nonaKnits

Diggin The T

Let me lay it on the line -- nona's diggin her Tivoli T.  I'll even take it one step further -- this is my favorite summer knit top, ever.  What a simple pleasure to complete a project, pop it on, and love the results!  Can you say MCS?   Many thanks to Grumperina for her inspiring, fun to knit pattern.

Best of all, this linen yarn is machine washable and dryable!
What more can a gal ask for?

Nona, what did you like about this project?

There were many things I liked -- okay loved -- about this project.  Let me narrow it down to three:  Fit, Fabric, and Fun 

• Fit - What can I say, this t-shirt fits!  The raglan, cap sleeves provide near perfect coverage for that little bit of extra armhole flesh that seems to appear on your 40th birthday -- you over 40s know what nona's talking about!  The waist shaping -- worked in symmetrical darts -- provides a nice, flattering fit and is a fashionable alternative to side shaping.  Click here for a detail of the waist shaping.
  

• Fabric - Although the wet spun linen yarn was a bit harsh to knit with, once it was washed and dried the resulting fabric draped beautifully -- heavy and flowy.  I will use this yarn again.

• Fun - Top down, circular knitting -- Yum. I've always loved the addictive, hypnotic quality of circular knitting.  Paired with the no seam, top down design just pushed me over the edge.  What a kick to bind off, weave in a few ends, and be done!

Nona, what would you do differently next time?

There's nothing I'd change about this T-shirt.  I am, however, curious to knit a variation on the Tivoli T-shirt -- one with long sleeves and a shaped neckline -- all from the top down.  What can I say, nona likes trying new things.

Have you knit a Tivoli T-shirt?  No?  I highly recommend that you do!  For other Tivoli T-shirts, check out Grumperina's gallery.

The Final Laps

nona's feeling like an Indi-500 race car driver with 493 laps down, 7 to go.  I've been circling round and round on my Tivoli T-Shirt and have just realized that I'm down to the last few laps.  Anticipating the finish line has me anxiously speculating about the future -- How will the linen fit and feel once it's been washed and dried?  How accurate were my shrinkage calculations?  Is it too good to be true that there are no -- not a one -- seams to sew?  The anticipation may just keep me up late tonight. 

nona's nearing the finish line, only 7 laps to go! 

Wimbledon Update

Being halfway through the Wimbledon fortnight, it's only fitting to check in on both the tennis and knitting.  Here's where we stand after the middle Saturday:

• Lindsay Davenport is playing great tennis, but has a big test in the next round when she faces Kim Clijsters.  nona's routing for Lindsay.

• I made my circular gauge swatch -- nona's a good girl -- for Purly Whites' socks.  I'm using 3 brands of sock yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Koigu, and Nature's Palette.  But hey they all have the same gauge, give or take.

• When it starts to rain, the Wimbledon grounds crew can cover the entire court with a plastic tarp in like 17 seconds.  The ball boys and girls must practice standing still -- perfectly still -- for 4 minutes -- no moving.  nona's impressed.

• I've started Purly Whites' sock and it's almost time to shape the heel.  The leg of the sock is knit in the very respectable "Retro Rib" pattern from Interweave Knits (Fall 2004).  Once I reach the foot -- the part of the sock inside the shoe -- I'm going to break it loose.

• For you Great Britain fans... Is Andrew Murray the new Tim Henman?  Will Henman Hill become Murray Mound?

• And finally, the TiVoli T-shirt all makes sense -- it now has sleeves.  nona thinks knitting in the round from the top down is 1 part mystery, 1 part fun, and 1 part magic.

Here's to another week of sitting on my butt, watching Wimbledonw, and knitting - Cheers!

Round & Round & Round

Round and round and round and increase and increase and increase and round and round -- you got it my friends, I've started the TiVoli T-shirt.  This top down, raglan, cap sleeved -- enough adjectives already -- t-shirt is knit totally in the round without a seam -- nope, not a single one.  I've never knit top down before and I cannot quite visualize what I'm doing, but hey its not stopping me from going round and round, with each round gets longer and longer.  As you can tell I'm addicted and a bit punchy!  The perfect accompaniment while watching TiVoed Wimbledon ...

I know it doesn't look like much, but nona's diggin it.

Mission Status

Here it is Sunday evening and time to assess the progress on my weekend Mission.  You're right, perceptive reader, I did not entirely accomplish my mission -- otherwise I'd be MCSing by now.  I did, however, make good progress...

The Spiral Socks are done!  This morning I wore them while playing tennis to see how they would feel and wear.  Let me tell you, they passed with flying colors.  The final test is to machine wash them since they got a bit damp and stinky on the court.  No more boring white tennis socks for nona!

As for my summer tank top project, it's official -- I'll be making Grumpy's Tivoli T-shirt using the Euroflax wet-spun linen.  Although the linen yarn was a bit stiff while knitting it turned soft and drapey after a trip through the washer and dryer.  The stitch gauge, however, did change considerable -- going from 4.5 to 5.15 stitches per inch.  Interesting enough, the row gauge stayed about the same.  I'll have to tweak the Tivoli T just a bit to accommodate a slightly different gauge and less stretching yarn.  All in a days knit.