Finished!

Finished and just in time to wear for our 90 degree weather we're having this weekend. My Sierra Prosperous tank top was a fun knit, but the sizing is off. As you can see from the pictures, there is no 4 inches of negative ease anywhere. I'm blaming this on operator error. Moi. I did get gauge with this Cascade Sierra yarn, but have no clue as to what happened during the knitting stages. I knitted a size 32", but ended up with something close to 35-36"...my bust size.

I finished the neckline and armholes with a single crochet stitch. That resulted in a snug fit in the upper part of the top. I was pleased with the results of this finish.



I really like how each of the back cable and lace pattern continues into the straps.



I'm happy with the way the back looks. The picot stitches add some interest.



So, doing a provisional cast-on was a first for me. The picot hem was also a first and I really like the finished look...mostly it doesn't curl up and out.

What's next on the needles? Another version of this top. This time I plan on removing the shaping around the waist and depending on the yarn I use, I may or may not cast on less stitches. We will see.

Some Pictures of Prosperous Tank Top

I thought I would share some photos of my Prosperous tank top...still in the works. It's a fascinating knitting project. I'm still knitting the front and back straps. This is a project where you have to try on the top to figure out how long the straps should be. I'm getting closer to the final lengths...at some point, I will put all the straps on waste yarn and do a loose slip knot to tie the shoulders together. By the time I finish this top, it will be summer. Glad this project is sleeveless.

The front view:



The front neckline close-up:



The back view:



The front cable and lace pattern:




Other hobbies have taken over my knitting time. One of which is making Origami cranes. I have no idea how and why I've started this hobby. Last year, I happened to be searching on the Internet and found the "crane" instructions. I started with plain white paper which got pretty boring after I mastered the folds. I happened to be at my local Michaels store and sure enough...they carried the fancy Origami paper that came in plain colors and printed designs. Too cool! I'll post pictures of what they look like later this weekend. For now, I'm watching Lord of the Rings with my hubby and folding beautiful sheets of Origami paper.

Happy Knitting!

A Somewhat Quiet Knitting Weekend

I'm finally getting over a week-long cold. I thought I had the allergies and couldn't figure out why the allergy meds weren't working. That's because I had a head cold. Makes more sense as I haven't had a Spring allergy for years. After being duped up for two nights on NyQuil, I'm feeling better. Feeling like my ole knitting self.

The weather here is going back and forth between 60 to 80 degrees during the day. I'm starting to wear my sandals and starting to feel like knitting for summer weather...like sleeveless tops.

Sometime last week, I started knitting Prosperous Plum Tank which I renamed "Sierra Prosperous Tank" because I'm using Cascade Sierra yarn. BTW, this is a free pattern on Ravelry. The yarn is moss colored and a joy to knit with. It's 80% Pima cotton with 20% wool.

This Prosperous Tank is an interesting knit for me. First, it's knit in the round (way cool). Second, I did my first provisional cast on. Third, I learned to knit a hem (e.g. picot hem). Really, way cool! I had way too much fun at the beginning of this project.

The instructions includes two charts (A and B) for the pattern which has a bit of a cable pattern along with a squiggly lace pattern. As I was looking at what others knitted on Ravelry, I noticed I disliked the dominant continuous squiggly line which is in chart A. I ended up modifying the pattern a bit by reversing one of the cables in the pattern. In chart A, instead of doing a C6F, I changed it to a C6B.

Here's what I have done so far for the front with the pattern going up the center:



One thing is for sure, I'm having a blast knitting this top. Here's the back with the pattern going up along each side:



My Sofia is still waiting to be finished. I spent a few minutes here and there sewing up the seams of my cardi. It didn't take too long and I actually enjoyed my quiet moments joining the pieces. Taking the refresher class late last year probably helped with the overall enjoyment process. I confirmed I was doing the seaming process correct and I learned to take my time and just enjoy it. It worked.

I'm still knitting the eyelet border to go around the fronts, sides, and back. I'm past the halfway point, but still have a few inches to go.




I'll be back later this week to post (with pictures) about my provisional cast on method and the picot hem I learned.

Happy Easter!