stash, knit, repeat

Although you’ll have to forgive me for the poor focus in a few of these shots (I still haven’t worked out the kinks of self-portraits here at the new place), the Waterlily Top is now officially an FO:

Pattern: Waterlily Top by Katy Ryan, from the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave

Yarn: Colinette Giotto, 2.5-ish hanks, color “Sahara”

Time Elapsed: The knitting took about a week

Modifications/Notes: Since I’ve been wishing lately that Interweave would publish this particular fact, I will start by saying that I knit the 38.25″ size for .75″ of negative ease in the bust. I really think that with a yarn as light and insubstantial as a ribbon yarn, negative ease (in the bust, anyway) is crucial for a nice fit.

I made some big modifications to this pattern, and I think they resulted in a fairly flattering knit. First, I shortened the whole thing by about 3″: my finished version is around 15″ from hem to bust. (I’m fairly long-waisted.) Second, while I kept the ruffle at the bottom of the tank I entirely changed the shape of the piece. The original was empire waisted and had at least 4″ of positive ease to the waist and hips (for me) in the size I knit. I just knew I’d hate so much fabric floating unattractively around my middle, so I made the shape more conventional and gave myself around 1.5 inches of positive ease in the waist. I’m really glad I did this, and if I were to make the tank again I’d give myself even less room in the waist.

I alternated from the 3 balls of Giotto through the whole piece, and I’m also really glad I did that. There was some minor pooling around the hem, but surprisingly it doesn’t bother me so much.

If I were to knit this again, I’d make more changes. After all is said and done, I think the tank looks pretty good, but would look lots better if I had changed the bias direction on the top halves to bias out rather than in. They still seem a bit at cross-roads with the v-neck, to me.

(Whoops! Edited to add that the usual FO round-up is available, as well.)

All in all, though, I’m marking this one down as a successful knit. I don’t typically wear tanks but if we happen to get a warm day, I’ll definitely reach for this one.

Thanks so much for your opinions on the yarn, everyone. It was really interesting to see what the word “deep” meant to all of you. My instinct was that a deep color would be both dark in tone and very saturated. But if I take the majority opinion, it seems like I’m wrong and that saturation is the really important part of it. The outcome? Well, I ordered some Louet and tomorrow or Saturday when it arrives (holy fast shipping batman!) I’ll line them all up and choose.

Meanwhile, before my blogging hiatus, I’ve finished the knitting on the tank.

Weaving in ends, here I come! And because I’m lacking in pictures of the Tangled Yoke recently, here’s a snap of the really pathetic progress I’ve made on the first sleeve.

On the plus side, I’ve got a week’s worth of Daily Shows and an entire dvd of Lost episodes (season one, I’m behind the times) to get through. You know, when I’m not moving. :)

See you next week!

Quick, would you call either of these a deep color?

Thanks for your opinions in advance!

*****

The Tangled Yoke is moving along, but slowly since the sleeves are knit on dpns. Before casting on for the first one, I decided to take two days (!!) and mostly finish the Waterlily Top:

It needs a serious blocking/pressing. The bottom needs to be bound off. The back doesn’t exist above the armholes… but seriously. There’s at most an evening’s worth of work to finish the thing. I’ve never knit a top so quickly.

The jury is still out on it. I think my mods are flattering enough, but I’m starting to get nervous that it just doesn’t mesh with my personality very well. Like it’s something I would have worn at 25, on a flirty spring or fall day, but is maybe not something I want to wear at 32 while taking the kiddo to the playground. We’ll see when it’s finished, I guess.

*****

(Note these clever segues! However do I think of them?)

We’re moving on Monday, and I got the terrible (horrible, no-good, very bad) news today that we’ll be without internet access for UP TO A WEEK. How am I supposed to function?! So look for an update on Friday, and then probably a couple of FO shoots around a week later. Wish me luck!

Sorry about the radio silence. It’s been quite the… well, let’s just say it’s been a surprising week.

Knitting has happened, of course. Spurred on by Sil’s fab Tangled Yoke, I finished the main part of the body. It’s been pretty sloggy so far, but this feels like a big milestone. Now, just the bottom part of the sleeves before I can join the whole thing and get to the fun part!

I think this is going to be a cardigan I wear a lot, and I hope to have it finished in time to wear it to Rhinebeck. I’m flying back East and going to the festival for the first time this year, with my favorite partner in yarny crime. I’m so excited I can barely even stand it!

Despite spending less than half the time on the Waterlily top than I have on Tangled Yoke, I’m nearly as far.

This is an interesting project, if nothing else. It’s weird knitting on such enormous needles, and the “yarn” doesn’t always act like such. But I do like the fabric it’s producing, and you know what? It’s really good to stretch my boundaries a little. If nothing else, I’m enjoying the process.

My other fun knitting news is that the sign-ups are open for the next Stitches West, and I’m treating myself to a weekend of classes, this year. I’m taking a bunch on pattern modification and design, and I’m really looking forward to it. If anyone else decides to go, definitely let me know. Between this and Rhinebeck, I have two whole weekends of relaxing knitting to look forward to. How did I get so lucky?!

Well, let’s be fair. The Tangled Yoke Cardigan is very, very unlikely to be disastrous.

It is kind of dull, though, at least for the moment. I’m finally (finally!) done with the garter rib on the body, but those rows are still damn long. And my monkeys are done, and I’m not feeling the sock love for another pattern just at the moment.

So let’s mix things up a bit, shall we? I noted this project when it came out in the magazine, and I’ve been thinking about it since. There isn’t a project in existence less to my usual taste, so it’s taken me some time to commit. But commit I have, I suppose–it’s in my Ravelry projects list, it’s in the sidebar, it’s on the needles. The yarn I showed a few posts ago was Colinette Giotto, as many guessed, and this is the pattern.

I know, I know. There has never been a less flattering picture of a sweater. The color is awful, and it looks just wretched on the model. But stick with me, for a few minutes, and then tell me whether or not I’m completely crazy.

• Thing #1: The model is, undeniably, pear-shaped. I am not pear-shaped. My chest will be much more in balance with my hips.
• Thing #2: The model is also short-waisted. I am very long-waisted.
• Modification #1: I am not using a hideous color.
• Modification #2: I will be shortening the top by two inches. This, combined with Thing #2, will turn this tunic into a tank.
• Modification #3: More waist decreases

So, basically, I guess, I think there’s a swan in this ugly duckling. And by shortening the top, making it more fitted, using a good color, and generally being a person with the sort of figure that looks good in this silhouette, I’m pretty hopeful things will turn out well.

So that’s it. I’ve cast on. And, this being knit on (oh my god) 11s and 13s, it’s going pretty quickly.

Am I totally insane? Set up for the UGH of the century? Or will I just get a nice, unusual, dressy tank? Who knows! But at least it won’t be boring around here, that’s for sure.