My Camp Perry ~ Leaf Tee

I'm naming this tee after my trip to Camp Perry, Ohio. This tee was started on the day we left for the trip. This is another free pattern from Ravelry called the Leaf Tee. I LOVE this pattern.

It is so easy to follow. Only 1 lace repeat and the rest is simple stockinette stitches. This was done on a size 6 needle using a DK weight yarn. I used 5 skeins of Elann Sinota.

I pretty much followed the pattern. It was the right size for me. I finished with 3 rows of ribbing as suggested to keep the bottom from curling. I also added 1 row of sc around the neckline using a size D hook.

I really love how this top turned out. It's a great fit and I love the lace on it. The pattern was so simple to follow, I didn't need any help with trying to decifer the directions! Now I can concentrate on my current project which is the Hey, Teach cardigan (bella is on hold again). I hope to get it completed before the ravelympic which starts on August 7th. So my goal will be to finish the cardigan by then. I'm really looking forward to the ravelympics. I have a new friend which I will be making the modular vest with. It's so exciting!

Knitted Minisweater

This project had been put on hold while I started and finished my talia vest. The minisweater/boobholder is a free pattern by Stephanie Japel. I downloaded this pattern from Ravelry.

I liked some of the modifications made by other Ravelers. I followed mainly the pattern and basically extended the length and joined in the rounds. It was a very easy pattern. I used exactly 6 skeins of Berroco Softwist using a size 9 knitting needle. This yarn was very soft but kind of "splity". I would not recommend using this yarn for any project using any needle smaller than 9. If I was to make this again, I would add some waist increases. It's a bit snug even with the yarn over bind off.

Overall, it's a fun and easy project to do. I'm pretty happy with the results! Now I'm on the hunt for my next project. I may do a skirt as a future project...

Talia Vest

I'm happy to say my knitted talia vest is complete. I took part in a KAL with the Sweaterbabe Group on Ravery. I had originally bought 3 skeins of Lamb's Pride, Brown Sheep for this vest. The color was called brown bear but I didn't really like the shade of brown. I ended up using 3 skeins of Lion Brand Wool in Winter White from my stash. I bought an extra skein just in case but it took exactly 3 skeins to make the size small. This was done all with a size 9 needle.

I have to say that this is the most difficult knitting project I've done so far. There was a lot of lace and I really, really had to pay close attention to the directions. This project was the most difficult knit project for me. I had to pay really close attention. I had trouble with some of the directions, my wrong side/right side wasn't matching up so it kind of confused me. (Thanks to some fellow ravelers they helped me to get back on the right track). The neck shaping also gave me some problems so I finally decided to leave the pattern out all together but I think it turned out fine. Once I decided to do that, the project went much smoother for me and I was actually enjoying this, without stress! I might add that for the sleeve bind off, I used the yarn over bind off to get a loose fit. It was too tight otherwise. This was also the first time also I picked up stitches (around the sleeves and neck). It didn't turned out to be too difficult. I ended up blocking this vest twice to ensure a good fit.

Overall, I'm happy with this vest. I'm excited that I was able to complete this project. I will probably knit another talia vest in the near future! :)

Here's another photo with me wearing a dark shirt to show the finer details of this vest: