Thanks everyone for your birthday wishes! I had part sun, part rain, so it was pretty good. :-) More about my pressies later.
Well I gritted my teeth and seamed and crocheted the edging on this bolero the night after I've finished knitting it - that's definitely a new personal best!
It's taken a little longer to get around to sewing on the clasp though - if only my sewing box wasn't buried underneath a pile of sewing repairs that I need to do... ;-)
Here's the finished item, modelled by my eldest DD who is the proud new owner.
I used 100g (yes just 2 balls!) of Sirdar Luxury Cotton 4ply on 4mm needles with my favourite lacewing stitch.
This bolero is lightweight and delicate, but still a comforting layer over bare arms in a cooler summer breeze. A big hit!
I'm now formatting the pattern instructions and creating a couple more sizes for the design. I'll be asking for a couple of test knitters (probably via the Test Pool forum on Ravelry) for each size and then the pattern will be available for sale in Ravelry, my Etsy shop, and anywhere else I can think of!
Well the His and Hers washcloths raised a few laughs - the recipient had no idea what they were, and took a few prompts to figure out what they said, but got there in the end. The evening wedding reception was brilliant - lots of drinking and silly dancing - a good night out.
Remember I said that the Lacewing Bolero-ette should be a quick knit? Well here it is in it's current raw state (click on it for a better view):
I finished the knitting at tea-time, so now it's on to my favourite part - the seaming. Wooppee. Anyone going to guess how long that will take?
Remember the Lacewing Bolero from 2006? I have worn that garment so much. So when my eldest DD decided she wanted something similar for herself, I couldn't refuse.
This is the back of the bolero, in the same lacewing stitch pattern that I love so much.
I'm using some Sirdar Luxury Cotton 4ply that I bought from ebay in the great neutral "Vanilla" shade. This is a yarn with outrageous yardage!
My DD specified the waist length, sleeve length, front shaping, etc, and I've designed the pattern using my Knitware software as before.
The back is done, and I'm up to the shaping at the top of the first set-in sleeve. It should be a fairly quick knit (famous last words!)...
