust darts, and was knitted at a tighter gauge than the pants for better coverage. The edging gives the appearance of I-cord, but was worked at the same time as the rest of the top instead of being added later. This gives the top stability and helps it hug the body along the edges, instead of getting saggy as it would otherwise be wont to do. At the neckline, I created a folded hem which was seamed shut and threaded with an I-cord to tie around the neck. The front of the top was decorated with multiple individual leaves, giving movement and dimension to the front. (These were also meant to be reminiscent of a lion’s mane).

Many thanks to Lee Ann Barker for the gorgeous photos, for shoving me up in that tree and for having a good attitude when we got thrown out of the Kemper!