Friday, May 4, 2012

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!

14 comments:

  1. It's gorgeous! I love the colour. It looks like it is a great fit. Nice work!
    I've never knit anything side-to-side before. Now I'm intrigued!

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    1. Thanks! You certainly have to do it at least once. It's a whole different thought-process!

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  2. It's a really cute top and a great colour, I bet it feels amazing in the silk.

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    1. Thank you! It really does! It was a little stiff to knit with, but it's...silky now!

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  3. Wow, your top looks fantastic! I cannot believe that it is 100% silk, that must have quite the adventure to knit up. I'm sure that as with many knits, the drape will improve with time. Isn't purple the best color ever?

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  4. A girl after my own heart! LOL I love Zooey for all those reasons. Love love She & Him. Her show is hilarious, her roles in movies always have been too. (hello... Almost Famous?? love)

    Anyway... on with the top. Love it in reverse. Very unique style. I've not knit with 100% silk, but bamboo silk on my Coachella and left with it all over me while knitting too!

    Love it, great job.

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    1. Zooey is the best! Her sister is great too. :) I first loved her in either Failure to Launch or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

      Thank's so much! The back was really the seller for me. I'll have to get better pics.

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  5. i love zooey deschanel and i love new girl! hooray! your top is lovely! i'm very intrigued by the overlapping peekaboo back...

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    1. Yay! It's a pretty weird and awesome back.

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  6. It looks awesome. The colour and style are fab

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  7. Gorgeous top, well done, looks great on you. Oh no, another pattern to add to the neverending queue!

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  8. It is very pretty, very original. Lovely color too. I've never knit with 100% silk (yet) :-)

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  9. Great colour! It looks like a really interesting pattern.

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Thank you for reading and commenting! I love to hear what's on your mind!