Sunday, August 09, 2009

Finis Coronat Opus

Back at the Start of July, I showed you a brief hint of a baby top that I was making 'just cos' and I realised today that I didn't ever get around to documenting any further progress. For all you know, it's still languishing in that same, sad, half-finished state at the bottom of one of the knitting baskets.
As it happens, if you thought that, you'd be wrong.
Okay, it did hide in there for a while after it was technically finished, mainly because [ and here I have a completely startling and barely believable confession to make ] ... I have developed procrastination into a fine art when it comes to the final details like sewing in ends and attaching buttons.
Please believe me ... this one has been finished finished [ as opposed to finished-except-for-the-buttons finished] for several weeks. Roollytroolly it has.
I just forgot about it until I noticed that the photo on my Ravelry projects page was still sans buttons.
so
pattern:
vintage french Mon Tricot from the late 70s, newborn size
needles:
3.75mm KnitPicks harmony
yarn:
Sirdar Snuggly 4ply [ fingering ] - 1 skein
modifications : same as the last time - a couple of extra pattern repeats in the arms and the body. I was going to say 'front' but as it can button to the back as sweater, or to the front as cardi, 'front' as a bit imprecise. I see it as having the buttons down the back.
anyway
moving on, there's this one which I actually made last October but again, failed to document:


pattern:
vintage Patons & Baldwins Australia - probably 1940s - belonging to BFF Beryl's late Mum. Can anyone help with which booklet it came from ? The garment is identified as Jade.
Of course I've made some mods. I changed it to topdown, in-one-piece construction and simplified the skirt portion which was originally the same lace pattern as the yoke.

Basically the only clue I have for any archivist/sleuths is that pattern name: Jade, and it must be a fairly obscure booklet if I don't have it. Anyone ???
yarn:
Patons Big Baby 4ply
needles:
KP Harmony 3mm

and then this one that you also didn't get to see in-progress although it's much more recent:


started last Tuesday and finished this morning ... and please take note : buttons!!!!
yarn:
BWM 4ply baby wool in what was then the colour Flame but with the rebranding of that yarn as Luxury, is now presumably Sunrise
needles:
3.5mm and 3.25mm
- body knit on the 3.5mm KP Harmonies, but when I had to switch to dpns for the sleeves, of course I didn't have any 3.5mm because that size doesn't exist in our system.
I had to decide whether to go up to 3.75mm or down. I opted for down, deliberately tried to knit a bit looser than normal, and maybe I'm fooling myself but I don't think you can't really see any difference in gauge. Please tell me you can't. Pretty please?

Note to self: get some 3.5mm dpns at some point.
pattern:
improvised by yours truly, although it ended up looking very similar to Helena.
Of course there are some differences. This one's in much finer yarn on smaller needles, different edge treatment , no garter ridge at the bottom of the yoke and no ties, but for all that, very much in the same vein. I guess with the popularity of topdown construction and the finite number of stitches in pattern dictionaries, this is bound to happen some of the time.

... and I was going to round this off with a dissertation on the current rather parlous state of my innards but after further consideration I've deleted what I wrote in the interests of keeping some of you as friends. I'll confine myself to pointing out that sensitivities to newly prescribed medications are rarely pleasant.

5 comments:

Alice said...

Love the 'Flame' jacket. No, I can't see any difference in tension....but I'm not an expert...lol, and sorry about the state of your innards....I gather they are in a less than optimum state due to medication. Hoping for better things soon.

Blessings each day said...

You do lovely work as always Susan. I do not see any difference...it flows very smoothly. I was supposed to get back to my own knitting yesterday but yardwork took precidence and now I have two blisters.

Sorry to hear about your innards, but you have company as Michael is taking antibiotics for a finger infection and they have less than delightful side effects!

blessings and hugs,

marcy

Bernie said...

Susan, your gifted hands make such lovely things, a joy for me to see as I am not gifted at all....I could sew the buttons on for you..
I, too am on an antibiotic and am going through a rough time with my innards so I wish you well soon.......:-) hugs

Sue said...

They are all so cute. Love the top pattern and that bottom one is just so gorgeous in the flame color. No I cant see any tension differences either. Hope you feel better soon too, I can relate as not much knitting is happneing here due to another ear infection I think, so sick of those I tell you.

Alwen said...

My, these are all so darling! Almost makes me wish for a baby to knit for . . . almost.