Striped tank top

My extreme striped tank top was finished last week.   It is already washed and dried and on my dress form. 

I like skinny shoulder seams.

Armhole shaping worked rather well.

Here is what I did to knit the tank top.
Front and Back a like: 

• Cast on 107 stitches with Azure and knit 4 rows in garter stitches.  Switch to Imperial Purple and start the zigzag pattern.  When 4” completed from the hem, start side shaping at Row 33 of zigzag pattern: i.e. the fifth row at (A on the color sequence table): decrease one stitch at each end every 8 rows for four times, and increase one stitch at each end every 8 rows for four times.  Continue through Row 102 (Parchment).  Remember to switch zigzag pattern every 18 rows.
• Armhole Shaping: On the first row at (B), start armhole shaping as follows.  Cast off 7 stitches at the beginning of Row 103 and 104.  Starting with Row 105, decrease 1 stitch at each end of every right side row for 14 times total (65 stitches remain).
• Continue with the zigzag pattern through Row 150.  With Imperial Purple, knit in garter stitch for five rows, and cast off knit-wise loosely.  Cut off the yarn leaving about 8".

The front and the back pieces were connected by armhole edging only: pick up stitches along the front and then continue to pick up stitches from the back armhole in Azure (make sure to pick up stitches tightly) and cast off knit-wise.  I picked up seven cast off stitches and one stitch per row on the vertical section.  Using the yarn end in Imperial Purple, sew together the end stitches on the last row on the front and the last row on the back.  Clean up the yarn ends (which was a lot of work).

In all, I used about 200 grams or 600 yards of Allegoro yarns.  I love the result very much and would like to knit a dress version next summer.

Phil by Louisa Harding

When we drove to Western Mass to pick up our DDs from their camp in August, we stopped by at WEBS and I picked up a couple of booklets by Louisa Harding.  In them, there are striped Summer/Spring garments featuring Colline and Mila yarns.  I am a nut with stripes, you may have noticed.  I particularly liked Phil and saw it in red and black in my mind.  It so turned out Colline comes in black as well as bright colors.  That was it.  I had to knit it with Noir and Confiture.  Now the third color to be placed between black and red.  My initial thought was as white as possible: i.e. Lily which is very pale pink.  It did not work out.  In the end I chose Berries among green, orange, pale pink and the chosen wine. 

 



The entire garment is knitted with reverse stockinette stitches with some lace pattern at the lower edges.  I am done with the sleeves (top two pieces).  The Left sleeve shows the right side, while the right one is with the reverse side up.  The instruction had me knit sleeves without any side shaping and the lower edges looked a bit too wide on the slender model.  So, I reduced the stitch count right after the lace edging.  Oh, I chose to do the version with elbow length sleeves and made them a bit longer.  I must confess I love many of the garments on this booklet. 

Unlike some of my typical projects with no concern for practicality, this pullover will be worn with a black bottom which I have several.  

Update on my extreme stripe project.  I did cast on and knitted some 30 rows.  So far, so good.  I think I need to add side shaping.  TBC.

 

Extreme Stripes

Ravelry is a fantastic source of inspiration for me.  Among many knitters on it, Julia's work is truly spectacular and she posted a gorgeous sleeveless top with Missoni-like colors and knit pattern.  I am so inspired by her.  She used Aria by Lana Grossa which is a light weight DK or sports weight as it has more than 180 yards per 50g ball and has a tape construction.  Her color choice was motivated by Tenerife Island's flowers, cacti, and soil.  Just a gorgeous top she designed.  If you are on Ravelry, you can follow this link to see what I mean.

I am going to use CEY’s Verde Collection Allegoro in five colors, two balls each: Imperial Purple (red), Raw Umber (orange/brown), Skydiver (light blue), Parchment (ivory), and Azure (dark blue).  With the stripe pattern below and 2 ½ pattern repeats per front or back (105+2 stitches each), I will get 35” circumference, which is perfect!

Extreme Zigzag Pattern: 42-stitch by 36 row repeats:

Row 1: k21, *yo, k9, knit 3 tog with center back, right on top (slip1 as if to knit, k2tog, slip the slipped stitch over k2tog), k9, yo, k21 *, repeat from * to *.

Row 2: p21, ** p2, p1 into the bar before the next stitch, p7, purl 3 tog with center front, left at back (p2tog, rearrange the next stitch so that the right leg is in the back, slip it over the p2tog), p7, p1 into the bar before the next stitch, p2, p21 **, repeat from ** to **.

Repeat Row 1 and Row 2 eight more times with total of 18 rows.

Row 19: *yo, k9, knit 3 tog with center back, right on top (slip1 as if to knit, k2tog, slip the slipped stitch over k2tog), k9, yo, k21 *, repeat from * to *.

Row 20: ** p2, p1 into the bar before the next stitch, p7, purl 3 tog with center front, left at back (p2tog, rearrange the next stitch so that the right leg is in the back, slip it over the p2tog), p7, p1 into the bar before the next stitch, p2, p21**, repeat from ** to **.

Repeat Row 19 and Row 20 eight more times with total of 36 rows completed.

Color sequence and row numbers (total of 92 rows) are shown below.  At least this is my plan. 

I cannot wait to cast on for a swatch!