Classic Elite Yarns Viewpoints From Folly Cove - Curtis Skirt

Classic Elite Yarns Viewpoints From Folly Cove - Curtis Skirt

What is Being Made

The Curtis Skirt is a women's knitted skirt inspired by the iconic garments worn by members of the Folly Cove Designers, a historic design collective from Cape Ann. This seamless, bottom-up skirt features a decorative hem band adorned with apple blossom motifs and is named after Eleanor O'Hearn Curtis, a Cape Ann native, public school teacher, watercolorist, and poet who joined the Folly Cove Designers in 1953. The skirt is available in sizes XS through 2XL, with finished waist measurements ranging from 23 inches to 37½ inches and hip measurements from 30¾ inches to 45½ inches.

Techniques Used

The Curtis Skirt employs several key knitting techniques that create both its structure and decorative appeal:

• Seamless, worked in the round: The entire skirt is constructed using circular knitting needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous garment
• Bottom-up construction: The skirt is worked from the hem upward, beginning with the decorative border and progressing toward the waistband
• Cables: Cable stitches are incorporated into the design, adding textural interest and visual dimension to the finished piece
• Bobbles and travelling stitches: The hem features a band of apple blossoms created using bobble stitches and travelling stitches, referencing the floral motifs characteristic of Eleanor Curtis's work with the Folly Cove Designers

Stitches Used

The Curtis Skirt utilizes Reverse Stockinette Stitch (Rev St st) as the primary stitch for the main body of the skirt. The decorative border chart features a 19-stitch multiple repeat worked over 36 rounds, incorporating specialized stitches including bobbles, travelling stitches, and cable crosses (such as C2F cable stitches) to create the apple blossom design at the hem.

Materials and Tools

This pattern calls for Mesa by Classic Elite Yarns, a 100% cotton yarn available in colorway 4203 Coyote. The yardage requirement ranges from 8 balls for smaller sizes to 14 balls for the largest size, with each ball containing approximately 85 yards. Additional materials include US 7 (4.5 mm) circular knitting needles in 32-inch length, a cable needle for working cable stitches, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, 1-inch wide non-roll waistband elastic measured to the wearer's waist measurement plus 2 inches, and a large safety pin for securing stitches during construction. The recommended gauge is 18½ stitches and 25 rows per 4 inches in Reverse Stockinette Stitch.

Skill Level

The Curtis Skirt is rated as an Intermediate level pattern, suitable for knitters with experience in circular knitting, cable work, and stitch pattern reading.