Hedgehog Knits

Adventures in knitting from the eastern edge of Canada.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Designing again

Proving yet again my inability to focus on any particular project longer than three days, I just had to dive into the new pile of yarn that I bought last week and start swatching and dreaming. Nevermind that my Soleil tank still needs fixing, or that I have a cardigan and two pairs of socks on the go - I can't seem to get beyond the new yarn smell that draws me to make a decision on a project.

Browsing through past issues of Interweave Knits, looking for possible summer tops in finer gauge, I came upon this ad for Nashua Handknits:


I don't know why I never noticed it before, but I really like this. I have a couple of store-bought tops in this style, in stretchy lycra fabrics, and I like the way they look over a tank top. I love the idea of a lacy summer top, and I think the shape will look pretty good on me. Rather than go looking for this particular pattern, I decided to try to design something similar myself. I'm still new to this whole designing thing, so I could use the practice.

Since I don't have much in the way of a stitch dictionary (I really should invest in some), I started browsing lacy patterns to find something that I could adapt. After swatching a few different variations, I settled on a lace stitch that I borrowed from the Convertible pattern at Knitty. So far so good:


I'm going to knit the bottom without any shaping, as it will be kind of loose and drapey, and then decrease for a garter stitch band under the bust before working the top. I'm kind of dreading the shaping for the top - it's probably going to take a few tries to get it right.

So far, I'm loving the yarn. It's Polo by Zitron, which I believe was recently discontinued, but is still widely available on eBay. It is so soft that it feels like chenille. It's a cotton-acylic blend, and is machine washable. The swatch that I washed came out looking exactly the same with no shrinkage, and the lace blocked nicely. I have five balls of this colour, but if that's not enough, I have the option of doing the top part in blue. I'm pretty excited about this project. I hope I can get it to come out the way I want!

Tonight is my last trip to our monthly neighbourhood knit night. I wish that I had discovered the group a long time ago, as I've only been to a few events and now I'll be moving. I must try to find something similar in St. John's. I can't find anything official online, but I hear rumours that there's a weekly knit night at The Ship Pub... I'll have to look into that. We bought a pile of boxes last week, and plan to start the packing next week. I'm getting stressed out just thinking about it, and in the meantime, I still have a thesis to finish. So on that note, back to work!

Labels: ,

6 Comments:

Blogger Marianne said...

Ooh, that is a pretty top, I really like what you came up with for the lace part.
I am so very impressed, designing and figuring it all out.
I hope the rumours are true about the weekly knitting group at The Ship Pub.
Ach, the moving part....sigh...I feel for you..I do.

2:30 p.m.  
Blogger Sarah said...

This looks like it will be a lovely top - congratulations on being brave enough to do your own.

Good luck with the packing (and of course the thesis writing, kind of goes without saying!)

1:42 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly,
Have you tried www.pickupsticks.ca and www.thesweetsheep.com? They are Ontario online retailers of beautiful sock yarns. I've dealt with them and they are both great. It was nice meeting you and I'll keep up with you through your blog. Good luck!

8:11 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry, I forgot to type in my name. I am Anonymous! Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

8:14 p.m.  
Blogger Heather said...

Wow, that's lovely! Can't wait to see it finished :)

Ysolda is great. She's one of my favourite bloggers out there right now. I'm glad to have found her and more than happy to share her :D

11:01 a.m.  
Blogger Kelly said...

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, Marianne and Sarah. And Daisy, thank you for the recommendation. I haven't tried either of those suppliers, but I will certainly make a note of them. Nice meeting you on Friday!

11:58 a.m.  

Post a Comment

<< Home