Tuesday 30 April 2013

Summery procrastination - the Knitty Petrie shell

Progress on my sweetheart jumper has been very slow (no idea what I was thinking when I said that it would likely take a month, its DK yarn after all), and I think it has become clear that by the time I finish it it will be too warm to wear it. I think this is partly because purling while doing stockinette (ie knitting flat) is much much slower than knitting on the round. I am currently close to finishing the back, but there is a looooong way to go!



So against my better judgement I decided to pause it and start a new, more summery project. I first spotted the Briar cardigan in Simply Knitting, which looks cute and summery, and bought the recommended Rowan cotton glace for it. But the lack of correct needle tips for my circulars, and my impatience in using tiny straight needles made me switch to the Petrie top from Knitty - I just love the neckline on this. Of course complications arose because my yarn is sport and it calls for DK, so I had some issues with getting the correct gauge. I started out with 4mm needles, as suggested, which gave me the correct gauge (with the fabric being a little more transparent than I would like though), but after knitting 10 rows I measured the piece and it seemed much bigger than what it was supposed to be for a size small. I then switched to 3.5mm needles but my gauge was off, and after some deliberation I went back to the 4mm needles; hopefully it will not be too big and not too transparent.

Being optimistic again?


The yarn is actually quite beautiful to knit with and  has a lovely sheen a, so I am looking forward to a nice, drapey top. Optimistically once more, 3 weeks? Although the top is made in two pieces knitted straight, so I might struggle a bit, as usual, with the stitching. And yes, this means it is knitted flat like the sweetheart jumper. But I never said I was rational :p

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