Petersburg, Rowan 42

My commitments are showing.  I've finally finished a KAL project.  

This is Petersburg, originally done in Cocoon, from Rowan 42.  It looked really pretty over fitted, long sleeve tops, and the cables are really delicious.  They're predictable, but not boring.  

I cheaped out by using Knitpicks Swish Bulky, only 4 hank

s, for the 38" bust.  It's actually a pretty resilient yarn - I frogged, tinked, cut, mangled and treated it pretty badly and it held up really well.  But, it's just not in the same league as Rowan's Cocoon.  

The KAL is this quarter's project for the The Sexy Knitters' Club on Ravelry.  I think it's the first time there has been a technique topic rather than a pattern, which made it a lot easier for me to commit.  I'm excited to see what comes up next.

Next, I'm working on a top from Burda 12/08, in this knit:

Yes, glittery giraffes.  Oh, the subtlety.

Grrr!

What can I say? I have a 4 year old.

Grrr face cloth from the latest knitty. I made mine with less than half a ball of Lily's Sugar'n Cream. I think it took all of an hour.

I did do mine quite differently. I used an easier loop stitch from knittinghelp.com. (Find the video here under decorative stitches.) Also I just purled on the WS rows. I knit Eastern/Combination style and stocking stitch comes easier. It gave a nice nobbly texture on the back.

It's being test driven in a bubble bath right now.

Onto Sewing:

I've cut out Burda 6/07, bias top 120 and am half way through it. This is my fabric, a very drapey, squirrelly tencel rayon blend. Pretty stuff.

Because it's a little heavy, however, it's dragging down on the bias and has brought the center front V neck towards the bottom of my bra band. So I have take up the shoulder seams and re-sew the neckband seams. All of this is easy, but I'm finding knitted lions just a touch easier.

I wish I was more driven!

Patrones 02/2007 - Cacharel Top

This is the first piece I've actually made for the PR SWAP competition. It's from the February 2007 Patrones and is a Cacharel design. (I had no idea they made anything other than gorgeous lingerie.) The top has very narrow shoulders and a gathered neckline with a ruffle along the front neckline only.

Size: I cut a 48 with no adjustments - this seems to be the equivalent of size 44/46 in burda which I use these days.

Fabric: Burnout cotton voile from India. I originally made this into a maternity dress, which never got worn. This top is from the skirt (same lining) and the ruffle is from the waist ties on the dress. I didn't even have to hem it.

Adjustments:

1. None for size.
   
2. The line drawings in Patrones seem like wishful thinking at times: the armscye is very low, but in the line drawing it looks high and tight. Always look at the pattern layout illustration - those pictures are much more representative of the pattern. Anyway, I made a quick muslin to confirm my suspicion. The shoulders on this are also really narrow - too narrow to cover my bra straps. So I added 1.5" all along the armscye, front and back. Almost perfect. Just over 1" would have been better.
3. I don't read Spanish - heck I don't read instructions (must be my testosterone-y side busting out), so I gathered the neckline to look flattering and gathered the ruffle to look pretty (to me) and hand sewed it on. This way I can take if off if I change my mind.
   

It's perfect for summer and fall.


Original Design:


Fanciful line drawing:

Vogue 8249 - Top

Holding that dang grin until the self-timer goes off is not part of my skill set.

This is version A of Vogue 8249.

Fabric: green burnout cotton from my local independent fabric store.
Size: 14 with an FBA
Adjustments:

1. I added length and width in the front at the bust point, feeding the excess into the gathers at the yoke.
   
2. Collar opening: to put in the yoke section, I sewed the right side yoke (interfaced with organza) to the front bodice, turned, trimmed and pressed. Then I basted the yoke facing to the yoke along the marked lines, sewed part way down the center front, stopping about 3" from the point of the V. I cut down between the machined lines only and tried on the top to see where the point of the V would be most flattering on me. (I wiggled a pin into the collar to make sure the center of my bra would be covered.) My low point is actually 1" higher than the design.
3. I lengthened the top by 2".
4. I hand finished the yoke facing, hems and armhole binding. The very fine fabric is worth the effort.
   

Full bust adjustment:


Raised point of V in the yoke: