Wednesday, September 6, 2006
I’ve got Sunshine ...
So, it was a totally lousy Labor Day weekend on the Cape - rainy and cold, which, being from Western NY, I luv (think: Buffalo), but it put a huge damper (literally) on the vacay. Great weather for knitting, tho! Until I get it all pic-ed up, I’ll toss you this FO from last year ...
I call it the Sunshine Bolero. The pattern is from the cover of the Summer ’05 (?) issue of knit.1 magazine, with a few modifications. I had to add the horizontal bust-darts, natch, esp. with the figure-hugging style - the now triple-dees “will not be ignored, Dan.” I also forewent the button-close for an i-cord tie - it’s attached at its halfway point to one band, and goes thru a buttonhole on the other band.
And instead of the dreaded Homespun, I used Knit Picks Vacation in the color Sunshine - knits up just like buttered popcorn, which made me hungry every time I worked on it. I know, it’s some strange yarn, with cotton nubbies captured by nylon-and-tactel strings, and in an awkward thick-n-thin, too long to pop a bump, too short to pop a stitch. But if your OCD can get over it, the resulting fabric is buttery soft, breathable, flexible as all-get-out, and surprisingly pleasing as a whole. It’s on clearance now, so get it while you can - I certainly will be! It’ll make the best loungy-pj-cardigan for cosy winter nites.
But there is one caveat I must add: It makes some streeeeeeetchy stuff. I really shoulda considered negative ease, and also shoulda measured all my lengths hanging and not flat. Which is a great tip, btw - how often do you wear your knits lying down? Don’t you want them to fit right when you’re upright? So, then, measure your lengths with the piece vertical - either get a friend to hold it from the needle while you measure, or pin the top to a curtain or the back of the sofa. This is esp. helpful (nay, necessary!) with stretchy knits like these. Sistahs, learn from my mistakes.
Oh, and reinforce the shoulders and back neckline! Please, I’ve covered this before, I don’t know why I don’t remember to do it myself (oh, yeah, the ADHD - sorry, I forgot). Until I did this, the poor thing would just hang shapelessly on me. I used a firm single-crochet unbroken from one shoulder, across the back neckline, to the other shoulder, using KP Shine Sport in Butter, and it gave me the give I still wanted with the structure I needed.
This pic gives you a better view of the reinforcement (well, as good a view as my rudimentary photography skills provide), plus a peek at my custom-woven labels - I just adore them. They are glittery-multi-metallic on cream and have a ball of yarn stuck with needles to the left, and the top row says, “HANDKNIT FOR YOU BY” and the bottom row has my name! I got ‘em from Heirloom Woven Labels - couldn’t recommend them highly enough for the low minimums and maximum customization.
One last note on this sweater - on our return from a hellish international air flight, that was way too long and way too coach-class and punctuated by invasive security measures that left me feeling anything but “safe and secure,” a complete stranger in the Houston airport said in her southern accent as she brushed past me: “grr-AAYT sweatuh!” My rising Boston snark wouldn’t allow an appropriately prompt and gracious reply, and just layered guilt on top of all the other discomfortings. I was never so glad to touch down at Logan. Home sweet home.
