Venice Beach Tank - Self-Striping Yarn - Knitscene Summer 2013

What possessed me to start a summer tank at the end of August? I think I thought I'd get it done in time to still enjoy it, but boy was I wrong! Part of it was that I was working on other projects in between, but I also had to rip out and fix several things on the tank that I didn't like.

Remember how I said that I'm going to add an inch to the length of every project from Interweave that I knit from now on? Well, I think I'm also going to add a half inch to an inch to every armhole. I knit to the project's specifications, tried it on, and the armhole was waaaay too tight.

(Yes, that's a picture of my armpit, sorry).

It's a quirk of mine, but I really like a lot of movement in the armhole area. This also caused some puckering when I put it on, and was uncomfortable.

Then the neck came up too high, too. So I had to rip out down to the armhole and add an inch of depth, which also shifted the neckline down. Not a huge deal, but still a pain.

This pattern was knit from an i-cord edging which was joined in the round. Then the stitches were picked up from the bottom and knit up, with a typical increase/decrease pattern through the body. The same as the Ryann Tunic I also knit from this issue, actually. On the armholes you knit an i-cord edging and bind-off, which was my first time using that technique. I really like how it turned out and I think I'll be using it on my own projects in the future. On the neckline you pick up stitches and knit the border with the holes to braid the i-cords through, then you knit three i-cords and braid them through the openings.

So the actual knitting time wasn't a lot of work or bother, but the finishing definitely took longer. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I couldn't resist wearing it once despite the weather (with a cardigan over it for warmth!). Once I'd finished modifying it I think it turned out quite flattering.

Here's a view of the front;

Here's a view of the back;

And here's a close-up of the braided neckline, which I think looks really cool;

Though I'm still not a fan of all the yellow in the self-striping yarn, I think I can live with it. Now I just have to wait six months for spring to be able to wear it again!

- D

My problem with self-striping yarn

Self-striping and/or multi-colored yarn - I have one issue with it.  I love the way changing colors can add interest to a piece knit it straight stitch, don't get me wrong.  But there's always one color in the mix that I hate. And it's generally the color that the yarn company used the most. Go figure. 

Take, for example, the sale yarn I bought at Kid Ewe Knot in PA. It's from HiKoo, a division of Skacel, and not a yarn I'd knit with before.  It's a blend of merino, acrylic and nylon, and while I normally avoid acrylic I decided to give it a shot.  The price was right, it had a nice feel, and maybe the acyrilic would give it more wearability.

I have a few inches on the project now, so you can see how the colors are pooling. Love the turquoise and the green, hate the puke yellow. Hate it.  And guess which color they used the most?

Yeah...so I guess my problem with self-striping yarn is that I don't get to pick all the colors? Seriously, why doesn't a yarn company either have a contest where everyone can vote on the colors they'd like, or custom make it?

I still think I'm going to be happy with the project when it's done - though if I have enough yarn I may start cutting/re-arranging the colors near the face. That yellow isn't great on me. The yarn is knitting up nicely, though, and I like its feel while I knit. I can't wait to get to the braid detail at the neckline, looking forward to trying the technique.

D