Soft and Sweet
When I was contacted by Twisted to do some summery knits two weeks ago, I jumped at the opportunity. One is by Gundrun Johnston’s design (which will be revealed fully on my next post.) The other two are by Alana Dakos of NeverNotKnitting. I have a few of their patterns in my library and have even knit a couple of their lovely designs. Both are fantastic designers. I knew that they would put out great patterns that would be fun to knit.
I zipped through this 36″ bust-size tee pretty quick, adult version of my Spring Garden Tee shown previously. Cast on June 5 and finished knitting it on June 6. The blocking and shaping took a few extra days to arrive at the desirable finishing–I am very picky when it’s a shop sample, for sure.
It is the most comfy tee to wear–cool, drapey, and velvety soft.
My gauge using Size 6 needles was spot on with this yarn. No surprise here. The swatch told me it would.
But when I knit my 36″ size to the letter T as stated in the pattern, the necklace turned out to be huge. (See the difference between previously modeled picture above and this one below?)
I’ve anticipated some stretch by the weight of bamboo luster and from gravity pull…but not by 4″. (It looks even more baggy on me than usual as I normally fit between a 32 to 34″ size.)
Re-blocking the hand-knit three times and putting it into the dryer with damped neckline for 20 minutes did nothing to tightening up the neckline. Nada.
Instead of ripping and restarting the 1-row neckline, I got the “light bulb” moment. Why not thread the matching yarn subtly through the pick-up stitches? Viola. Magic. Just the right amount of ease. It turned out exactly the way I wanted. (Note to Self: Pick up the neck edging stitches in a size or two smaller needle and work 3 rows of reverse stockinette stitches–before binding off–as did in the original tee for girls.)
I chose not to alternate balls of the hand-dyed Be Sweet Bamboo as this pool-of-copper was a part of the “handmade charm.”
Again, the yarn is a bit fiddly to work with sometimes as the strands can get caught on the needles. This isn’t new to me, but, I did have to be cautious. Well worth it, I tell you. When I was knitting with this lovely yarn in a fabulous color, miles of plain stockinette stitch just didn’t seem tedious at all. Rows and rows of knits stacked on top of one another were simply enjoyable. This yarn is super delicious…and the pattern is elegant, but, interesting to knit. The tee looks lovely on, doesn’t it?
Instead of continuing on with the body, I did the sleeves first (without putting the stitches on idle) once the yoke depth was achieved. The armhole stitches were picked up and immediately bound off so the edge appears neater. Next, the neckline. I took complete advantage of knitting a sweater from top down–trying on the tee for size as I knit. (Another Note to Self: Use smaller needles for the fluttery lace cap-sleeves add two rows of reverse stockinette stitch before binding off.)
Beautifully curved and elegance. The subtle lace edges and scoop-neck make this tee sweet and feminine. Nice and easy! Once again, Alana’s instructions were clear and thorough. If I were to knit the Garden Spring Tee for me–which I may very well do ‘cuz it is so so delish and flattery–I would add more lace to sleeves and to the hem.
The sample will be displayed at Twisted in Portland later in the week.
It’s time to pack away those warm woolies and cast on some fun little tops, swishy skirts, and summer dresses ‘cuz it is summer. The whole shebang–both lovely yarn and pattern–is available online or at the shop on 2310 NE Broadway Street. You’ll need 6 balls to duplicate this sample. Mine consumed 5.76 balls or 634 yards of Be Sweet Bamboo in Copper colorway.
I love summer. ♥ Don’t you?
Happy crafting and keep those creative juices running!
(still doesn’t do texting, MySpace, Twitter, StumbleUpon, DiggIt…but caved into Facebook!)
