Ballet Camisole revealed

Thanks for all the well wishes for M2. He really enjoyed reading them and was surprised that so many people that didn’t “know” him would send him birthday wishes. He definitely enjoyed his 14th this year. And is attempting to act more maturely too! Yay for us.

The weekend went by too quickly as usual. A lot of time was spent on the Mystery Stole 3 (yeah, I signed up too this year). But I’m still so slow and behind. Anyhow, I’ve got something else to show you. FOs abound in this household lately.

Let me present to you a top I’m very pleased with. Knitting Ballet Camisole was fairly easy, but I decided to add short rows in the bust area.

If the pictures look a little wonky, sorry about that. I played around with the tripod and automatic timer feature on the camera. I took several photos and selected the best, as it were, but they are definitely not a substitute for having a photographer of the bf taking the photos for me.

A side view of the Ballet Cami, showcasing my faux “side seams”

Another view of the Cami:

Pattern: Ballet Camisole
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport
Needles used: US 6 (4 mm needles)
Start: end of May 2007
Finish: June 24, 2007

Modifications: for the most part, I knit this pattern as written. It was in the round, top-down, which is one of my favorite methods. However, another knitter on Ravelry admitted that she wished she’d added short row shaping at the bust. Since it’s something I’ve wanted to try and understand successfully, I decided to incorporate it into this pattern. I also planned on having the knitting done up to the armholes before I went on vacation, but that didn’t happen. I was forced to figure it out myself. Luckily for me, the internet is always open. Thanks to Bonne Marie and Lucia’s tutorials, I was able to figure it out. I was ever so pleased with myself. I am typically not the the type to figure out things by pictures alone. I tend to prefer to have someone show me, usually just figuring out by a book method doesn’t “stick” with me and I don’t grasp the concept as clearly. I guess determination won out this time. So much so, I’m ready to incorporate bust shaping in another project soon.

That’s pretty much it for this project. A quick and easy knit and it fits well, so I’m chuffed!

Vacation Knitting

While I was on vacation, it wasn’t all hanging out with the Neph and acquiring yarn. There was some knitting happening too, just not as much as I expected, but that’s ok too. It was my vacation.

First up is the almost finished Ballet Camisole. In the picture, you see that it is awaiting a 3 needle bindoff. However, that has occurred and it’s been shipped off to my favorite crocheter to give it a single crochet edge around the neckline and armholes. This was a fun knit and I learned short rows, bonus! The pattern didn’t call for it, but Lise on Ravelry told me the only thing she would change would be to add short rows and thus I decided it was time for me to get over it and add them to this project.

After much searching online for various tutorials, it wasn’t as hard as I thought! Yay!

Second, the Cafe Curtain socks are coming along, but they are not quite as fun to knit as other patterns. It is a beautiful pattern, but either I’m not into it as much as say Monkey or Thuja or I don’t know. I like it and think that I want to finish it, but with the Summer of Socksalready started, this sock will be put down for awhile, to focus on new socks. Not that my goal for SOS is any huge number, but I’m not too motivated by this one right now.

Lastly, DFS looks even bigger than this right now. I’m on the last repeat of the shawl. I’m following the scarf pattern as I have 500 yds and the shawl version calls for 750 yards. I’ve decided to add one repeat to the pattern to see where I am yardage-wise. Right now, it looks good to add one additional repeat, but I haven’t decided if I will go beyond that. I know another person that recently made this said the edging used up a lot of yarn and I really would rather not repeat running out of yarn on a shawl (Seraphim anyone?).

The Opal socks are still being knit on, but I’m a bit disappointed with them right now. It turns out I knitted the second sock on the wrong size needles, so the fabric is a bit looser than I prefer. I thought of ripping it out, but I do have one finished sock. However, I did a lot of wrong things on this pair of socks and I’d like for them to just be finished. I made the cuff much longer than I usually like, so now it’s so long, calf shaping should have been added. Basically it’s either rip and redo or finish what I’ve got. I’m with option B at this point, simply because while these socks are not perfect, they can be used as work socks. Because I always get cold and in the summer/spring, early fall, wearing either mules, clogs or open-toed shoes, my feet get cold. Nothing like wool socks to keep those toesies warm! Plodding along, I will get these finished, just because I’m sick of them. And then I can cast on for my Sockapalooza pal’s sock. I really do need to get started on them.

That’s all for now.

A Quick Hello

Took a brief blog hiatus without really meaning to, but not feeling like I have much to say. I’ve got the blog blahs. Just lots of things happening lately and never enough time. Still knitting like a crazy woman, though.

M2 graduated from 8th grade this past weekend and lots of fun and festivities for him. M and I gratefully left him with a friend’s parents after the graduation to transport him and a friend to a school-sponsored event at a local amusement park. We headed out to the People’s Fair to walk around, check out the local vendors and eat bad fair food. It was great to spend the rest of the day together. Our lives have been so busy lately that we haven’t had the us time, so it was good.

I planned on writing a post telling you how I was going to take a blog break for awhile. As I thought about what all I was going to say, I realized that for all of that wordiness, I could have just typed a blog post and throw up some pics of my knitting in progress. Whew, I’m sure you’re all relieved.

Knitting-wise, I never relayed what happened with the Classic Elite cardi. I picked up too many stitches around the underarm and had a “bulge” under the arm which was not noticeable until I tried on the sweater with one sleeve on. It looked ridiculous, but at the time, I didn’t know what was wrong with it and thought I might have to rip and reknit. Which would happen, but I was in no hurry to get to it. My friend Susan looked at it and let me know that I would need to pickup less stitches and reknit the sleeves over, but that wasn’t so bad. However, as the weather has been getting hotter, I’m less enthused about knitting a wool cardigan. it’s on hold till fall.

On to spring knitting, I’ve cast on for the Ballet Camisole using Shine Sport in Crocus.

On to socks, I’ve cast on a pair for myself using a most delightful pattern. I’m using new sock yarn purchased at the NHS&W from Spirit Trail Fiberworks.

A co-worker was expecting a baby and I wanted to knit something, but not a big something. Mason-Dixon knitting came to the rescue with baby burp cloths. Not something that was too over the top and was just perfect. I like the baby bibs but don’t like sewing on buttons. Let’s face it, I’m lazy and getting the buttons might take me much longer than the actual knitting. There’s a lot to finishing I don’t love and I have to feel like doing it when I feel like it.
These were done over the Memorial Day weekend out of Lily Sugar ‘N Cream cotton.

I’ve got yarn on the needles for my Sockapalooza pal, but haven’t started them yet. Still have to figure out the right pattern.

I might still be incognito for awhile. Just handling lots of different things right now. Also spending a bit too much time getting set up on Ravelry too.

A Quick Hello

Took a brief blog hiatus without really meaning to, but not feeling like I have much to say. I’ve got the blog blahs. Just lots of things happening lately and never enough time. Still knitting like a crazy woman, though.

M2 graduated from 8th grade this past weekend and lots of fun and festivities for him. M and I gratefully left him with a friend’s parents after the graduation to transport him and a friend to a school-sponsored event at a local amusement park. We headed out to the People’s Fair to walk around, check out the local vendors and eat bad fair food. It was great to spend the rest of the day together. Our lives have been so busy lately that we haven’t had the us time, so it was good.

I planned on writing a post telling you how I was going to take a blog break for awhile. As I thought about what all I was going to say, I realized that for all of that wordiness, I could have just typed a blog post and throw up some pics of my knitting in progress. Whew, I’m sure you’re all relieved.

Knitting-wise, I never relayed what happened with the Classic Elite cardi. I picked up too many stitches around the underarm and had a “bulge” under the arm which was not noticeable until I tried on the sweater with one sleeve on. It looked ridiculous, but at the time, I didn’t know what was wrong with it and thought I might have to rip and reknit. Which would happen, but I was in no hurry to get to it. My friend Susan looked at it and let me know that I would need to pickup less stitches and reknit the sleeves over, but that wasn’t so bad. However, as the weather has been getting hotter, I’m less enthused about knitting a wool cardigan. it’s on hold till fall.

On to spring knitting, I’ve cast on for the Ballet Camisole using Shine Sport in Crocus.

On to socks, I’ve cast on a pair for myself using a most delightful pattern. I’m using new sock yarn purchased at the NHS&W from Spirit Trail Fiberworks.

A co-worker was expecting a baby and I wanted to knit something, but not a big something. Mason-Dixon knitting came to the rescue with baby burp cloths. Not something that was too over the top and was just perfect. I like the baby bibs but don’t like sewing on buttons. Let’s face it, I’m lazy and getting the buttons might take me much longer than the actual knitting. There’s a lot to finishing I don’t love and I have to feel like doing it when I feel like it.
These were done over the Memorial Day weekend out of Lily Sugar ‘N Cream cotton.

I’ve got yarn on the needles for my Sockapalooza pal, but haven’t started them yet. Still have to figure out the right pattern.

I might still be incognito for awhile. Just handling lots of different things right now. Also spending a bit too much time getting set up on Ravelry too.