Finished Pictures of Leaf Yoke and Chevron

A quick post with pictures of my finished tops....

Leaf Yoke:




Chevron:



Happy Knitting!

Another Top Completed and More Knitting

I got around to finishing my Leaf Yoke top the other day and wore it to work on my special day. I received a lot of complements. The top is very comfortable to wear and the Pebble yarn made the garment feel lightweight. I actually like the two color contrast yarns I used, but I plan on knitting another top in a single color.



I resolved the long armhole issue on my Leaf Yoke. First, when I was getting ready to do the I-cord BO, I picked up less stitches in the underarm area...about 44 stitches versus the 50 recommended in the pattern. It was a slight improvement, but the armhole area was still a bit "loosey-goosey" for me. I dove into my sewing notions stash and found fine elastic thread. I took my darning needle and threaded the fine elastic through my I-cord BO edge, making sure the thread didn't show on the right side. I pulled the elastic until the armhole area was slightly gathered and I knotted the elastic. I tried on the top again and the fit was perfect.

I'm still weaving in the ends of my Chevron top. Though I loved using 3 different colors for this top, the ends are a pain in my side to weave in. I have a few more strands left and I should be done.



I've been looking through Ravelry (my queue) and through my pattern books and magazines to find a new knitting project to start. I found a lot of sleeveless tops, but can't seem to find one that jumps out at me. I've also grown my yarn stash to include more cotton and cotton-blended yarns in light worsted and DK weights. I actually enjoy knitting with the thinner yarns.

In the meantime, I've resurrected a WIP from last year...my Lace Panel cardigan. I stopped knitting it last August which I regret now. It's taken me awhile to figure out where I left off and I've noticed my knitting skills have vastly improved since last year. My right front I'm working on now looks a bit better than the left front from last year. LOL!!! I'm glad I had documented this garment on Ravelry. Let's face it, my mind can only remember so much from last year.



So, I'm working my way towards the shoulder and I'm not looking at my notes from last year. See that vast improvement of my knitting skills? I can now look at what I knitted and figure out when I need to do my next decreases. Wonders never cease for me.

I'm still debating as to knit the short sleeves for this cardi or just knit an I-cord binding around the armholes and make this cardi into a vest. My "Simple is Better" motto keeps coming to mind as I really need to change this WIP into a finished garment and check if off my Ravelry list. I'll be back to post the results.

Happy Knitting!

Happy July!

I can't believe it's already July. This week, we've been having beautiful weather. No humidity and in the 80s. I've been out enjoying the weather when I can. This can only mean that not much knitting has been done.

Here's a status check on my two garments. I've got another 2 inches to go on the back section of my Chevron shell. After that is completed, I can finish the front.




I'm knitting my Leaf Yoke top when I happen to be sitting in front of the TV. Mindless knitting in the round.



My plan is to finish these two tops over my 3-day Holiday weekend. Plus, make two necklaces. Plus, re-organize my yarn stash. Plus, look for new knitting projects to start soon.

More Garment Knitting

I'm back to garment knitting. It's only taken 7 months to get the garment-itch, again. Now that Summer is in full swing, I'm thinking "sleeveless" tops. I found a cute chevron top in one of my Tahki Yarns booklet. I'm doing some major omissions/modifications to the pattern...no sleeves and no front button placket. Oh, and no seams(!)...just knit in the round. Make it simple.

Here's the body of the shell. I really do like the colors I picked out. I'm using Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic. I believe this is the first garment I'm knitting with smaller than #8 needles. I'm using #6 needles! This knitting project is going fast. I've already separated the front and back section and now knitting the back.



Also on my needles (size 7), is the Leaf Yoke top that's from last year's Knit.1 magazine. As you can see, I'm using two colors for this top. Just wanted to knit something different. I've learned how to do short row wraps (shaping). Something new for me to learn.



I'm alternating my time between these two projects. I hope to have both completed by the end of our upcoming holiday weekend.

Happy Knitting!