White Lace Tank

June has been such a hot month so far! After 11am, it's just too hot to go outside in the blazing hot heat! I've been trying to keep cool the best I can by staying in and getting some knitting done. The other day, I was admiring my past projects and wishing for cooler weather so I can wear some of my tops and sweaters. I'm really proud of knitting projects, I feel such a sense of accomplishment and pride when I look at them.






My lastest knitting project is from the August 2008 issue of Knit N' Style. The pattern is called Cream Lace Jumper by Melissa Leapman. I was looking for something "different" (than my usual cardigans) so I opted to make this. I knew from the beginning, I would be making modifications. For starters, I didn't want it to be a jumper/tunic. It's not something I normally wear and I wanted it to have a different neckline. Casting on 91 stitches for each side seem too much to me, especially on a size 6 needle on worsted weight yarn. Though, I was close to getting gauge, changing to size 8 would make this top too big! Instead, I decided to knit this top entirely in the round and cast on 141, knitting this entirely on size 6 needle. I added waist shaping after knitting 6 1/2". I bo 4 stitches on 2 rows, working both the front and back separately. I then decreased 1 stitch on both ends EOR, 4 times. Finally, I bo 33 stitches in the middle for the neckline shaping. Done!




I'm glad my modifications worked out for this top! I was a bit nervous since I made so many changes to the sizing! I was unsure about the total numbers of stitches to bind off for the armholes but I used another top as a template. My only regret is that I didn't plan the waist shaping better and my decreases are not as neat as I would like! Fortunately, it's not as noticeable since they on the sides. These are all valuable lessons for my future projects. I'm always amazed how I keep learning from my knitting projects! I didn't realize that knitting was so complicated, there's always something new to learn. A new technique, a new stitch, etc...

I decided to rework my Juliet. It's too pretty to sit in my frog pile! This time around, I ripped out all of the lace and about 5 rows of the garter stitches. I probably could of taken more of garter stitches out. I did not do any increases this time for the lace but rather did a few decreases so the numbers on the lace pattern would match. This was really a fast fit. I'm glad that I made the changes! Now, I can proudly wear my Juliet during those cooler months.

For the last week and a half, I have poison ivy/oak rash! My wrists, parts of my hand and some of my ankles were covered in a blistery rash! No fun! The first 4 days were miserable since it burned and itched. I also worried that I would give it to my daughter! I'm happy to say that the rash is so much better now and no one else in the family got the rash!

In the last several weeks, we picked a bunch of blueberries from our friend's house. I've made several blueberry pies and are they delicious! I've also made some fried yellow squash (from a friend's) and sweet white corn. The corn were purchased from the farm where it was picked that morning! They are the most delicious corn I ever had! I am so spoiled by all this good food! It almost makes me feel guilty complaining about the hot summer...well, almost! ;)

My new and improved Juliet: