Smooth as Silk

Chai Top, Front

Chai Top, Back

There's definitely something to be said for ripping. In the case of this top, it went from making me look like the ballet dancing hippo in Fantasia (yes, the frill really was that unflattering because of where it fell and the fact that it was so bulky) to my normal happy self.

What made removing that ruffle much less painful was the fact that it was knit down from the bottom edge rather than knit as a part of the piece. This meant that I could rip it off without affecting the structural integrity of the rest of the garment. I just picked up stitches around the bottom after the ruffle was removed and knit for a little more than two inches. After binding off, I did a row of slip stich crochet and followed it with a band of single crochet. Then I attached it to my blocking board and soaked the bottom with water and let it block overnight before releasing it from its pins.

The result? Beautiful flat edge.

Now, this would not have been the right decision with a wool garment. If it had been wonderfully elastic wool, it would already be rolling and no amount of crochet or wet blocking would make all that much difference. The hem would absolutely have been the right way to go.

But silk is a different, rather inelastic fiber. And once you block it, it doesn't really want to to roll or curl. You can see that at the base of the garment and at the sleeve edges. The sleeves are also terminated with a simple cast off edge. They've been blocked for several days now and have shown no inclination to curl.

I also decided against the hem for another reason. The fabric is very drapey (something that goes hand in hand with the lack of elasticity). A hem would have added bulk at the waistline and reduced some of the body skimming drapey quality of the top. Or at least that's my fear.

Without the ruffle I have a top that I like quite a lot. I don't have another top that is this soft against my skin. And the Chai has this lovely subtle shimmer that makes the top a little more interesting than it might otherwise be.

What did I learn?

• ArtFibers' yarn is still awesome. With two tops down and one to go, I feel like the investment I made in their yarn and pattern help was definitely an investment in my wardrobe that I'll get some return on. I'd let myself off of my yarn diet if I could suddenly be transported back to San Francisco.
• Invisible cast ons are your best friend if you're not sure about a border or edging. You can rip out the border without great fear for the rest of the piece and there's no pesky grafting to worry about.
• I love the subtlety of the variagations in this colorway. There's definitely a color texture, but it's much more like Koigu and there's no pesky pooling to be unhappy about.
• Silk and wool are different. Silk fibers aren't elastic and won't curl very much after being blocked into place. This adds to the drape of the fabric.
• I need to knit more V necks!

The only concern I have about the Chai is it's durability. It is a yarn with a handspun texture -- thick in some places, thin in others, variable twist throughout. The less twisted areas are fuzzing a little bit, which is giving the top a little bit of a soft focus halo.

Overall Verdict: I love it and will definitely enjoy wearing it. I think it will make an excellent top to go into the fall with and combines both subtle and business like with just a tad flirty.

For anyone keeping score... this is the first of three projects that I need to complete before I can buy anymore yarn....