I love that it rained multiple times during my stay in Indiana, but that’s not the sole inspiration for favoring raindrops this week. After more than three months of work, I finally finished knitting the Adeline Camisole, which features a raindrop pattern.
This is the first large project where I didn’t have to start over again because of a mistake. I’m pretty proud of that fact considering the difficulty of this pattern! The only really scary part came at the end, when I tried the garment on for the first time. It was about a size too big! As with most lace patterns, it stretched after blocking.
To fix this problem, I did what would probably give most wool-lovers a heart attack. I threw it in the dryer. I know, I know, this is blasphemy in the knitting world! Just know I was very careful and had a specific plan of attack.
First, I soaked the garment in water and squeezed out as much water as possible. Second, I put the garment in a pillow case and sealed it with a tie. Third, I put it in the dryer on high heat for twenty minute intervals. After each twenty minute cycle, I checked to see how much it had shrunk. Once it was the right size I laid it flat to dry.
After that harrowing process, I slipped on the camisole and it fit perfectly!
The raindrop pattern is a little hard to see, so here it is up close:
The yarn for this project totally sold me on KnitPicks as awesome place to buy yarn. Great quality, beautiful colors, and fantastic prices. I made this camisole for $16 using Stroll Hand Painted Sock Yarn in Coffee Shop (what a great name for a color!).
I’ve got a number of other projects going – too many, actually – so stay tuned for more pictures of my knitting adventures! 🙂
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What’s your favorite thing this week?
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c.b.w. 2014
I love the camisole! so pretty. I love raindrops too and part of the reason I clicked on this post is because we have finally gotten a touch of rain for parched CA. We actually have clouds this morning and a threat/promise of rain. So I’ll go with your raindrops as being a favorite thing for me as well this week.
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I hope the rain finds you! 🙂 We got a little a couple of nights ago and it was wonderful.
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Beautiful! It really looks like you and I’m so glad for you that you have advanced so much.
Can’t wait to see more.
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For every victory in knitting there is a failure. While on vacation, I was knitting a dishcloth that I had to rip out three times. Ugh!
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Driving through the mountains in Switzerland, heading for Lake Geneva, arriving home in France to find the neighbours animals, goats, dog, horse and two lambs had invaded the garden.
Jim
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Sounds like a fantastic trip! 🙂
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Wow, what a beautiful job you’ve done. Looking forward to seeing what else you’re working on!
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Thanks! 🙂
I’ve got a pair of socks going right now and they are gorgeous. I can’t wait to finish them! 🙂
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it looks lovely and good for you for salvaging it in a way that worked regardless of “the rules”.
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After working so long on one piece, I wasn’t going to let one little thing like “rules” stop me from making it work! 🙂
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Love it! (And so glad that the dryer worked!)
My favorite thing over the weekend: raindrops on windows in Quebec City! (Yes, I’ll have some stories to share later on this week!)
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Oooo, can’t wait to read! 🙂
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That was a lucky tumble in the dryer – a perfect fit! I remember my Mother telling me about the time she put a wool cardigan in a tumble dryer in a launderette in the 1950’s and it came out just the right size for a 2 year old!!! 😀 She was so embarrassed and ended having to leave quickly in order to conceal her laughing from others in the launderette. I guess showing your laundry mistakes in public wasn’t the done thing in those days!
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I was so nervous about shrinking it too much. Wool can shrink so fast!
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I think it was the perfect solution to the size problem! The camisole is so lovely. You’ve really stretched your wings as a knitter! Isn’t working with wonderful yarn, wonderful???
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I loved that yarn! I’ll definitely by shopping at Knit Picks again. Part of what made me try something so tricky was to put that beautiful yarn to good use. 🙂
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