Regia Silk Skirt

Here's the skirt:

It fits perfectly. You can click on the picture for a bigger picture of the detail.
Specs:
Pattern: A-Line Skirt from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2006
Yarn: Regia Silk (purchased from The Loopy Ewe); the pattern called for Koigu, but I got dead-on gauge using Regia Silk and I thought it would make a lighter skirt that Koigu. It doesn't pull down weight-wise or anything. I love it. I would recommend 2 balls of cream Regia though just to be on the safe side because I had about 3 yards leftover and I didn't do the stem stitch embroidery along the striping. Of the pink, I used 4 balls and I think I just started the 5th. I made the smallest size.
Needles: Size 3
Modifications: Other than the yarn substitution, none.

This is actually the first pattern I've done from Vogue Knitting and I'm very pleased with the results.

A few of you commented on how pretty the purple/red/black corriedale batt is and I have to be honest. It called to me so much that I had to start spinning it on Tuesday. Yes, I know I have way too many spinning/knitting projects as it is, but really how can one resist?

WIP Wednesday

The A-line skirt is just about done:

It's now off the blocking board and I've woven ribbon through the lace of one half. Today, I hope to weave the rest and do the embroidery; maybe I'll even get it sewn up today. I hope it's going to fit well. After having the tank fit so perfectly, I'm wondering if I should make a yarn sacrifice to the knitting gods now.

My other project that is actually seeing some progress is the Bonsai Tunic from the current issue of Interweave Knits:

It's overcast, so it's really impossible to capture the yarn well. It has little shiny bits in it and you can't tell that from the picture. And the color should actually have just a smidgen more grey. It's really pretty though.

I actually dreamed about the Sheep and Wool festival the night before last. I was trying to find the Golding booth, as if I didn't know exactly where it is. You think my subconscious is trying to tell me that I really need another Golding?

Regia Skirt

The first half of my skirt is about 8 rows from being done. See:

I would have finished last night, but I've been re-reading the Harry Potter series and I was so close to finishing Book 5 that I decided to finish that. So now, only one more book to go before the last book. I really hope the seventh is worth the wait; I mean, it would really bite to have six really good books and have it all ruined by the last one. Not that that's what I'm expecting or anything, I'm just sayin'. Anyway, where was I, oh, yeah, the skirt. Even though it's on size 3s, it's going pretty fast because it's mostly stockinette with just a bit of very simple lace thrown in. See how elegant simple can be? It will be blocked before being sewn together.

I'm really not trying to be so very mysterious about the next lined-up project (after the Shapely Tee and skirt). It's the Bonsai Tunic from the current issue of IK. Here's a close-up. I'm actually using the recommended yarn for once. I think that's probably a first for me, but I'm using a different color - just scroll down for the blue. Webs hasn't even charged my card yet, so who knows when it will actually ship.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

More Chicago

I know I promised more Chicago picts yesterday, but I'm a bit behind. A lot of the pictures are actually going to be links to The Chicago Art Institute because their pictures are so much better than what I could take, even with my decent camera and the Institute has tons of the famous paintings that you always see everywhere - American Gothic, The Child's Bath, Nighthawks, and one of my favorites, Renoir's Two Sisters.

Also at the Institute were these. So, click on the link. I'll wait. You can click to enlarge. Are those not the coolest things? Do they not look like real-sized rooms? Sixty-eight miniature rooms in 1/12th scale (which means one inch of the miniature equals one foot of the real-life equivalent). As much as I loved just about everything else we saw in Chicago, I really loved these miniatures. One of my many interests are miniatures and seeing these at the Art Institute really inspired me to get my basement cleaned and organized so I can have a studio down there to work on some miniature projects. Let me tell you, it's a big undertaking, but I'm going to do it!

Now this picture was taken from atop the Sears Tower.

The big white building in the center is the Shedd Aquarium and the domed building in the upper left is the Adler Planetarium.

As for the skirt, I'm nearly done with the front (or back as you wish, it's the very same thing. I still have to make another one.) I was going to probably finish up my tank after I finish the first half of the skirt, then come back to the skirt and finish it and hope it's actually warm enough to wear my new stuff by then. I also have something else planned; I ordered the yarn from Webs on Monday. I'll tell you about it as soon as the yarn gets here.

Regia Silk Project Revealed

Quite a few have guessed that I'm making a tank with the pink Regia Silk. Nope, not a tank, or a very large sock. Here it is:

(You can click for quite a large close-up so you can see the details.)
I've been wary about making a skirt. I am, in fact, pretty wary about making clothing because of the fit issue. Lace scarves and shawls are easy. Gauge isn't really much of an issue - who cares if a shawl is an inch or two bigger or smaller? Socks are pretty small and I've made so many that I have it down to a science. Tanks I'm a little less wary of because they are pretty small as well. If you have to rip, oh well. But, a skirt on size 3s.

This skirt really captivated me since I saw it on the cover last year and I decided I wanted to make it. I didn't want to make it in 100% wool that it called for though. So I came across Regia Silk and saw how light and soft it is and fell in love. I even did a gauge swatch and got perfect gauge. (Are you impressed that I got gauge or actually did a swatch?) It's just very feminine and well, it's pink. I plan to line it because I think the lacy part is just a wee bit too bold for me, but I am in love with this skirt. I think my mojo is back in full force!

Isn't it funny how certain patterns just catch your attention and won't let go? How certain designers just design stuff seemingly just for you? I'm half-way done with my Shapely Tank and already nearly halfway done with the skirt, so I was looking for more tops to do for the summer (IF it ever gets here; with the chilly weather, I'm wondering where spring is). I went through all my old magazines and found that I kept choosing things by many of the same designers. It doesn't mean I like everything by a particular designer or that I won't make something by another designer, but I find I do tend to look twice at stuff by certain ones. Shirley Paden, Mari Lynn Patrick, Norah Gaughan, Veronik Avery are just a few that I seem to find myself choosing over and over again. Anyone else have a favorite designer or two?

By the way, who else has seen that our favorite pusher sock yarn store is going to be stocking laceweight as well? And right with Maryland S&W around the corner, too! My budget is SO shot for the next couple of months!

More Chicago picts tomorrow!