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27April2013: SO. 3 strands of 100% cotton DK for the body was a very very poor idea! I knitted the whole thing and it weighed 641 grams (1.4 lbs)… and it didn’t even have sleeves! NO tank top on earth should weigh that much… unless there is lead in it. So, I was like, I might as well go to the dentist today! No need for X-ray protection with this baby!

After frogging all the way back to the awesome chunky trim, I came up with a new approach: I would use 2 strands in the front for coverage, but only 1 strand in the back for lacy… foxiness.

Everyone prefers the ‘1ply’ back! What a difference from before!

To quote my dear friend and fellow Rowan Ambassador, Kristen Rettig, “Very pretty sweater and you made it work like a mullet, all business in the front and party in the back!” Best. comment. ever. =D

I didn’t even block out this stitch, because I like how it folds and undulates as is. Someday I might block it.

Mods:

1. 9cm ribbing instead of 8cm.
2. 6 repeats before separating for the sleeves instead of 2 (who wears stuff this cropped, anyways?)
3. Only 4 rows of ribbing on the sleeves (that folded edge is way too bulky for me).

This was my yearly end-of-April photo shoot amongst the McGill University Glory in the Snow flowers. I ironed out some big sections, but they had popped back up in force the next day. =)

30March2013: Loved this top and Pinned it a long time ago! I am lengthening it by having 6 repeats before the sleeve increases, instead of only 2.

I received a ball of All-Seasons Chunky along with the booklet to review from Rowan… so, I thought I’d play with it as a contrast ribbing and then dig into the stash for the rest of the top.

I’m tripling the Crystal Palace Biwa, so it looks pretty different than the original, because the loose cabling has 18 strands instead of 6!

Review of Rowan All-Seasons Chunky: Initially I shied away from this yarn, it’s really chunky (doesn’t thin at all when stretched), contains 40% acrylic, and has a soft terry cloth/rug texture. I’d never knit with anything like it, honestly. However, it turns out that these “issues” are what make the yarn fun, and very touchable. The absolute unchanging width of the yarn (it’s very tightly plied) is fantastic for stitch definition. The acrylic ends up being necessary to greatly cut down on the cotton weight (which is one of the reasons I knit less with cotton). The end result is a warm and springy cotton yarn, versus one that is cool and dry to the touch. Also, when I have knit with bulky cottons before, they were real bears to move along the needle - this yarn is smooth and travels easily. I actually really like it, surprisingly! I just don’t know how many good projects I personally would make with it, so I’m looking forward to seeing more examples of it in use.

The Biwa is exactly the BEAR of a cotton yarn I’m talking about. I can feel the pressure on my wrists just trying to move the yarn across my needles… my Addi needles, no less. Ouch! But it’s shiny. =)

IntSweMoDo2013 #4