Done: Girly Top

Ravelympics victory is mine!

Did I already mention that?

My wardrobe has expanded by one.

And what a lovely one is it.

I finally cornered Hubby and made him take my picture. I have to admit he was right about the light, it isn't showing the details at all. But you get the general idea.

And he immediately said, "I can see your bra line." I was like, "Well, this is probably the bra I'll be wearing it with and I don't feel like changing, so take the picture!"

I took it to the store yesterday and everyone oohed and aahed over it and said the fit was just perfect. Which is always nice to hear. I had on a different bra yesterday and nobody said it looked bad and you would think a bunch of women would have jumped on that situation. So I might have to reconsider my foundation garments when I wear this in the future.

Project Stats
Pattern: Stella's Blouse by Robin Melanson from the Spring 2004 issue of Interweave Knits.

If you don't have that issue, the pattern is now available independently from the online Interweave store filed under "tops, tanks, and camisoles." Frankly, if you have a Ravelry account follow the link from the project page, that's the only way I found it.

Yarn: Rowan Cotton Glace in color 827, which is a nice powder blue.
The pattern called for eight for my size. I bought nine, but can only find labels for eight, so I guess I threw one away. But I have two entire balls plus 27 grams left over. So I only used seven balls.

Needles: US 3 & 4 (as required).

Size: 34" scaled down to around a 32", which brings us to...

Modifications
I really liked the top but new the smallest size, 34", would be too big for me clocking in at 31".
I was able to track down Robin on Ravelry and ask about downsizing it by ditching 10 stitches, 5 each on the front and back.
She agreed that would give me the right amount of ease and probably still fit properly through the shoulders, etc.

I worked the sleeves as instructed without changes.

I cast on and worked the bottoms of the body through the patterned sections as instructed for the 34" size.

Then I decreased one stitch at each end of the needle on two right side rows, then one on one end on the next right side row.

I worked all the shoulder and neck shaping according to the pattern. Only I didn't have a center stitch to decrease away for the front notch.

Also, the pattern calls for a slip stitch row of crochet around the front notch, but I ended up going around the entire neck opening. I put my hook into the last loop from binding off and just when forward from there. Which meant one less end to weave in.

Finally, the pattern calls for a zipper down the left side, but as I think I mentioned the other day I just seamed it shut and I can get it on and off just fine.

At this point, and in these pictures, the sweater has not been blocked, aside from when I hit it with the iron before I sewed it together. I figure washing it is blocking it.

Photographic Trickery
I'm very pleased with it. I think it looks adorable and I can't wait to wear it. I can't decide if I should go ahead and wear it despite the fact its a short sleeved cotton top and the weather is hovering around 35 degrees F, or wait until the spring.

However, I am a little surprised about how the neckline turned out.

You might remember I was expressing surprise at how open it was when I finished the knitting, but I thought the collar would bring it all in.

But if you look at the original picture it looks like a high collar, almost a Neru collar.

Yeah, not so much on my finished version. And the two projects on Ravelry that are shown on people also don't have a high collar.

I think the size was too big for the model and they shifted it back on her to make it fit better. Because if I grab the shoulders of mine and shift the fabric back I can get it to look like the magazine picture. Also, if you look at where the model's breasts are in relation to the smocking they are much closer than mine.

Anyway, I suppose on the scale of photographic deception this is pretty minor because the sweater is still lovely and fits me really well. But I was a bit surprised is all.

Ok, time to go work on my Tartan Argyle Socks.

Ravelympics Medal

Yippee!

I got my medal for finishing my Ravelympics project last night.

I don't have a finished object photo to share with you yet.

It rained for the last three days, then switched to snow overnight.

It snowed all day (with little accumulation) and Hubby said "the light is bad" and refused to be my photographer.

I suppose he has a point. Although I thought the Green Room was rather bright.

Hopefully I'll be able to corner him before the weekend is out.

These creative types, they can't be reasoned with.

Ok, my Tartan Argyle Sock is calling.

Girly Top: Two More Rows

That's it!

I just have to work two more rows on the collar, bind off, and I'm done!

Well, except for crocheting around the neck opening to stabilize it...

and attaching two buttons...

and weaving in the rest of the ends from the body seams.

But, aside from that stuff, I'm basically done.

Yes, I know it seems silly to have stopped knitting when I was so close. And believe me, I considered powering through and staying up past my bedtime if necessary to finish.

But I'd spent time online yesterday harassing other knitters about remembering to rest when they felt pain, so I decided to follow my own advice.

This combination of the cotton yarn on the Addi Turbos in a pattern just kills my hands.

I was fine for the plain stockinette stitch portions, but the way I use my fingers to manipulate the stitches while working the smocking and ribbing apparently causes stress.

Last night I kept having to stop after working two or three rows, stretch my hands, shake them, maybe wander around the house for a bit.

I could tell it wasn't wise to keep pushing myself.

I have to imagine I'll be able to get through these two rows and the bind off tonight without a problem, though.

Then I have to decide on buttons. I just need two.

I was looking through my meager button collection back when I started the sweater and I might have some that will work.

On the other hand, we used to have little rhinestone ones at the store. They could be cute if they aren't too flashy.

The button decision could delay the true finish until this weekend.

Girly Top: Forward, Collar

Finally managed to pick up the correct number of stitches last night.

Took about another hour, which is just pathetic. But in my defense I was watching TV, again, and kept stopping to actually watch the show. Then I would say, "oh, my goodness!" and get back to my knitting.

Anyway. I decided that I liked the look my work on the first neck edge (which is actually what you see in the picture). So I put a stitch marker after that batch of stitches.

Most of the back neck looked good as well, however it turned out I didn't pick up enough stitches, so I put a stitch marker at the area that could be fiddled.

The second neck edge was a lost cause.

It helped to realize I didn't have to squeeze all three missing stitches into the one neck edge. I was able to redistribute them across part of the back and the front.

Perhaps my method is too hit or miss.

Quadrants
Then, of course, the section of "Sweater Design in Plain English" I read this morning covered picking up stitches.

Righetti suggests dividing the section in half, then each half into halves. She points out it is easier to pick up a smaller number of stitches evenly across a smaller area.

And I went, duh. Because, of course, I knew that trick, and have applied it in the past. I just...forgot.

It seemed like such a smooth easy yarn I was working with. And the pattern even indicates how many stitches to pick up on each section of the neckline.

I was lulled into a false sense of security.

Collar Time
Hubby called me for dinner just as I was working my first few actual rows of the collar. I was also in the last few minutes of my show. But I halted both activities and tumbled downstairs.

It was just as well. After we finished eating I looked at my work and decided it looked too loose.

I was working on my US 4 needle when the smocking section on the body was worked on the US 3.

Switching straight to the smaller needle might have made and unpleasant and obvious change to the gauge. To avoid it I ripped back the three rows I'd worked by using the US 3 to pick up the first real row of knitting then pulling the US 4 out.

It was sort of slow going, but I didn't want to risk yanking the needle out, having stitches drop everywhere, and starting over again with picking up the stitches.

I was able to get back to the point where I could work the first few repeats of row 3 (which is the wrap row for the smocking) before bedtime.

The shame of it is there are only around 16 rows in the collar, from what I remember, so loosing those three rows of work was actually a significant percentage in this case.

I'm not going to worry about it, however, because it's only Wednesday and I've still got plenty of time.

My Apple!
A few weeks ago my mom and aunt came to town for a fund raising event for the Red Cross that featured chocolate dishes from local restaurants.

My aunt bid on, and won, an auction item. Which meant it was up to me to retrieve it for her.

Their office hours collided with my office hours, so the lady kindly agreed to meet me at 8 am today.

I was hoping to just leave the house for the day, but it turns out I'm not that coordinated in the morning.

Instead I had to leave then come home 10 minutes later to pack my lunch.

Of course this sent the puppies into a tizzy.

As I defended myself from Samson, I grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl, crossed the kitchen to put it on the counter next to the sink, then crossed back to the other side of the room.

I didn't even realize the apple had rolled off the counter until I saw Baru running victory laps with it in his mouth.

He must have made four or five laps before I said, "I see you, Baru." Then he settled down in the green room and devoured his prize.

Samson was so busy dancing around me that he missed the entire thing.

There was another half apple in the bowl. Instead of eating it, I handed it over to Samson. I was intending to feed it to the pups anyway. It was cut a few days ago and was getting brown.

So instead of a nice piece of fruit for lunch, I have a lame spinach "salad," which is just spinach with dressing since I didn't have time to make a full salad.

sigh

Girly Top: Neck Pain

Have I mentioned how much I dislike picking up stitches along an edge? Especially a neck edge.

Oh, I have? Several times?

Well, I'm not surprised because I really don't like it.

First, it's so loosey-goosey. Oh, maybe pick up each stitch, or every other stitch, whatever seems right.

I don't want it to "seem right!" I want a formula! I want to be able to pick them up correctly the first time, every time.

But that is not my fate.

My fate is to struggle with it for over an hour and still not have it right.

Yes, I know for a fact it was over an hour because we were watching Heroes, which we had recorded. It was a little difficult to watch the show and my knitting, which might have been part of the problem, but both had to be accomplished.

I considered working on my Green Step Sock instead, but the week is drawing to a close. (Yes, I know it's only Tuesday.) It would be a shame to have come so far, so fast, on my Ravelympics project only to fail now.

Anyway.

It took me several attempts to get the required number of stitches picked up along the first neck edge.

The back of the neck was a little easier since it is a straight line and mostly one-for-one.

Then I tried to copy the first edge for the second edge and it didn't quite work out. I was three stitches short of the required number.

Which might be a pattern repeat, but I'm not going there. I'm going to squeeze them in somehow.

By the time I'd gotten that far it was 10:30, i.e. bedtime, so I shoved it into my project bag in disgust, tossed it on the dresser, and pulled the covers over my head.

Hopefully with fresher eyes tonight after work I'll be able to spot any gappy spots.

Hopefully I won't have to go all the way back to the beginning.

grrr.

Girly Top: "Sew" Delightful

Do you see that?

It's actually starting to look like a real sweater!

Very exciting.

What is also exciting is how quickly I was able to seam it up.

Let's see, according to my Twitter timeline, I was able to set-in both sleeves during one marathon 3 hour session Friday night. With, apparently, breaks for playing on the computer and probably dinner.

Then I got both side and sleeve seams done in bursts on Saturday, in between gallivanting across the countryside with Hubby and going to the movies, finishing around 11 pm.

Now, maybe that doesn't sound fast to you, but I'm sure it usually takes me much longer to sew up a sweater.

I don't know if it's because it's a little, short sleeved thing or because it had full on selvedge stitches, but I think it went together a treat.

Not the Voice of Experience
It's not like I've made a million sweaters, but I'm pretty sure this is the first one I've made with a legitimate selvedge stitch.

And by that I mean not just assuming the first and last stitches will be eaten by the seam. This pattern calls for the first and last stitch to be knit on every row, making a garter stitch column up the sides.

This greatly reduced the fussing involved of squishing the edge out while trying to find the ladder to grab for the mattress stitch.

I was just able to bounce from side to side, boom, boom, boom. Because they were right there obvious.

Now I want all my sweater patterns to be like this.

On the other hand, like I said, it is a short sleeve top, so that might be helping.

No Zipper Required
Another exciting turn of events is that I'm going to be able to skip the zipper.

The pattern calls for a zipper down the left side for ease of entry, I suppose.

I saw someone on Ravelry who said she was able to get the sweater on and off without it and it gave me hope.

I figured I had nothing to loose since I was sitting there sewing it up anyway. If it worked I could move ahead. If it didn't I would be stalled. I was already plotting finding out how much the tailor at our dry cleaner would charge. Happily it didn't come to that.

After all, since the bottom section of my sweater was technically sized for a person who would take a 34 inch bust I expected to have wiggle room.

And it worked! Yippee!

After I got both sides sewn up I slithered into it, then bounced into the living room. Hubby got a gleem in his eye, which indicated it looked good. So I dashed up stairs to the full length mirror and saw it fits quite well.

Now I just have to get through the collar.

Open Wide
I was still rather concerned about how open the neck line is looking, so I took it into the store Sunday.

We looked at the picture and decided the smocking is going to both draw it in and fill it in, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

I got hardly any work done on it Sunday. I was being good and focused on weaving in the ends from the seams. But then it was time to watch TV, which is not conducive to either weaving ends or picking up neckline stitches, so I switched to my Green Step Sock.

The heel has been turned and the gusset picked up. Decreases here I come.