A Tank for the Pond and a Cardi Musings

There has been some knitting I haven't been deforesting my yard all week! :-)

Wednesday I finished this tank, an UFO from last summer:




It originally was that red keyhole tank with the ribbon bow in the back, (it's in Knit1 don't remember what issue.) Now I know why I didn't finish it last summer! YUCK Gauge is perfect and I made the smallest size and it's HUGE. I'm not going to bother with "fixing" it.....soooo glad I didn't take the time to weave in the ends it's going for a swim in the pond ASAP!

Last Friday I started a cardi. I sort of used another Garnstudio pattern, but then sort of didn't. I changed the stitch from moss to plain old stockinette, and I'm using a different sleeve. So basically the only thing that resembles the original pattern is the gauge and the bodice shaping.

I'm using recycled ramie from a thrift store sweater held together with some Egyptian cotton I picked up in England two years ago. I wanted something soft and casual to throw on this summer. This will be our second summer in this house and we still have not gotten central air....we don't need it....um, we don't need it often. Last year there was a total of 4 days when AC would have been appreciated. It's not that the temps don't get high, they do, just like all other places here in the Midwest. But 90+ degrees with 90% humidity isn't uncomfortable here. I know that sounds crazy but it isn't.....here at the hermitage we have a constant breeze. Actually most of the time you classify it as a wind! Thus I wear sweat shirts all summer, and I wanted a soft cottony cardi this summer.

I spent the entire day Saturday just knitting in the sun, it was heaven. I finished the back and almost got both fronts done.....yes I spent the ENTIRE day knitting in the sun. yes, I fried, my legs. :-)

I finished the first sleeve Monday night....ooops I had been using two strands of the cotton with one strand of the ramie for the back and fronts. I realized I was running short of the cotton so I figured I could squeeze out the two sleeves using two ramie strands and one cotton strand.....nope...I couldn't have been more wrong, not enough for the second sleeve. DAMN
Wednesday I forged ahead and made the second sleeve with only the ramie and then let the thing sit. Now I have before me a sweater in pieces that has matching fronts and back and "coordinating" sleeves that don't match each other. :-o I've been thinking about ripping the sleeve that has the cotton in it, but the thought of ripping out a sleeve made with this makes me shudder:



So I steam blocked it today, I'm seaming and searching for a zipper. Oh yeah the zipper, yet another thing that doesn't follow the Garnstudio pattern LOL