Thea top, seventies skirts and Empower lace scarf

Back in March, soon after I finished my first knitted garment, the Basic-T, I started another.

I bought a yarn that was the same length per gram and figured that meant I didn't need to swatch, It should knit up the same, right? Apparently no. First up I noticed the yarn had a colour variation that was leading to ugly "pooling" of light and dark patches. So I ripped back and started over alternating each round between two balls. I was almost finished before I tried it on, realised it was far too small and that I'd never have enough yarn to start over with another needle size. 

So I turned to another one of Suzanne Mueller's patterns that I liked: the Thea Top

It's a simple tank top, knit in the round form the bottom up. In a new-to-me technique some stitches are then set aside wile one shoulder after the other is worked.

Finally, the annoying bit, the stitches are picked up around the neckline and the armholes to add the ribbing. I'm still not sure I know what I'm doing and it's hard to be sure that I'm picking up the right bit. in some places it looks neater than others. 

The yarn is Vinnis Colours Nikkim in Chestnut from Handmake Create. 

After the weird, too small sizing with the BasicT I swatched and moved up to  a 4.5mm needle. I've made the size L as per measurements. 

The sizing is perfect, but the shoulder straps do look wider on my version than the pattern cover version. 

The skirt I'm wearing here is the seventies, bias cut, yoked skirt that got  a brief mention back here.

That reminded me that I never put the second version up on the blog. This one, made in a linen/cotton from Fabric Deluxe is a definite improvement. 

I ignored the pattern's too small, cut-on pockets and instead drafted my own. I used some other pattern's more generous pocket outline and this technique for side seam pockets that behave! I like it much better for all that.

The next bit of knitting that I did, just for the fun of learning a new technique was the Empower lace scarf

I'd bought this one skein of DK weight yarn from Fibresmith and didn't have a plan for it. This seemed a fun project. the lace, which is quiet basic, kept me on my toes and there was plenty of ripping back. Eventually I worked out that leaving a veritable ladder of lifelines was what would get me to the end!

It's knit as a big triangle and then a short end on the bottom left is sewn to the top short end to make a neck cowl or scarf.

that gives it a bit of a baby's bib vibe, or bandana. I'm not convinced I like it, or will ever wear it, but it was definitely and good brain exercise to knit it up.