purpley tank



tank/vest from Rebecca #23, knit in Cotton Ease and Rowan all seasons cotton

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Yes, the smooch-along is officially underway. Both Johanna and Kerstin were at Knitsmiths with the beginnings of their Smooches. Johanna is using Cotton Ease in a lovely pink and is almost up to the armhole shaping on the back. Aren't those lace v's sweet?! Kerstin was just casting on and working her way through the lace pattern. By the way Kerstin was a blast - I recommend that you all have Kerstin come to your knitting groups!

A note for those of you planning to work on Smooch: the instructions for the loopy, picot-y edging may be a bit unclear (thanks to Johanna for clarifying this). The pattern says to knit 3 then cast off 3. To do this you must actually knit the next 2 stitches and then pull the second of those over the first. So it's sort of like knit 4 and then start casting off immediately with the next stitch. Then the pattern says to knit 2 and cast off 3, repeated to the end of the row. Again, the cast off begins with knit two then pull second over the first. So you're kind of knitting 3 and beginning the cast off group with the next stitch. What you're going for is groups of three: three knit stitches, three cast off stitches. However it helps to think of it to get you there, go with that!

Anywho, I'll be starting Smooch tonight. Why am I allowed to start Smooch when Pagan still has ends hanging all over the place? Because I finished my purple tank!

The purple tank has been scolded for tempting me away from my knitalong and was put on hold so I could make some significant progress on Pagan. But just because I've rededicated myself to finishing Pagan, doesn't mean that I can't think (or blog) about the purple tank. Here's the pattern I'm using, from Rebecca magazine #23. I really like the pattern since it looks like I might be able to wear it as a tank or a vest. I had been thinking of using it for the leftovers vest that I started planning a while ago. We'll see how the pattern works out. So far I'm enjoying it very much. I like the half fisherman's rib at the bottom. It's so soft and fluffy. I hadn't ever done that stitch before and was pleasantly surprised at the fabric it produced.

In Pagan news, I am amazed at how fast everyone has been knitting away. Of course Linda and Kerrie are all done, and now Kerstin says she should be done this weekend and both Nora and Deb have finished all the knitting already! I'm not quite so far along, having only knit the back completely. I still have the front top half left to do (and please don't say the words weaving or ends, thanks). Since I knit it in the round, what I've finished kinda looks like a halter top. Makes me think about squeezing in this pattern in the summer of tanks.

And yet I am determined to start my next knitalong (Smooch) next week, once I finish Pagan or the purple tank. I know that Johanna has already begun hers. I hope to be able to post a progress picture of hers for you on Monday. For those of you joining in on the knitalong, feel free to start now, later, whenever. I'd love to know when you begin though, so I can note it in the sidebar and people know to look for your progress. And don't worry about me rushing through Smooch like the crazy tank girls did with Pagan, I'll have to stop halfway through so I can order enough yarn to complete it. But I can't help starting now - can't you hear the yarn calling to me?

For some reason, I have been really drawn to purple since becoming a knitter. The new year's sweater I made for myself last year was in in a pink/lavender/purple colorway from Noro. This year I desperately tried to get some purple into my greensleeves sweater and I already have some luscious purple chenille in the stash for a Starmore sweater I hope to make this winter. Of course the two Phildar knitalong sweaters will be in hyacinth and lilac. And then there's purple tank girl. I am loving the color of this top so much that I can't bring myself to return to all those stripes on Pagan. Mmmm... purple. I think I will have to finish this quickly before so I can wear it while knitting other things!

Somebody stop me! I can't seem to be able to keep a ball of Cotton Ease in the stash bin. It must be knit immediately. And as all the knitalong tops are already planned with other yarns, I had to start something new. Hee, hee.