tank girl does camis - ooh la la

  

camisole inspired by ChicKnits' ChicKami, knit in all seasons cotton
and "tiny tank" camisole from Phildar's Evasion magazine, knit in their Copacabana yarn

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Another knitalong. I heard talk in blog comments here and there about a possible knit-along of Bonne Marie's awesome new ChicKami. Then, Gina brings yarn to Knitsmiths on Sunday to cast on for it and a knitalong was born.

Let's go, tank girls! Get the pattern (this one's easy as pie to get your hands on: no scouring all the L- and not so L-YS's and no sending away to France), and get started with us. I'd love to know who all's in, so I can follow everyone's progress. I love me a good knitalong! So, let me know and I'll put you on the little list here and come visiting at your place. Or, if you don't have a blog, I'll be happy to host a progress picture for you. Just keep on tankin'!

Every day it's another project that draws me in. After seeing Claudia and her sister (both of whom just finished ChicKnits Ribby Cardies) at Knitsmiths Sunday before last, I've been anxious to swatch up the yarn I had dog-eared for a Ribby Cardie of my own. I got this yarn back in January for free(!) in exchange for some acrylic yarns that I donated to a shelter in the area. My concern is the usual one that arises when using stash yarn: will I have enough? I knit up one skein (of thirteen) to see how far it got me. Result: I made it up to the elbow of a sleeve. Anyone out there have a feeling about how well this bodes?

ChicKami update: I'm almost done. After perusing the stash for the appropriate yarn, I decided that I should use a few balls of all seasons cotton I'd bought on sale and which didn't seem to go with anything but each other. Some math convinced me that there should be just enough to somehow mix the two colors and have it all come out alright. Then when considering how to redo the numbers for the larger gauge, I decided to cut out the waist shaping. Blame it on my first tank girl top, which I was wearing at the time and which I have fallen in love with all over again 'cause it is sooooo comfy. I was overcome by the need to have another top just like that one. So my chicKami will be more of a comfyKami. Should have pictures for you tomorrow!

In other chic-y news, Bonne Marie has started a gallery for the very chic garments created by her oh so chic readers. What a great idea! We'll have to send pics (or at least links) from the ChicKami knitalong over to her.

It came out a little less chic than it's namesake, but here it is: my comfyKami.

Although it was originally inspired by the chicKami pattern (which I will have to make according to the pattern someday!), I redesigned it to more resemble my first tank girl top. I knit it straight and at a much looser gauge than the other tanks I've knit this summer, so it has a light and loose sort of feel. The all seasons cotton is so soft when knit loosely. Since I was working with oddballs of two colors, I wanted to do some fun stripes. Borrowing Kerrie's great reversible idea from her reversible tank, I tried to make each side interesting, so it could be worn as the front. Here's the other front and a side view. What a fun, fast little project.

I'm looking forward to all the other chicKamis from my fellow knitters-along:

Gina
Marrije
Kerrie
Nelson
Sharlyn
Brenda
Robin
Rachael
MKaye
Alison
Cari
Leigh
Melissa
Shannon
Katrina
Deb

Bring on the chic!

In addition to Gina and Shannon's newly finished ChicKamis, there's been a lot of other action going on in the summer knitalongs of late. Both Bonne Marie and Steph just presented their finished Smooches today! Deb finally finished her Pagan tank after having so much trouble with it (hooray!) and Marrije finished hers (impeccable, like all of her knitting!). And there's more: Sandy has started her wannabe sweater and Clémence is kicking off the other Phildar knitalong. Woo hoo!

Can I just stop and say how much fun it has been this summer hosting these knitalongs and following everyone's progress. I've gotten to know so many new knitbloggers and blogs and it's been fascinating to see how so many people can work on the same project but have it turn out so differently each time. Thanks everyone for making it such a great time and keep on knittin' along!

Several people have commented that I should start something new, since I did technically have a finished project last week (the hat from minimono & co.). Of course, I've still got a few other projects in the active pile (e.g. - native, the pipsqueak sweaters). Nevertheless, I agree with you! I should start something new. But it should probably be something small, 'cause my finished project was so small. Hmmm.... small. How about a tiny tank?! Perhaps you've seen Becky's and Claudia's? Becky was so thoughtful as to send over a few skeins of that fun ribbon yarn for my birthday, so that tank girl can have a tiny tank too!

Here's the tiny swatch.

Get it wet, watch it grow. Apparently the ribbon yarn stretches quite a bit after washing. I sure hope Becky and Claudia are right about this! I'm planning on knitting it at a slightly smaller gauge and count on it stretching out to size.

PS - In other news, Kerstin, of At My Knits End, has moved her blog. In case you missed her redirect last week, her new address is: www.crazydaisy.us. And to all you ComCast-ers out there, welcome back! Glad that your ISP can now access my page. I missed you!

Finished the back of tiny tank last night! I went down a needle size and am knitting kinda tight to prevent total see-through-ness. This was indeed the perfect project to start after finishing the minimono baby set. I knit the chenille for that so tightly that I developed a little callus on my index finger from pushing each stitch off the end of the needle. Now, after finishing the back of tiny tank, I see that I've got the same callus going. I'll have to switch back to the boys' pipsqueak sweaters for a while to heal up for the front!

I'm following the numbers for my size, but am knitting at a smaller gauge, so I'm really counting on tiny tank to stretch out a couple of inches. The 4 in. swatch stretched almost 1/2 in. after washing, so I'm hoping for at least 1 1/2 in. here. I guess I can always add a couple of stitches to the front, in case the back doesn't stretch as much as I'm expecting. It's so scary to purposely knit something to the wrong measurements!

Here it is in the sink. So blue. So lovely. Oh, please fit me, please. Let ya know tomorrow!

Only had time this week to start the back of the ribby cardie. Thus, the ribby reckoning remains unchanged. Next week: the finished back, barring the discovery of other fabulous and irresistible tanks!

Speaking of irresistible tanks, I'm happy to announce that the back of the tiny tank has passed the stretch test and come out a perfect 41 body-hugging centimeters. I'm thinking I might like it a little longer though. I'm going to go ahead, make the front, sew it all up, slip it on, and if I still really think it's too short, I'll cut off the cast on edge and add an inch of ribbing at the bottom. 'Cause I can!

Meanwhile in other knitalong news, MKaye has sent along pictures of her finished projects. Here she is dancing in her ChicKami and posing in her sophisticated Smooch tank. Great job! And one of the original tank girls, Stonering, has finished her Pagan tank. Check it out here!

I've been so excited about my knitting projects this week, that I forgot to take time out to do some sewing. Thus, the summery projects haven't progressed that much since I pinned out the pattern pieces last week. All I've done is cut out the pieces and baste the side seams of the skirt together to check the fit.

I made it to the fabric store, though. I picked up this fun Butterick pattern, which I saw on pknitty's blog (love that name!). Originally I wanted to knit the Cleo top from the summer Knitty. I swatched a lot of yarns from my stash but couldn't find anything that really worked at that gauge, so when I saw the sewing pattern, I thought, heck, I should just sew one. Now I have to buy some fabric for it. I have cotton prints in my stash, but the pattern calles for georgette. Do you think I could try it with cotton??

Finally, my best find at the fabric store was this ribbon, which will perfectly top off my tiny tank.

All weekend long.

It all started when I took the boys to the library for the first time on Friday. They're still not ready for following a story book, but I wanted to introduce them to the library and see if it might be some place we can go on rainy days, etc. While the boys played (together!) with one of those little toys where you push beads along loopy tracks, I read them a cute little book called The Teeny Tiny Teacher. Everything in the story is teeny tiny this and teeny tiny that and I had such a blast saying teeny tiny over and over that it sort of stuck.

Teeny tiny knitting couldn't be far behind. First, I knit this teeny tiny mousie for Wendy's new charity mouse-a-thon project.

I used the yarn in a pouch that someone brought in to Knitsmiths a few weeks ago. It's wool and I've only got the one teeny tiny pouch, so what else am I going to do with it but make lots of teeny tiny mice?!

Then in the car, in the dark, on the way back from visiting friends I knit a teeny tiny swatch for the Phildar top. It's teeny tiny cause I hate to swatch and so stopped just as soon as I could convince myself that I got my teeny tiny gauge (3.5mm needles - eeeeeek!). I'm so proud of how nicely it came out considering I couldn't see anything.

And then there's the teeny tiny tank. Front's done.

And teeny tiny it is. With only the already blocked back piece to compare it to, the front looked even teeny tinier. But I was able to block it out to a similar size as the back. Keep your fingers crossed for a not too teeny tiny tank tomorrow!

Thanks for all your crossed fingers out there - tiny tank is just my size. It's a bit shorter than I'm used to, but only bothers me when I've got the low riders on. After sewing up the sides, slipping the tube on and fiddling with the ribbon for about 40 minutes to get it the right length, I realized that I had no idea how I was ever going to get it off! Yup, the thing fits so well, that there's no extra wiggle room for getting in and out. I've got to do that almost double-jointed arms straight above your head dance to get it on. Once it's on though it's so comfy, it's like naked comfy. And then I need a spotter again to get it off. Hey, nobody said looking good would be easy!

Thanks to the monster sessions working on native, I fell behind on my plan to make a mousie every week for Wendy's mouse-a-thon, but I did get a second one made somwhere in there.

This one is in some pink scrap wool I got at our Knitsmiths yarn swap last fall. My first one came out a little small, so I doubled the yarn on this one and it's definitely more mousie size and mousie color. I still want to make a couple more and then they have to be stuffed. Better check that deadline again.

And now for something less cute. So, I'm wearing my tiny tank, I look down, and I see this. It's an open stitch sitting right there by the strap. Yikes! Don't know how I managed to miss that thing. Maybe I unlooped it when sewing in the yarn end there? For now, tiny tank is in the repair pile, although I have to say that it held together amazingly well. That Copacabana ribbon makes such a nice fabric that doesn't catch on things or get snagged at all. I just might risk wearing it again before I get around to sewing down that loop. Hmmm, better not.

And in more little annoyances, I spent a good hour and a half weaving in these rather large snags that B likes to pull out of his blankie. That's right, he enjoys doing this to me! There are still a few small snags to be repaired (only two inches of yarn pulled out compared to the foot-long snags I've already woven in). Better read through Matt's instructions again and find something good on tv.

Have a good weekend everyone. Don't let the little things get you down. Too much.

Summer weather has finally arrived in Boston. That means I'm at the playground for hours every day. And I get to wear all my tanks again!

I'm not getting much knitting done at the park though since the boys need to be changed constantly from their water clothes for playing in the fountain to their dry clothes for playing on the playground. And back again once they get hot and need to cool off in the water again. And then I have to make the water balloons. Oh and then there's the swinging and the rolling down the hill. Can you believe that I'm actually sore after our first few full days at the park!

But at night, with our air conditioner re-installed in the window, I can knit away on all my projects, even the wool ones! Clapotis, Katy, and my Koigu anklets have filled the warm nights so far.

And I've nearly finished the first koigu anklet. Once I'm done with this pair and can check my numbers, I'll be able to post my little anklet/pom-pom sock pattern for you all. I'll get to it one of these nights!