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I want to show you some snippets of how my Skies Light top is coming along. I have a little secret though – this project is actually already finished! But I have had a little bit going on...
You might have seen on my socials I have suffered cat bite and claw wounds on my hands which has put me out of crochet action (and work) for some weeks, but fortunately I had finished making this tee before being injured. Phew!
I had hoped to release this blog earlier than now, but I was admitted to hospital for IV antibiotics and surgery to flush the infected material out of a finger on my left hand! Eeek with a capital E. YAY to be home again now though, ...but I am down to my right hand for the computer work to keep this blog happening between naps and finger exercises. All my plans have to happen at a slower pace. Thank goodness I am right-handed!
So onwards with the project:
The first step is always always always swatching and blocking the swatch.
Always (just in case you missed that). I have to make sure the fabric is suitably soft and drapes well and use the gauge from the centre of the swatch to design the garment in conjunction with the sizing guidelines. More details on swatch instructions of course when I release the pattern...
I wanted to design a top that would be easy for crocheters to make - suitable for someone who had never made a garment before. I resisted every urge for complexity and tricky techniques that popped into my head along the way!! The challenge for this project is in making a lot of the tall triple treble stitches with even tension, and my Stitch Anatomy blog series will be talking about tall stitches soon - super-handy, right!?
Here is a snippet of the initial fabric and my diminishing yarn-cake. The fabric is folding and feels soft in my hand. Watching how the indigo blues play out as you work with Scheepjes Skies is really quite meditative and soothing.
Leaping ahead, you can get an idea of the neckline. Its going to be wide and scoopy (new word – just made it up), so you can imagine wearing it on a hot day and one shoulder slipping to the side maybe... (Just to paint the full picture, imagine a gelato waffle cone in your hand with a wide-brimmed hat dipped at the front to block out the glare from the sun - can you tell its winter where I live? I am looking forward to a bit of heat).
The sleeve opening will be simple, and my method of construction will allow you to try it on as you go for easy adjustment of armhole depth if you need to customise it, which can be a very useful feature!
Last week I mentioned I was going to switch to the darker skein of Skies Light towards the lower part of the top and below is a pic of how this turned out. I always find it more visually satisfying for the darker tones to be at the base of a garment – what do you think?
You can get a pretty good idea of the project with this pic actually – it’s going to have simple classic lines, with a relaxed fit of positive ease and I have graded it for 9 sizes from XS right through to 5XL!
Not long now…. Next week you can check out the finished photos while I am putting the refining touches into my pattern document (hopefully typing with two hands by then).
SKIES Light is available through Scheepjes retailers and these affiliate links below – it does not cost you any extra, and it helps to support me as a designer as I receive a small percentage of the sale.
Wool Warehouse (in the UK)
Caros Atelier (in the Netherlands)
Susan (Peppergoose)
