Tank Top

A few days ago I finished the tank top I knitted with the very strange yarn I bought on Ebay. I still love the color, but I don't think I'll be buying this yarn again.

It knitted nicely, especially in the mistake rib stitch (body of the tank) but I found it was hard to graft a new ball on the the work when one ran out. Also, it does not take a whole lot of force to tear it. I don't like the seed stitch neckline or edging on the arm openings with this yarn as much as I like the mistake rib stitch.

After much debate with in my mind, I settled on the three needle bind-off for the shoulders. They feel quite sturdy, and with this type of garment, the shoulders will not have the weight or tug of sleeves to support so I am not worried about them.

As for the side seams, again I debated whether finishing them with the yarn needle would be more of less effective than using a sewing machine. The yarn needle won the debate.

When I tried on the top, I was pleased with it. I thought when I wet it down and laid it out to dry it would have a little ease and not be too tight. I learned two things:

One, when it gets wet it gets very heave and stretches quite a lot. As I positioned it to dry I wondered if it would reach my knees!

Two, When I put it in the dryer instead of letting it air dry it returns to it's original size. Phew!

So my plans for the future of this garment are - hand wash, put in the dryer for 10 - 15 minutes, then lay it flat to air dry. I liked the way it looked, and more importantly, the Quipper liked it. Maybe I can wear it to his birthday gig on Friday night.

My more immediate knitting plans are to continue work on the toe-up socks I started in Florida. I have finally gotten past the heels and begun working on the legs. That was confusing as could be. The legs should go much faster now. Maybe I simply prefer top down sock knitting because that is what I learned first.