Tag Archives: tunic

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Ruffaluffagus

ruffle tunic-6Oh hai. Did you want more pictures of a baby in a sweater? This is the little number I whipped up out of the Luna Grey Fiber Arts Astro. I looooove the subtle color changes and the tunic turned out almost exactly as planned.
ruffle tunic-11It’s got super girly ruffles and puffy sleeves. I never felt like making stuff this girly until I had a wee one to dress. Then it seemed even more fun.
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It’s more of a tunic than a dress length. I made the 12 month size, and that comes with about an inch and a half of positive ease, so this should transition well into fall and maybe winter.
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The pattern is almost ready! I just need to insert pictures and make a few more edits. I plan on releasing it within the next two weeks.
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I wasn’t sure what to call it. I keep calling it Ruffaluffagus in my head, so maybe that should just be it’s name. I was trying to think of something elegant, but it’s for a baby, so a fun name seems to suit it.

It will be available in 3m, 6m, 12m, 18m, 24m, and 4 yr sizes. ruffle tunic-15

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Another embryonic sweater

Inspired by a comment from Ledra on my last post, I’m inclined to think of this yarn as an “embryonic sweater” rather than just a hank of yarn.

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This is some Luna Grey Fiber Arts fingering weight yarn that I received last week for pattern support. This color is so lovely in person. It’s a smoky blue-grey bit of gorgeousness called Harbor. It’s her Astro sock yarn, which is 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. I think it will be perfect for a baby garment: durable enough for play and machine washing, but soft enough to please the wearer too.

I really want to try the Aquila yarn as well. It has merino, cashmere, and nylon. Mmmmm. I think Jackie and I have similar color tastes, because I want every single color. I also got a cute little hemp project bag. Even though I have at least 6 small project bags, it seems that they’re all missing when I try to leave the house, so I’m grateful to have another one.

Well, this embryonic sweater will become a baby dress/tunic. I could wax poetic about the virtues of baby dresses because they eventually become tunics, but I think I’ve done that already several times on this blog, and if you knit for little girl babies, you probably already know this. I plan on writing up the pattern, and right now the picture in my head is too adorable for words, so you’ll just have to be in suspense for a little bit. I hope it turns out the way I plan.

I have been meaning to get some photos of the three sweaters I finished last week (two for Z, one for Matt). I re-blocked Matt’s sweater to lengthen it a bit, because it somehow lost an inch or so after I seamed it and he wore it for a few hours. It’s a mystery. I think re-blocking has solved it (I hope) because the length was originally there… Z has had a nasty cold for a week, so I’m less inclined to try for a photo shoot since she’s sniffly. She’s still in good spirits, but she hates when we wipe her nose, so I’ll just wait a bit. The pictures are coming. The cuteness will not be stopped.

*updated to add color name above

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It’s the little things.

I’ve really enjoyed this super-quick little baby vest/tunic. Worsted weight baby stuff goes so quickly! This only took me about 2.5 days with a little ripping and revising at the very beginning.

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I went down 3 needles sizes and I think the fit will work just fine. The pattern is only written for a 3-5 yr old, but I think this could work easily from about 15 months-2 years with the size adjustment. I could have stretched it more with blocking, easily, but it is a nice 21″ chest circumference right now, and I imagine that will fit pretty well in the fall. The length will work as a tunic or vest.

This is my second of the matching family sweaters in Cascade 220 Pyrite Heather that I have planned.

I modified the pattern slightly. Aside from going down three needle sizes to a US 5, I also made the stripes like this version, flipped the button to the other side of the neck so I could leave the neatest edge of the stockinette up (in my case the edge that starts with knitting) and I’ve added some short row sleeves instead of the ribbed ones.

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The white portion of the sleeves will be turned inside the sleeve and sewn down, making little hemmed sleeves to complement the hem on the bottom of the tunic. I made the hem on the bottom in green on the inside, just for the heck of it.

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This might be my favorite baby sweater yet, in terms of the finished item. I can’t wait to see it on her! I’m loooooooving the speed of baby knits, and they’re a great way to use some stash yarn too. Now, it’s time for some end weaving and sweater seaming.

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Be still, knitting heart.

NaKniSweMo 2011 is finished. I completed the Still Light Tunic, which is essentially a dress out of sock weight yarn. I am pleased. This yarn is a gorgeous delight to knit. I used Ella Rae Lace Merino in Mustard.

There was a moment of panic and stalling when I got to the second sleeve and realized I was running low on yarn. Several people on Ravelry have mentioned that the skeins were less than 100 grams when they weighed them. I did not think to weigh the skeins and plunged in confidently because I had at least 200 yards to spare when I started. When I was about three inches from the end of the second sleeve I realized I would run out. I cast on some socks to comfort myself in the meantime.

What would become of the precious pockets, last to be knit? I found some in mustard available at Loops in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is not that far from me. I frantically called them and asked them to check the dye lot. I was not that lucky, but Pat and Gina were very kind and sent me a skein that arrived the next day. Since I was already knitting from two skeins throughout the project to avoid pooling, there was not a drastic difference in the sleeves, but when I look at the pockets (knit from just that new ball), I can tell that dye lot is much more green.

One problem I had with the project was a small ridge that formed as I switched yarn from ball to ball. This is in the back and can be seen in the picture above. This did not go away in blocking as I had hoped, but maybe it will in subsequent washes. The Ella Rae also grew a bit more than I expected when I wet blocked it. I smooshed (technical term) it into the measurements as much as I could, but I might try to dry it just a wee bit next time I wash it. The yarn label says it may be washed on gentle, so I may risk a tiny bit of drying too.

Other than a couple of small flaws, I love this piece. I loved the challenge of the deadline of NaKniSweMo to encourage me to finish something in a timely manner. I think as I get more experienced with knitting I’m better able to tell what kind of projects I will love to wear. Though this is over a mile of stockinette to knit, I really enjoyed the soothing motion, the gorgeous yellow green sliding through my fingers, and the finished product.

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NaKniSweMo 2011!

Future Still Light Tunic

This year I am joining the ranks of the ambitious knitters that dare to knit a 50,000+ sweater in the month of November. I have chosen the Still Light Tunic by Veera Välimäki. I have been captivated by the Ella Rae Lace Merino shown above (color number 9) for over a year. I was toying with the idea of buying it last fall, but I didn’t have a project worthy of it yet. After continuing to drool over it for months, I decided to just buy it with the idea that I would knit a lightweight cardigan. Then I saw Still Light, and I knew they had to be paired.

Though this yarn is technically categorized as a lace, scores of knitters on Ravelry say it’s more like a fingering (which the pattern calls for), so I decided to just swatch and go with it. I have more than enough yardage. I decided to cast on provisionally so that I can have a sturdy seam at the top as advised by this post. I think the stockinette will be conducive to studying as the end of the semester looms near. Now, can I actually knit a tunic out of fingering weight in a month and not lose my mind?

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Long live Liesl.

This Liesl will probably live a long time because she’s made out of Euroflax Sportweight. This stuff lasts forever, and you can wash and even dry to your heart’s content. Liesl patterns have been selling like wildfire at Hand Held (my LYS). I made this one out of the Willow color of Euroflax, and it took about 2.5 balls for the 34 inch size. I took Karen’s suggestion and made the straps and back about 2 inches shorter than the pattern called for, and that was for the best since this baby likes to stretch out after a couple of wearings. She snaps right back after a trip through the washer and dryer, but I usually try to get a few wears out of layered things like this. These pictures are taken right after the piece had been washed and dried so the tunic is at its shortest here. It stretches about 1.5 inches at the bottom if you wear it a couple of times before washing. I think the pockets weigh things down.

These were also taken in the early morning and I look like I should still be asleep. This was a really fun and mindless knit. I had to go down to a 5 to get the gauge called for in the pattern, rather than the suggested 8. I am a pretty loose knitter, but that is a big difference. If you make it, swatch first if you care deeply about the fit. The decreases are fun and make a nice mitered edge, like the decreases that make Jaywalker socks so cool. I also went down 3 needle sizes rather than 2 on the pocket, and I whipstitched the outer edge of the pocket. I think that helped it have a lower profile.

The project went fairly quickly for a larger knitted object, but the linen was harder to knit with for me than super bouncy wool. I’m really glad I got this done while it’s still in the 80′s and 90′s temperature-wise in Arkansas. I’ll be able to wear it for a couple more months. Look how happy I was to finish!

Photos by Matthew Petty