Today is my 33rd birthday.  I have a new shirt to wear.  It’s a finished Waterlily out of Louet Gems Fingering in Terra Cotta.  I’m very pleased to have another warm weather top finished!  waterlily finishedI added waist shaping to this, decreasing 4 stitches a row about every 6 rows, then increasing back at the same rate.  I like customizing this to my shape, so if I’m working from the bottom up I start decreasing around 6-6.5 inches and begin increasing again around 9-10 inches, depending on the length of the garment.  waterlily finished-2This one is about 15.5″ from the armpit to the bottom of the garment.  I added about 4 extra inches.  I am fairly long waisted, and I like my tops to dip down an inch or so below the top of my pants.  waterlily finished-3I loved knitting this top.  The yarn was soft and bouncy, the color makes me happy, and this project accompanied me through quite a few things.  I worked on it during some Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy training, while watching The Fault in Our Stars, and while listening to The Silkworm and Shadow of Night.  It holds many memories. waterlily finished-4I love the finished item too.  It’s dressy enough to wear to work or on a date, or casual enough for anytime wear.

waterlily finished-5The lace was fun and addictive.  I took a few days break when I got to the front neck division because I had little time for focus at that juncture, and that part definitely required some focus.  I couldn’t get the number of stitches to match the pattern on the row for dividing stitches.  I was 2 short, but I ended up just dividing it evenly and forgetting about it.  At the point for the kitchener and neck edging, I wish I had used a smaller needle.  The neck edging is a little loose at the back of the neck, but I doubt I’ll notice it later.  I love this top.

One of my birthday presents this year was a Fitbit Flex (the blue armband in the second picture).  It’s a pedometer/sleep monitor/general motivator that’s inspiring me to move around and meet my fitness and nutrition goals with real time feedback.  I love it so far.  I also have some Eaden Yarns self-striping sock yarn coming in the mail soon… I love birthdays!

Happy Bastille Day for those that celebrate it!

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