OhSewCrafty Blog

This project was so fast! It took only about a week, despite a slow start. I did a ton of pre-knitting math. I wanted to knit the second size, which gives a finished bust size of 32″- this would be about 3 inches of negative ease on me. I thought that would be too much, so I cast on a few additional stitches for the front and back and did an additional raglan increase, with the intention of getting a finished bust size of 33.6″. I also planned on doing hip increases equal to the number of waist decreases. For some reason, I messed up the beginning and had to restart a few times. I did not like the yarn either- felt like twine, compared to the classic elite cotton bamboo. It was my first time working a top down raglan and I was not crazy about the ever increasing rows.
But the more I knitted, the more I started enjoying the yarn- it had some bounce and a pleasant give, due to the wool content. And I liked being able to try my WIP on so I could position the hip placing perfectly, etc. I extended the body length by a few inches so I can wear it with low rise pants. The neckline was curling something awful, so I did the single crochet edging recommended on stitchywitch’s blog. The crochet edging, combined with a good wet blocking, made a great difference. Now, I think the top is perfect! It fits nicely, is comfortable to wear, and is classy with just a tad of spice from the lace at the top. I have a bit of negative ease, but it’s not tight, which is exactly what I wanted. This is a winner!

Now I’m dreaming about my next Zephyr style project, Rusted Root, and thinking about what else I can use cotton fleece for. A reasonably priced worsted weight cotton blend in a gazillion colors- what’s not to like?