…Tomato Redux!

My second Tomato was as enjoyable a knit as the first…! EVERYONE should knit one!

Specs:

Pattern: Tomato (Wendy Bernard) in No Sheep For You

Yarn: Mission Falls cotton (black); Cottonlicious (pink); Kerzner Super 3 mercerised cotton (discontinued – orange) and Berocco Suede (big stripe) – approx 320 g total.

Needles: 4.5 mm and 4.0 mm

Start Date: 12 August

Finish Date: 13 August

Time spent: 11 hours approx.

Notes:

– not too much to say about this pattern except that I love it! (for my other one, see the Sidebar under Finished Knits 2007)
– this one knitted up a bit tighter than the other one (which was made with 100% Mission Falls – I was surprised at this (but not unhappy!)
– the Cottonlicious is almost identical to Mission Falls and also made in Canada…
– I’m really sorry the Super3 is discontinued.
– This was all made with stash materials…
– my colour inspiration for the Tomato was the “Nina Blanket” by Phyllis in Mason-Dixon Knitting (below)… I wish I could have made my mother’s Nina (see sidebar – 2006) in that scheme but, alas, her decor wouldn’t comply!
– my only modifications: I did 2k1p rib all around (which I prefer to the 2×2), and
the stripe across is in reverse stocking… in Suede! 😉

In the interests of stashbusting, I present myself with this fine top … a suitable antidote to a rather grey day, I thought!

Front:


Back:

For some reason it looks a bit bunched up in the photo – probably because I’m paranoid about the size of my stomach recently! SIGH.

Specs:

Yarns: remnants of each of the following:

– Super3 mercerized cotton (orange)
– Romni linen in two shades (red)
– SWTC soysilk (red)
– Noro Kureyon (pale variegated)
– Handmaiden Silken (bright variegated)
– Mission Falls (fuschia and peach – don’t remember the official names of the colours)
– Berocco Suede (pink)
– probably some more I’ve forgotten about…

Pattern: adapted from Yarnplay by Lisa Shobhana Mason… this is a cross between the Lorelei and Poppy tops, size small

Start Date: 7 or 8 August

Needles: 4.5 mm Clover Bamboo and 4.5 mm Clover crochet hook

Notes:

– this is my second stab at the Lorelei (I have had more compliments on the last one I knitted than any other top this year!). However, it was the photo of the Poppy in Shobhana’s book that inspired in part the colour choices and “layout”
– in this regard, I skipped out the eyelet rows in Lorelei and substituted ramdom purl rows against the stockinette. I think it looks quite sharp!
– other modifications: I had to adjust the stitch and row count slightly, assuming close to aran weight for the yarns I was using. I also made it a bit slimmer than the last one. (33″ around instead of 33.5″)

I love how loud it turned out, although am not 100% about the idea of alternating the orange and red stripes at the top. Oh well.

This is a tremendous scrapbuster that I would recommend to just about anyone. I think they are both very flattering patterns for many figures… and a very simple knit with minimal shaping and seaming.

Now to bore you with some close-up shots!

Detail shots:

Next off the needles: probably another Tomato, just about as loud as this top! Also working on the Goddess from Stitch Diva (on commission from a co-worker, in chestnut coloured Lang Opal Maxi) and “Gaia” (design by Haley Waxberg of Knitomatic in Toronto… yarn is Handmaiden Silk Spun).

Here is the latest project on the needles – scrapped the Tomato in favour of a tank tee modelled on the Lorelei and the Pppy in Shobhana Mason’s Yarnplay. It’s turning out to be a good scrap/stashbuster!

🙂

PS. In the ongoing quest for stashbusters, and having had to content myself with reading for the past week on the TTC… last night I hit upon a brilliant idea. At least, I thought it was brilliant at the time.

Namely, I figured I could use scrap and “one skeins” left over from other projects to make… wait for it… a log cabin blanket.

That’s right – a blanket.

I started this blanket today (right now the temperature is 32C or 37C with the humidity…). I won’t go on about my “humidex” pet peeve. Suffice it to say that it doesn’t seem like the best time of year to knit a blanket. However, I’m stubborn and I have no other portable projects at present… so, we’ll see.

Wish me luck!

Well, it’s been another long weekend of the tank for me. This one was started and finished yesterday!

Specs:

Pattern: Spicy Fitted V-neck Tee in Fitted Knits (Stefanie Japel)
Yarn: Lana Gatto Summer (50% cotton, 50% acrylic, bulky weight) – 6.5 50g skeins
Needles: 6.5 mm

Notes: quick to knit, but the pattern contained some errata and was rather hard to read. Will try to get it together to post the errata. For now, be careful of where you are told to place stitch markers for the increases and decreases. I ended up having to rip several rows, which did not make me happy.

It’s also perhaps a tad *too* fitted. I probably should have gone with 7 mm needles but wanted to start right away and the shops were closed yesterday for the civic holiday. Oh well!

Next up: another Tomato; the Goddess top from Stitch Diva

New: Action photo!

What a great pattern this is – Stitch Diva rocks!! I’ll be making one for myself one of these days in Eden Madil bamboo (This one is for one of my coworkers). It is as yet unblocked – soaking right now.

No modelled shots as yet as it is not for me and won’t suit my body type too well. I’m hoping the coworker will agree to model it!

Specs:

Yarn: Ella Rae Silkience (cotton, modal, rayon, silk) – main colour and Eden Madil Print (bamboo) trim and neckline

Needles: 4.5 mm and 4.0 mm

Time spent: 20 hours approx.

Notes: I absolutely loved working with both the Silkience and the Madil. Highly recommended. They feel very luxurious! The pattern is lovely too – and hardly any seaming!

and won’t fit my body type,

Hi all:

The few of you who visit here will note that I have undergone a name change. Otherwise, same old same old!

My other news:

(a) Progress is being made on the
Sahara for my co-worker… I have started the waist shaping and will hopefully have something to show you next week!

(b) Next up: Another coworker has asked me to knit her the
Goddess. We hit the LYS the other day and picked out Opal Maxi (on sale!) – a lovely chestnut colour similar to the one shown in the link.

However, before I start the Goddess I may have to sneak in another Tomato (NSFY) or Spicy Fitted T (Fitted Knits)… depending upon which will work better with the yarn. I have some very loud orange Super 3 left over from my Samus. The Super 3 is discontinued but I think I’ll try to find some Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in a complementary colour (!) or else check out the sale room at the LYS today for more mercerised cotton.

Nothing else new, really. Looking forward to a long weekend. Nothing much planned other than knitting and perhaps a movie or two (I hope Shrek 3 is still playing!)

Cheers,

Kristina

And I even get to wear my red suede shoes! Now all I need is the Royal family-style wide brimmed red hat! 😉

I *love* this dress. Although it’s 50 million degress with the humidex up here, I don’t care – I’m wearing it tomorrow to work!

Specs:
Yarn: Romni (work-handy LYS) Linen – 100% linen tape (worsted weight) – 12 50g balls.
Needles: 5 mm
Pattern: Saturday-in-the-park Perfect Fitted Dress – Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel (with some adaptations) – smallest size
Time spent: 30 hours approx.
Finished length: 35″ approx.

Detail from Centre Panel:

Notes:
– I really like Stefanie’s patterns but the book has quite a few errata. This pattern started off with one!
– original dress length in the pattern was 42″ (for all sizes!). This on me would come down to about mid calf, so I made adjustments to the length of both top and bottom, comparing the length to the longest dress I own 😉
– the linen is simply lovely. It is my first time working with linen but will definetely not be my last. I was amazed at how well it blocked.

Currently on the needles: the Sahara by Stitch Diva (www.stitchdiva.com).

Here it is blocking (I hate doing this but figured it was essential with the linen… and I seem to have been right!

In the current humidity… it will take a couple of days to dry, dang it all!

Now, on to the Safari (after I do some cleaning in my sadly neglected apartment…)

(edited on 29 July after apparently way too much knitting time spent on 28 July, to show progress report:

Looking decent so far… although the neckline is a tad low. Oh well! 😉

I am loving working with this linen (it is the LYS brand) – and the colour (which photographed here somewhat lighter than in “real life”) reminds me of that of my first fancy dress in high school (which I held onto for another 10 years after!). I just realised this halfway through where I’m at now!

It is really difficult to see how the dress might look when done right now due to the mock cable pattern…

This is approximately 8 hours in.

I’m hoping to start knitting the Sahara this weekend for a co-worker (part of a staff gift for a milestone birthday) – that is, if I can tear myself away from my red linen Perfect Dress!

Here is the Sahara (right now I will be making the long sleeved one):

… and here are the yarns and colours my co-worker chose:

Ella Rae Silkience (41% cotton, 39% modal, 12% silk and 8% rayon), colour #10:

and Eden Madil Print Bamboo, colour #40:
<a href=”http://bp1.blogger.com/_wXEBWu6h
p8/RqootsBHmMI/AAAAAAAAApU/1niJqMniDm8/s1600-h/EdenPrint021.jpg”>

They both feel so luxurious and soft… my only concern is that I will refuse to relinquish the sweater once it is finished!

But I do have plans for a (short sleeved) Sahara for myself also in Eden Madil (blue and black).