Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Tank

Remember this one? I got to the armholes before July 4th and decided that it wouldn't be going on vacation with me so I put it away for a while. Well I got it back out and knit the back up to the neckline now. Next I need to work on the front.

I love the shaping that this top has. I have tried it on and it is very flattering. I would have taken a picture of me modeling it but it is not quite ready for that...or maybe I am not quite ready for that?!

I got a couple inches of the front knit after I took these pictures so hopefully it will be done soon. This should be a great top for summer wear. I can also see wearing it under something else or even as a vest. You can click on the pictures for a closer look at the cables. I think they look great!

What can I say?

I frogged it! I decided that I really didn't like the back side of the stockinette on this Silky Wool. The pattern has you use reverse-stockinette as the background for the cables. The yarn is rustic enough on the right side of the stockinette that I really was not liking the wrong side.

I also had really made it difficult for myself because I was knitting it in the round from the inside so I could knit all the stitches. Except that meant that I had to do all of the cable work from the back side of the top, reading the charts backwards and making all the knits into purls and the purls, knits. YIKES! It was just too much!

So off to the frog pond it went. I started over again using the front of the stockinette and adding 2 purl stitches beside the cable so it will stand out. I really like it now! I think I may leave out the design that is in the center of the top though. It is just not in a good place for my figure!


I am still knitting caps! I found some fun kid-colored yarns on sale. I don't think I will run out of yarns any time soon. I am up to cap number 10 now. The plain green one came out a little bit small for Knit-a-cap. It will probably go to the international families instead. I have more of this yarn(Red Heart Kids), so the next one is one strand of it and one strand of baby yarn on size 11 needles. I wonder what size it will come out? It really doesn't matter because there is always a child's head that it will fit!


I also did some blanket blocks and a pink ribbon dishcloth for a friend of a friend who is dealing with cancer. Some of the blocks are crochet and some are knit. I pray that these things will give her some comfort and that she will heal and live a long, full life.

Here are some new things I can do...

Of course, finished projects always seem to inspire me to start new projects.

This first one is a breast cancer pink ribbon dishcloth. This is going to a friend of a friend who is undergoing treatment now. It is made from Sugar & Cream cotton yarn on size 7 needles. These aluminum needles are too slippery for this yarn though! I found the pattern online here.

I also finished a prayer shawl which I didn't think to take a photo of. I started a new shawl in a triangular pattern that is started with 3 stitches at the top and worked in increasingly longer rows until it is the right size or you are thoroughly sick of it! I am using up several different colors of worsted weight acrylic. They all seemed to blend together and they were calling out to be used in something.

And finally, I started a tank top. I wanted to make a sample of something from Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool for my LYS. Besides teaching classes there I often make samples for the owner. I chose the Ylva tank that is on the cover of Designer's Choice book nine, The Second Viking Knits Collection.

This top has a double cable up the center front and back which splits for the V-neck in the front. There is also a beautiful knot design in the center front. The pattern has you knit each piece flat and seam them together. The cable band for the back of the neck is knit as a continuation of the fronts and then sewn to the back neckline. I am knitting the body in the round....I hate seaming! I am hoping that I can knit the cable band on to the back as I go, much like a border on a shawl. I am using size 6 needles so this is going to take a lot of knitting but I am doing pretty well considering I just started it on Wednesday. The yarn is color number 42, a beautiful burnt orange.

I am enjoying working with this wool/silk blend yarn. It feels really nice. The pattern is a little bit more challenging than some of the basic tanks I have done before but I think I have that under control right now.....we will see though when I get to that knot design!