The back.



Hem--it's a little sloppy; I used the most basic (backward-loop, or slingshot) cast-on, but I think it looks ok.



The side--see the seam? The elongated stitches of the short row?


Mattress stitch, yay!

The pattern is from Vogue Knitting--number 21, "cross-over tank", in I forget what issue. The original had thick straps that crossed over each other at the front neck and did the same in back, but I knitted it that way and it looked bad, so I ripped back to the top ribbing, took a cue from knitty's "Tempting" (http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/PATTtempting.html), made some buttonholes and threaded a ribbon through. It was my first-ever knitted top. New skills learned: short rows, mattress stitch.


I love this yarn (Filatura di Crosa's "Malva", ooh fancy), and I love the top. I've never worn it outside the house. It's too revealing for work, I've noplace nice to go in it, and I'm terrified of getting anything on it. What I need is a sophisticated spring tea/flower show/garden party to wear it to.

How does one purl something through the back loop? This has probably been asked before but I've tried to do a search on the craftster discussion board and nothing turns up. I know how to knit through the back loop, that's easy, but with purling--do you insert your needle the same way and just wrap the yarn differently, or do you have to do some weird maneuvre where you bring your right needle over and to the left of your left needle...?

Details and more pictures on mah blog: http://elaineofshallot.livejournal.com/341019.html

Has anyone come up with a hat pattern with a hole in the back?--I'm always wearing my hair up in a bun, so regular hats don't work for me. There's always this--http://magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/nippertails.htm--but that's for pigtails and I can't figure out how I'd modify it (I'm not too good at the spatial reasoning). Any help is appreciated...

[the first stitch on left needle]

I made...the Swamp Witch! (http://www.theanticraft.com/archive/samhain05/swampwitch.htm)

I used all the yarns the pattern said--had to go to two different craft stores to get them, but get them I did. It was an interesting knit--four yarns held together on size 35 needles. I like the way it came out! See:







There is one thing wrong with the pattern though. At the end it says: 'Insert right needle into the stitch below the 1st st on the left needle.' I think this should really be "Insert right needle into the first stitch on left needle." Otherwise, look out, it unravels the last row.

Oh mah gawd, this thing took forever! It is the biggest thing I have ever knit, except for the scarf of Doom, of which we do not speak.

The pattern suggests this expensive hand-painted 100% wool yarn--anyone else think that's ridiculous for a baby blanket? Some babies are allergic to wool; and anyway if the thing gets used at all the kid's going to be spitting up on it and dragging it around the house, so you'd think a machine-washable yarn would be better! I used Plymouth Encore Colorspun Worsted-weight (25% wool, 75% acrylic), single-stranded on size 8 needles, and increased the number of stitches per row to get the right finished measurements. All in all it took about two months of working on it a few times a week to finish (though I did rip it out about 1/3 of the way in and start over because there was this weird jog-thing in the fabric). I got to give it to the mother-to-be this past weekend, and I think she liked it.

Anyway, though: le-voilà!


Blocking, with flash--ooh, colors!


Blocking, without flash--you can see the structure better in this one.


Held up in the natural light.


Hope you guys like it!