Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday (see streamlined knitting directions on Saturday, 9/8)

As promised on Wednesday:

http://midwaysimplicity.com/100-simple-nutrition-tips/  

Here are 100 nutritional tips which look good except for #20: Never smoke after eating. There are good times to smoke? and # 86: Avoid open buffets. Closed all-you-can-eat buffets are OK?  But the advice is sound though I never remember more than a few tips on these mega lists.

Want to ask about my diet? Remember the uproar when Michelle Obama said she was finally proud to be an American? Well, I'm finally proud to look in the mirror. I no longer have to play the Picture of Dorian Gray game. That is, ask myself: Does my chin finally look firmer? The diet is working. It may be the 30 minutes a day on the treadmill (increased speed; no incline) and/or the cutting down on carbs but something is happening. No earth shaking: OMG, I fit into that again? and I don't doubt that a few days of cheating could be disastrous. I'd like to say that I'm happy because it's important to live healthy but there is a good component of pride in my pleasure. The US population may be fat but the meme is thin. More on my progress on another Friday.
 

Now, if you awakened this morning asking yourself: Why crochet? I'm here to provide the answer.

 First, a crocheted tee/tank top:

http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/pdf/SundanceNotYellowTank.pdf 
 

You may remember that about a month ago I was blithely designing my own top-down crocheted top. You may not remember that I canned the project fast because I had no clue on how to work my way from the neck down. As I remember it, my design was developing into a new geometric shape rather than a top.

Well, Kristen TenDyke has done what I couldn't: She has designed a top-down tank top which, once you work past the yoke increases is so unbelievably easy to work. Thank you, Kristen.

I cast on for the yoke yesterday and this morning I'm already two inches into the bodice. The yoke and the top of the bodice are done in half double crochet and you can see the bodice changes into a V-stitch design. I'm not wild about this look so I may continue with the HDC throughout or pick up the stitches and work a knitted stitch for the bodice.

Now for anyone who likes this pattern and wants to start crocheting, let me say that the Ravelry comments mention the difficulty in working the yoke increases. You produce a slight raglan look in your yoke increases so you want to get a diagonal line look, not a wonky line look.

#1 Neck band of the top

Yesterday after I fell in love with this pattern, I was feverishly writing notes to myself to make the increases easier and I'm going to post them here. 

I'll start with the neckband of the top at the left. (Sorry, this would not rotate properly. The back of the top is at the hook.) The directions say: Ch 96 and join. You're looking at this but soon after the picture I restarted with a foundation single crochet row (google the process, it's a great crochet foundation row) which was easier to join.

I made a list of explanations and suggestions which, I hope, make the yoke increase section easier. (I'm only using my size for the example.) Here they are:

1. Make a more-than-you’ll-need amount of long yarn threads in two colors. I'll call them 1st color and 2nd color markers below. (I like long threads rather than typical markers.) Make one long thread in a 3rd color.
2. If you make a personal copy when working this pattern, eliminate all the sizes except yours. (So cuts down on confusion.)

2a. (Variation: Work a row of 96 foundation single crochets instead of your typical beginning chain row and don’t work Round 1 but start on Round 2. Then the hdc referred to in Row 2 will be sc to you.)
3. Join your first row with a slip stitch and put a marker in this slip stitch (Very important throughout.)
4. Your original stitches are going to be divided into four sections: 1st sleeve, back, 2nd sleeve, front and Round 2 will set-up how many stitches are in each section.
5. You will begin each round with a Ch-2 which you are always to consider as a half double crochet. But I can’t figure out how this Ch-2 comes into the count of stitches. It seems to be used only as the “anchor” for the slip stitch which ends the round and connects the end of the round to the beginning. Still, be sure to mark this Ch-2 sp throughout.

I’m going to dissect Round 2 because this round is different from Rounds 3 and 4 which will be your repeat rounds for the yoke increases. If you get past Round 2, it's easy as pie. I'll be working with my size which has a CO of 96 stitches.
Terms: PM = place marker; (# of sts) = # of sts after the increases, hdc = half double crochet, st = stitch, sp = space
Rnd 2: (inc of 8 sts) Ch 2
1. This is always considered one hdc. Put the 3rd color marker in the space this ch-2 makes.
1st sleeve section: 2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 15 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, PM (19 sts)
1, You are working with 17 hdc from Round 1 and increasing them to 19 sts.
2. Using the 1st color markers across the row for this, put a marker in the 1st hdc of the previous round.
3. Count out 17 sts (hdc) and put a 1st color marker in the 17th hdc.
4. Work 2 hdc in the first marked stitch. Work 1 hdc in the next 15 sts. Then work 2 hdc in the last marked stitch.

5. Put a 2nd color marker after this increase. (This marker will separate the double increases you do on Row 4 throughout the yoke. I think this is more important if you use the pattern's marking system rather than mine, but be safe and use it.)
5. You have completed one sleeve section with increases to 19 sts.
Back section: 2 hdc in next hdc, 1 hdc next in 29 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, PM (33 sts)

1. Put a 1st color marker in the next st in the round.

2. You will be working with 31 sts and increases into 33 sts.

3. Count out 31 sts and put a 1st color marker in that st.

4. Work 2 hdc in the first marked stitch. Work 1 hdc in the next 29 sts. Then work 2 hdc in the last marked stitch.

5.  Put a 2nd color marker after this increase.

6. You have completed the back section  with an increase to 33 sts.
2nd sleeve section:  Work as the 1st Sleeve section.
Front section: 2 hdc in next hdc, 1 hdc next 30 hdc including the joining sl st of previous rnd, sl st into first hdc to join.

1. This section is slightly tricky. In this section, after your beginning increase you seem to work straight on 30 sts. I only get 32 stitches for this section that way. 2 inc + 30 = 32

2. Here's what I did. Put a 1st color marker in the first st of the section, as usual.

3. Count across 31 sts and mark this last st with a 1st color marker (as usual.) You may find that the slip stitch you marked at the beginning is the 31th st.
4. Work across as the Back section making the beginning and end increases as usual.

5. Join your round with a slip stitch in the Ch2-sp which is always the 1st hdc (remember you marked this also before and be sure to mark it throughout the yoke.)

At the end of the round you have, in my size: 104 hdc; 19 sts each sleeve; 33sts each front and back.

The most important thing is that these sections are symmetrical with all the increases in the same place. That's why you're using all these markers throughout the yoke section. Believe me, Round 2 is the toughest round. After R2, you will be alternating increase rounds. In Round 3, you will increase 2 sts only in the front and back sections. In Round 4, you will increase two sts in all four sections. For my size, I only had to repeat these two round once before I was ready for the armholes.

I worked up my own marking system as you can see from the above. I made sure I always had markers in:

1. The Chain-2 space.

2. The slip stitch joining the round.

3. Every first and last stitch of the section, whether I had to increase in that stitch or not. 

4. Between two "2 hdc in 1 hdc" which were next to each other in the increases in Round 4.

After that, I made a chart of the stitches for each section at the end of each row. For example: At the end of Row 2, I've increased all the sections and the sleeve sections are increased to 19 sts. However in Round 3, I only make increases in the front and back sections. So, for Round 3, after I marked my Ch-2 sp at the beginning, I marked the 1st stitch in the sleeve section and the 19th stitch. Then I just worked even across. At the end of Row 2, I had 33 stitches in the back/front sections so I marked the 1st st and the 33th st of the back/front sections and increased in those two stitches.

Here's a quick summary of the increases after Row 2 which I think I worked out in the middle of night last night.

To work increases after Round 2:
Start at the first sleeve section and look back at the final count for that section in the previous row. Mark the first and last st of this count on your present row. If there are no increases just work one hdc in each hdc across. If it is an increase section, make two hdcs in the first and last marked sts. Rep this for each section

It was definitely a lot of marking and counting but I think this pattern is worth it. Plus after your first top, it will become so much easier.

I'm doing my first top in junk yarn for practice. I'm sorry I did and I think you should be able to work in good yarn from the start.

Once you get to the armhole, you will cast on stitches for one underarm (cast on loosely), work even across the back, cast on again, and then work even across the front. Just be sure your stitch count stays the same. The pattern says to ditch the markers in this section but I still marked the 1st and last stitches in the front and back sections.

OK, that's it. I'm zonked! See you next Friday.