Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A Skinny Ribs - Fest


It's done! I present to you -- Skinny Ribs.

If Monday had not been a holiday, you would have had a bit of mirth. Monday morning I had yet to sew in the ends, sew on the buttons and figure out what to do with the excess fabric from my re-configured shoulders. Thanks to Queen Victoria, I was able to get this done before the next (today's) blog posting.

The 'Deets'
Pattern: Skinny Ribs from Wendy Bernard's book Custom Knits.
Yarn: Fanion by Phildar. Purchased last spring at Mad About Ewe in Nanaimo B.C. Just under
four balls used at 137 metres per ball.
Mods: - This sweater is knit top down. The pattern starts with the shoulders, giving instructions to knit them straight across. Me, though, I'm a fan of sloped shoulders and that is how I started mine. Then, you might remember, I got carried away with the mindless knitting and knit the armholes too long.

I repaired that mistake by machine sewing across the shoulders, following my slope line and removing an inch of fabric. The fix created a problem (like plumbing repairs in our house), making the back neck off by an inch. Just to see if it would work, when shortening the armhole, I machine stitched straight across the back from one shoulder to another. With just that one line of stitching, I could see that the extra fabric would turn quite nicely. So, I live-stitched that extra inch of back neck stitches to the back itself, creating a facing of sorts. Seems to be working. The extra inch of shoulder fabric I simply tacked down - built in shoulder pads sort of. They're back in style, aren't they?

What I Learned: Everything on this top is top-down, even the set-in sleeves. Wendy does a great job of leading you through this process. I had, once before, knit set-in sleeves, top-down with quite disastrous results. This time, the process was easy and they look great. Wendy's book is full of wonderful how-to tips on a great range of topics from designing to altering patterns. A wealth of information.

I also learned that I can't read. The pattern is titled SLINKY Ribs. Not Skinny Ribs as I've been describing.

What I'd Do Differently: The top appears a bit 'smallish' on me. (Maybe that's where the Skinny part came in) That could be because of what Marie calls the VNS (Visible Nipple Syndrome) requiring a camisole underneath. Mind you, the picture shows it with a cami, so I should have known. Next time, even though I am a great fan of 'negative ease', I would make a size bigger than my chest size, rather than a size smaller as I did this time. In the mean time, if I am ever so inclined, I could lengthen both the sleeves and the top itself - a benefit of top-down construction - to make it appear a bit less 'smallish'. Maybe some day.

I love the casualness of this top. A new, favourite, jeans top and great for summer wear.

5 comments:

Vera said...

I like this top very much and it looks good on you!

Anonymous said...

Love the top! I think the size is good on you, wouldn't change it.Megan

Sel and Poivre said...

I've just read your post to my daughter and shown her the picture and she has deemed your skinny and slinky FO "actually very cute!" (high praise from my 19 year old, knitting averse first born!)

As for me I think its totally cute - especially with the negative ease! If you've got it...!

Sandra said...

very nice - I have this book and have been eyeing the pattern - now I think I will make it - You've convivnced me!
And "bromance" - a very good friendship between 2 heterosexual males. nothing weird or strange, just two friends, especially from different backgrounds...

LaurieM said...

Looks great! You were pretty slick with your mods, everything worked out just right.

I think it would look floppy if you did it a size bigger. This way, it shows off your shape.