Watching a pattern go viral: Lanesplitter

where the inspiration started

hotness.

We blogged a couple of weeks ago about our friend Lynne's amazing Lanesplitter skirt, and how two of the Knitty team were immediately inspired to knit it.

And knit it we did.

I finished mine (in Kureyon color 242) last week, and I absolutely love it.

Very happy with it!

Jillian's is well on its way, too.

Halfway there!

Something interesting seems to happen with this skirt: it's contagious. I wore mine to teach a class at The Purple Purl last Friday, and by the end of the day two more knitters had started the project, including Jennifer, one of the shop owners.

In Silk Garden.

And by Sunday, Jennifer had inspired Lynn W. to start one, too.

Lynn W's in Silk Garden color 323

Jillian reports that even just carrying the project around, she's caused a couple of knitters to cast on for their own.

Lynne tells me that aside from Jillian and I, she knows of four or five other knitters who have started the project after seeing hers, including ScarpeGrosse's rather marvelously named "If the stripes are diagonal, they'll make my hips look smaller, right?"  (It's a definite yes, honey!)

Tracking the progression...

And it's not just our little corner of the world that has fallen prey to the virus: all three staff members of another Toronto yarn shop, PassionKnit, have knitted one.

New staff uniform at Toronto's PassionKnit?

The Lanesplitter virus also flared up among Bodensee-Strick-und-Spinntreffen, an international group of knitters from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Photo courtesy Annie/stricknetz.

And it's a virus that doesn't seem to go away: many knitters have made more than one.

The secret is not only that it's a fun knit, but it looks amazing on anyone – any body shape or size.  And it's so very adaptable.  I'm a petite sort who owns a lot of pairs of black tights, so I made mine a fitted mini.  Lynne's is just above the knee, and a little looser, but still with some negative ease.  Other knitters have made longer versions – knee length and below. This is the genuine article: a knit that looks good on everyone! Have you knit one? Post a link to it in the comments! Does this post make you want to knit one? Tell us!

Props to Tina Whitmore for such an amazing design.