Tops: August 2004 Archives

After all the good stuff from my weekend, posting about an actual knitting project almost seems anti-climactic. But I do have my last summery top on the needles now, which I am calling "Blueberry Mousse".

The Back of Blueberry Mousse

This is my third project from the yarn I bought at ArtFibers in June. Mousse is a Linen/Cotton/Nylon blend ribbon yarn that appears to be a much daintier cousin to Rowan's Cotton Braid. This particular colorway is just perfect for me: faded denimy blue with a touch of green.

A Few Strands of Mousse

But what makes Mousse really special is it's knitted texture. It's boucle qualities mean that it is very hard to see individual stitch definition. As a result, the fabric almost appears not to be a knitted fabric. I think the texture is very classy and sophisticated. I thought the recommended gauge was a little loose when I knitted it in the store, so I dropped down two needle sizes. My gauge is almost exactly the same as it was on the US 8's, but when I switched to the US 6's, the fabric became denser. Denser, but still light and drapey. So it will be work appropriate as well as play-appropriate.

Mousse Up Close: Stockinette and Some Lace for Good Measure

I hope this gives a better impression of the fabric and the colors than the top shot does. I started the base of the top with 4 rows of garter stitch followed by 8 rows of the basic faggoting stitch as described by Barbara Walker. I'm hoping that a little blocking will help to open up the lace at the bottom a bit. The rest of the top will just be stockinette, unless I get motivated to add more lace somewhere else. But I think it will be more striking if I don't over do it.

P.S. To Anyone Interested in my Koigu from Yesterday... I've added the color numbers beneath the closeup shots...

For those of you not fortunate to share a house with your own personal geek boy, you may not be aware of the big event geek boys around the world are celebrating: the release of Doom 3. In my house, this event has been one requiring the update of video cards and other supporting hardware so that our home theatre room (a.k.a. the Den Of Great Manliness) can be transformed into the ultimate gaming location.

I am not quite geek girl enough to want to play the game myself. Long ago I gave up on ever having the hand eye co-ordination required for a career in professional gaming. But I am geek girl enough to want to see the game played, look at the new technology, see what story gets told. In fact, it's one of my odd quirks (I have many), that I would rather sit and watch John play a video game than watch a movie.

So tonight I finished off the front of the Lucky Ruban Top to the sounds of gunfire, zombies and screaming combatants on Mars. Not a bad evening for a knitting geek girl.

Lucky Front

Like the back, there's almost no shaping at all on this top until you get to the V-neckline. I think it's just about the most simple garment I've ever knit up. All that is left to do now is to block the front, weave in the ends, do a three needle bindoff on the shoulders, and seam up the sides. I'm a bit skeptical about the lack of armhole shaping, but in the spirit of trying to understand "how things work" I decided I would give it a go.

New tank top by Wednesday? It's a real possibility if tomorrow isn't too crazy at work.