Sunshine Top

Good day, indeed! I finished something, and it’s something I think I’ll actually wear.

pattern: Sunshine Top by Lily Go
yarn: Shine Worsted, 8 skeins (600 yds) (frogged from Tempting)
needles: size 6 and size 4
cast on: June 1
finished: July 22
modifications: made short sleeves because I ran out of yarn

what I love about this sweater:

bust darts

It’s no secret that I love darts. In sewing, it’s the quickest way to give something a custom fit. I think this is the first time I’ve employed them in knitting, though, and I love them just as much. The fit is fantastic.

seed stitch border and picot hem

What’s not to love about seed stitch? (I don’t even mind the back-and-forth nature of the actual knitting of it). I love the seed stitch on the collar, sleeves, waist, and hem of this sweater. And the picot!! I love me some picot. I’ve never done a picot bind-off, and I was really happy with how it turned out.

I really wanted to do the sleeves as written – 3/4 length – but I only had enough yarn to do short ones. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they looked.

the big snafu
Overall, I’m pretty happy with this sweater. I did, however, make one huge mistake. I put the lace panel off-center!! There’s no way to show you without inserting another close-up of my chest here, and I think we’ve had enough of that for one post. Scroll up and you can see for yourself. I had big problems with the lace waist panel and I’m still not certain whether it was my problem or the pattern’s. The first time I knit it, I went by the written-out directions and the lace came out completely wrong. I ripped back to the seed stitch part of the panel and restarted, this time going by the chart. Wrong again. Looking at the chart, there is no way for the panel in my size to come out right – the repeats don’t match up – but I could be looking at it wrong. At any rate,the third time I ripped to the seed stitch and started again, I just did it by reading my knitting and doing what should come next. It came out perfectly. Except that I should’ve ripped all the way back (i.e., ripped the seed stitch) because I didn’t realize until almost time to bind off that it was off-center!

I asked the knitterly folks on flickr what they would do. Most of their answers were some variation on this: “I didn’t even notice and I don’t think you should rip it, but if it were me, I would.” Isn’t that hilarious?

You wouldn’t believe how much thought I gave to what to do. It seriously ate up some brain cells. I was planning to rip, but at the last minute decided to leave the mistake. I realized that: a) the mistake was likely only noticeable by another knitter, b) it was not big enough to keep me from wearing it, c) I was sick of working on this project, and d) I was tired of working with this yarn (though I did enjoy working with it). Truth is, if I had to rip it, I probably would’ve set it aside until next spring. Might as well at least get to wear it a bit this summer, and then if I want to rip it next spring, I can. If I do, I will probably not do the lace panel at all. First of all, I don’ really need or want to draw attention to that part of my body. Secondly, I think the lace panel looks much better in the fingering weight version than in the DK version (the pattern is written for either; I did the DK version). In the meantime, I will wear it as is. And if it makes me self-conscious around other knitters, I can always just do this:

lace panel cover-up

other notes: I started out using a size 6 needle and then switched to a 4 for the lace panel. I never switched back to the 6 after finishing the panel because I decided I liked the fabric a bit more with the tighter gauge. I knew from my experience with my ill-fitting Tempting that this yarn has a lot of give, so tighter is definitely better. I made this sweater with a few inches of negative ease.

I made some cute little pants to go with the sweater but in the end didn’t care for how they looked together. I will find something else to wear with the pants and then blog them too. (Along with about eleventy-seven other unblogged FOs I have lying around).

I will make this pattern again, probably in wool, for fall, but without the lace panel. I LOVE the fit of it and other than the problems I had with the panel, the pattern was well-written.

And now, just a few shots of me trying to look sassy and mostly looking smug. But y’all, I’m on VACATION. In GEORGIA. With my new finished sweater. So I have a right to the smugness, yes?

Good day sunshine!!