Nothing sketchy about it...

PENCIL SKETCH CAMISOLE (Iris G)
Filatura Di Crosa Adhoc Pepe (viscose/linen), #11 (110 yards per ball) 3.5 balls
Debbie Bliss Cathay (cotton/viscose/silk), #12006 (109 yards per ball) 2/3 ball
Rowan Handknit Cotton (cotton), #309 (93 yards per ball) 1/4 ball
US 4, 24" and 16" bamboo circular needles

I really enjoyed making the Pencil Sketch Camisole -- thanks Iris! Overall, the pattern was very easy to follow, and it produced a wonderful end product. The fabric is drapey and slightly shiny, thanks to the lovely Pepe and Cathay yarns. I think it came out great!



There were a few instructions I found ambiguous or slightly confusing, but I think I figured everything out (I'll be sure to tell Iris where I was confused, so she can address this if need be). In one place, I got myself into trouble because I had added stitch markers on either side of the lace panel stitches in addition to the 2 markers (at left and right sides) Iris suggested in the pattern. The instructions told me to "knit to marker" and I accidentally stopped at the first marker I came to (which was one of mine) -- oops! I figured it out, though.



Modifications:
Although I initially thought I was getting stitch gauge with my swatch, I realized before casting on that I really wasn't, so I decided to cast on 150 stitches (instead of the 162 in the pattern). I also had to adjust for my row gauge, which was too tight, by knitting extra rows.



My trim yarn (Rowan Handknit Cotton) was thicker and stiffer than might be desirable, but I had it in my stash, so I went ahead and used it. If you make this top, I would definitely suggest using something more delicate, like the silk tape Iris used to trim her original Pencil Sketch. I would have used the leftover Pepe or Cathay, except I really liked the idea of a paler trim.



I only used the trim color on the neck and sleeve openings (Iris also uses it along the bottom of the camisole). Because my trim yarn was a little more robust, after picking up stitches for the sleeve trim, I knit only 2 rounds in stockinette stitch, then did one round of k1p1 rib before binding off in k1p1 rib. Likewise, after picking up stitches for the neck trim, I worked only one round in stockinette stitch before binding off in picot trim. Iris used a random combination of 2, 3, or 4 stitches between picots, but I ended up using 3 stitches between each of my picots.



I did start working on Mystery Stole 3 last week. (Woo, hoo!) I'm actually farther along than the picture shows (I'm halfway through Clue 2 now), however, reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" this weekend took a large chunk out of my knitting time (but I'm OK with that -- I really enjoyed the book!) : )

Amazon had given me a UPS tracking number (that appeared to work!), but my book ended up coming via the US Postal Service at my regular mail time (around 5 pm, grrrrrrr....) on Saturday, so I didn't get to start reading until late in the day. My husband and I switched off reading the book Saturday evening and Sunday morning, but I was a total hog on Sunday afternoon, so I had finished the book by dinner time.

Moana doesn't really get lace...


and she's totally not into wearing a babushka.

Where does all the (knitting) time go?

Thanks for all your comments! I enjoy reading them (and checking out your blogs)!

I had a great visit with two old friends over the weekend! We meant to knit a bit, but, alas, we kind of forgot to amidst all of our yacking, eating, yacking, walking, yacking, siteseeing, and yacking -- besides, it wasn't the greatest knitting weather (humid, in the 90's, no air conditioner...).

The past few weeks I have not been knitting as much as I hoped to.
Case in point: I signed up for Mystery Stole 3 quite a while ago, but, um, this is what my stole looks like right now:


You might say I'm a little behind. Two clues have already been released, and another is coming in a few days. Hopefully I'll be able to get started soon...



I'm finished with the back of Iris G's Pencil Sketch Camisole, and I'm working on the fronts.



I ended up using Debbie Bliss Cathay in an olive-y color for the contrasting band. The cotton/viscose/silk Cathay knits up more smoothly than the viscose/linen Pepe, and I really like the visual and textural interplay of the two yarns.




This photo is for Mel, who left a comment in my last post asking: "So how long before one of the cats is sporting the camisole?"

(I know it's kind of cheating, because Bug isn't actually inside the camisole, but I was a little worried about him wigging out and ripping it apart if I tried to stuff him in it ...)

Frankly, I wanted to see Helen or Slinkers in your now defunct sock, Mel.... maybe next time?!

For some reason, I have been quite lucky lately when it comes to blog contests. I won my very first Socks that Rock (and a pattern) from Brandy of The Purl Parables in her blogiversary contest. I think it's just lovely!


I also won a prize for contributing to Rachel's kitty Digit's recovery fund. Erika of Redshirt Knitting had a "thank you" drawing, and I won 10 (!) balls of Uruguay DK (merino/alpaca/silk) in a sagey green color that were donated by her reader, Katharine (who is apparently blogless, but exceedingly generous)! The color is off in this picture, but you get the idea... it's lovely stuff!


Lastly, I won yarn(!) from Rosina of Noteworthy Knits. I don't know what it is yet -- but I'm excited!

Thanks, guys!


Bug: Yawn... are you almost finished with the photoshoot? I can barely keep my eyes open here -- being a model is exhausting!


This level of cuteness doesn't grow on trees, you know. It's hard to be "on" all the time... Trust me, you don't want to know what will happen if I get behind on my beauty sleep.

P.S. I just learned that Crazy Aunt Purl's kitty, Roy, passed away. We'll miss you, too, Roy.

Matching Monkey bonnets, ahoy!

The Monkey socks for my Sockapalooza pal are done! Now I just need to wash and block them (ahem), as the cats and I have been wearing them for our little photo shoots.



They seem to match fairly well in size/shape (Woohoo! -- my gauge apparently stayed fairly consistent), and the color variations are similar.

Bug and Moana remain under the impression that these are really poorly fitting stocking caps for them. They have been trying to humor me, but it's getting difficult for them:

Moana: "Bug, you look like a total doofus!"
Bug: "Umm...hello?... I can't exactly see anything. Sheesh, primates!"


Bug: "Phew! I can see now... Yo, Moana -- you look like a doofus, too."
Moana: "My ears feel weird."
Bug: "Grrr...Primates..."

Iris G's Pencil Sketch is coming along nicely so far. I remeasured my gauge swatch and realized that my stitch gauge is still too loose, so I did some math to recalculate stitch counts, etc. My row gauge, on the other hand, is a bit too tight, so I'm going by length, rather than row counts.

Here's where I am:


I tried it on, and it seems to fit. The leafy lace inset is quite pretty, I think:


Here it is pinned out:


My stockinette fabric is a little wonky (due in part to the nature of the viscose/linen blend yarn), but not overwhelmingly so (at least for me):

(Click for bigger wonky stitches)

I'm definitely liking the yarn. It's a little bit rough while knitting, but after washing, the swatch was silky, soft, and drapey.


On my monitor, this photo captures the color better than the previous ones do:

Such a nice, mellow green...

Oh! I almost forgot -- the sightless elephant cats bid you adieu:

Moana: "Mmmpphh."
Bug: "Don't worry, Moana. The primates will get bored with this soon."

New, improved Monkey sock...

Now bigger!



Well, I did some real, in the round swatching and discovered that US 1 (2.25 mm) needles were the right size for my Sockapalooza Pal's socks. So far I have reknit the first sock and started on the second:


I like the Monkey pattern a lot. The yarn I'm using does obscure it a bit, but I think it kind of works (the yarn is "Phoenix" yarn, and the pattern sort of looks like flames or feathers). Here are some close-ups:



You may not be able to tell in the above pictures, but the sock really should be big enough for my larger footed pal. See, there is extra room in the toe area...


...and in the leg:


I made the instep gussets deeper, too. I'm crossing my fingers that these will fit my pal passably. Moana is crossing her whiskers:


I swatched today for a new project. I will be making Iris G's Pencil Sketch Camisole in this yarn:


It's Filatura Di Crosa Adhoc Pepe, a pretty viscose/linen blend I found on sale last year. The color is not the greatest in this photo, but it's a soft, almost licheny green (not the chartreuse kind, mind you). I can't seem to find mention of it online, so the yarn store I got it from may have been holding onto it for a while. I got gauge on US 4 needles (Iris G suggests US 6).

You will be happy to know that Bug and octopus are getting along better lately (although octopus still has a nasty habit of jumping on Bug's head without warning).