Saturday, July 25, 2009

A Late, Frustrating Knitting Friday

Well, the garment was completed. The picture was taken. All that remained was to upload the picture, cut and paste the text and Knitting Friday would be done for another week.

You would have a new picture, a summer top this time, and the pattern to go with it.

Obviously never a believer of leaving well enough alone, I tried on the top before posting.

Did you hear the wailing? The damn thing was too big!. I don't think the *YO, K2tog* lace border would have been a problem but the stockinette stitch body was flabby. I finally understood why knitters complain that the models must have the garments pinned in the back for a better fit. I grabbed a clothespin and jabbed it in the back for a much better look.

But not wanting to design an avant garde use for clothespins so I could explain their presence down the back of this top: I frogged.

At present, as I type, the top has gone from a US 10 1/2 needle cast-on of 126 stitches to a US 9 needle cast-on of 120 stitches. I've worked three rows of stockinette in the round. So, the adventure begins again.

I was going to provisionally cast on this time and then add a lace hem later but I was lazy and I think I'll be able to pick up the stitches from the bottom without any trouble. This way I can tweak the size at the hem if I have to.

So far, I'm still going with a straight up stockinette stitch with a slight decrease of 3 stitches each side at the armhole. Then once the armholes are done, I'll work the lace pattern: Round 1: *YO, K2tog* Round 2: Knit, for the sleeves. Originally, I planned on a cap sleeve but I may do a half sleeve. It'll be open enough for summer wear.

When I did the fateful trying-0n, I was checking for the look of the sleeves. I had started the lace for the sleeves and I wanted to see how it was going before I continued. That was fine. Little did I expect a major fit problem instead.

And no, I did not swatch. I always cast on about 120 stitches for the body of my garments. It wasn't my fault! It was the cotton yarn. Bad cotton!

So that's the explanation. What it really means is that I lost almost a week of knitting (though my black shawl is coming nicely.) Next week, I hope to have the pattern and the picture (s) up.

Have a week of happy knitting. I hope I have one also.

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