Juicy

I promised both of you that I would post pictures of SP yarn swatches about a million years ago. I even used solemn promise words and stuff. Well, life happens, and I knit real slow-like. I have moved on way past the swatch stage, and am about to begin bust increases and strategic placement of short rows (for front cuppage, ya know what Ah'm sayin'? ). Here's some proof:



Here we see some super juicy day-glo orange Cotton-Ease working it's way into a vitamin rich tank, with extra pulp (cables and mini-cables) and antioxidants (true to me waist shaping, and both increases and short rows at the bust). There'll be a v-neck, just low enough to let the sun in, and wide set shoulder straps. It'll be HOT. Most of the shaping is done in the mini-cable panels, with the large cables running straight down from tip to toe and the short rows making up the difference inside the big cables. The idea, the hope, the desperate yearning that this all works out, being that this will be a custom fit, non-bunchy, non-droopy, super-slimming feat of needlework. Pray for me.

This is my first design, and I have to boast that it's totally busted through the mojo rut. There's mojo for days, people. No wonder most people don't stop at just one custom design. There was a moment when it nearly came crashing down - the math part - but after that was worked out, it's been so fun. I'm excited to see what happens next, so I work on it EVERYWHERE. I may or may not bust out a few stitches at red lights. And maybe some in between red lights. But only the stockinette part! I swear! I know I'm not the only one.

One strange thing has happened, though:


Does anyone else do this? I'm knitting with the 7 and purling with the 8. All the st st in my swatch was striped. Interesting tonal stripes that you could feel. Neat. Maybe a design feature later on. No bueno on this project. After some head-scratching and face scrunching, I realized I purl tighter than I knit. HELLO! No wonder my garter stitch has such a high wonk-factor. This explains the lop-sided log-cabining. I've never noticed this with animal fibers but cotton, we all know, is a different creature. So far, the stitches are smooth and as even as I get 'em.

Just because I can, here's a pic of the Barley man. Do you see the level of cuteness that I must resist everyday?! It's nearly impossible, I tell you. He LOVES his crate. Please notice the door is wide open. Also know that his bed is about 6 feet from the crate. What a ham.