Girl Crush

I finished my top for the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL! It's pretty much all that I had hoped for. :)

Made for You

Pattern: Francis by Olga Buraya-Kefelian
Yarn: Shibui Knits Heichi in Graffiti
Needles: US 8
Project Page

Slurped from Google

My favorite TV show at the moment is New Girl. It is absolutely hilarious. And I'm not just saying that because my fashion idol and major girl crush, Zooey Deschanel is in it. :) She's got such a cute and quirky style and personality that I feel matches this top quite well! So I named it for one of the songs by her duo She & Him (the full title of the song is "I was Made for You").

There's something about this top! It's cute, fun, bright, and modern but there's also something formal, retro, and serious about it. It's very strange, but interesting.

I tried it on with the back at the front this morning, but I don't think I did the neck right to be able to wear it that way, otherwise it was really cute! The pattern also suggests that it can be worn inside-out. Once I get all the ends properly woven in, I'll have to give that a try too (that's right, there are some loose ends in there ;]).

The pattern itself is pretty good. There's a major portion at the beginning that really can't be done without a video tutorial, but it's totally doable and absolutely clever after that. There is one, by the way! So don't fret. It also says it's worked in one piece. It's not. It's worked in halves and grafted in the middle. I had to fiddle with the graft afterwards to get it to look right. Pull tight when you do it. I think once I block the front (I only blocked the backs so they would lay flat), the graft should be almost imperceptible. The only thing I changed was the bind-off for the back edges. I knit them knitwise instead of purlwise.

I have never knit anything sideways like this or with silk, so I can't say I have much to add about the yarn or the quality of the pattern beyond what I have already. I do like the yarn! The color is so dynamic! It was only a tad splitty (I don't know what most 100% silk yarns are like) and left a little purple debris on me as I knit,  but no complaints otherwise! Well, except for the drape. It's a little weird and bulky, but maybe washing it will help? If any of you have worked with 100% silk, I'd love some pointers.

It's kind of heavy for a summer garment, honestly, but I think it will get some wear while it's not too icky outside. Overall, I'm really happy with it! It was a bit of a struggle to get there, but in the end, it's everything I hoped it would be and more! Sorry about the photos. We had a lack of light today. :/

For more FO Friday posts, go to Tami's Amis!