And Speaking of Tees....
I promised myself I would not add any yarns to my stash this year unless I spun them myself OR used them right away, so it was a rare day when I bought some Classic Elite cotton/wool blend from someone's online stash reduction (like I could afford to buy THIS at retail!). It's one of my favorite shades, a terra cotta, which might explain why I buckled and bought it but ever since I got it I haven't been sorry! I am not a big fan of cotton yarns, per se, but this is about a 14 ply and 30% wool so it is soft with a bit of woolish resiliency. I wound it and cast on with it the day it arrived!
I had been giving some thought to knitting something on the lighter side to wear and the t-shirt knit patterns I shared in this week's Friday Freebie really inspired me, especially the Charlotte Tee. I started with my favorite edging book, Nicky Epstein's Knitting On The Edge. I always find something perfect!
The first thing I loved about this yarn is how smooth it is. It is the kind of yarn that gives exceptional stitch definition which is why I leaped into making lace trimmed cuffs with it. There is very little drag with my bamboo DPNs but not so little that the yarn slides off like I know it would with aluminum. It didn't take me long to finish the hems on both cuffs!
I also wanted to add some beads (yes, it's an obsession) so I pulled out sometranslucent 6mm crow beads in a translucent grey/red swirl and did myusual, threading them over the stitch with a fine crochet hook.
I also wanted to add some beads (yes, it's an obsession) so I pulled out sometranslucent 6mm crow beads in a translucent grey/red swirl and did myusual, threading them over the stitch with a fine crochet hook.
As with most projects, a bit of trial and error occurs. In this case, I started by putting a bead on every stitch as I picked up sleeve stitches along the top of the lace trim. It looked just fine, unfortunately it was as inflexible as a metal ring. The sleeve stayed "open" in a perfect circle!
I had to laugh at myself a bit over this. There really IS such a thing as too much bling, I guess! So I pulled out the DPNs and carefully pulled out the stitches to the bead row. Then I slipped off every second bead and slid the DPNs back in. I can't think of too many other yarns I've worked with that I could have done this with so easily.
Pretty soon I had both cuffs beaded and ready to go. And just in case you're thinking I've suddenly turned into SuperKnitter or something silly, I started these back at the beginning of March!
I am pleased to say, a month later, I have now completed both sleeves, elbow length or so... and am trying to decide how I will start the main body etc. and am hoping "just maybe" I can make up my mind before fall... hahahaha!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 4/4/2010 5:49 PM 
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: cotton wool blend knitted t-shirt classic elite
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: cotton wool blend knitted t-shirt classic elite
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