Contrary to popular belief, I do occasionally finish knit garments. It just takes me really long because I don’t actually have that much time to just sit and knit. Not as much as I’d like anyhow.
So here’s one I did finish — a sparkly black and gold number. I actually finished it a while ago. It was late February in California and a little cold so I figured a sweater would be appropriate, but it was still quite chilly so a jacket ended up going over this.
The pattern is the Venetian Tank by Sari Nordlund. I picked it because I thought it would be fast and easy. Overall, it was. And I like a number of the details like the keyhole back, the ribbing at the bottom, and the I-cord shaping around the neckline. However, I don’t like that it’s knit bottom up. This was my first time making something that is knit bottom up and I didn’t love it.
I didn’t like that you couldn’t really try it on along the way which I definitely do with top down items. I made the size 2, but as I got past the hips, I realized it was going to be larger than I like, so when I graded down at the waist, I just kept grading until I was at the size 1 and then just kept knitting the size 1 the rest of the way which was definitely the right thing to do. It’s likely my gauge was slightly off (I’m terrible at swatching/gauging) or I underestimated the amount of ease versus what I like. But if I were to do it again, I would so a size 1 the whole time. Since it’s mostly nylon, it’s not likely to shrink any when washed. But I’ve tried 🙂
I’d also probably make the armholes a bit smaller. Very comfortable but it just barely covers my bra and I’d like a bit more coverage there.
The yarn is Sesia Elegant which I acquired at Uncommon Threads. I chose it because it was worsted weight, it was sparkly and it wasn’t wool. Unfortunately, with the combination of nylon and lurex in there, it’s a little on the scratchy side. You kinda of ignore it after a little bit, but it’s not the best feeling when you first put it on. I’ve thought about lining it, but I might as well just wear a tank top under it. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll get that much wear out of it, but who knows?
These aren’t my usual quality of photos because we took them quickly with my phone and it was cold so I wanted to get my jacket back on. But I think they show the tank sufficiently so there we go.
I paired it with gold ballet slippers and jeans and overall pleased with the look even if I’m not as pleased with the sweater as I could be. I still consider myself fairly novice at knitting, but I learn a little each time!
