Now, on to the next knit along! We will start taking official nominations for the next knit along today and will continue to take nominations for two weeks. We'll then start the next knit along at the beginning of April.
Speaking of nominations, I would like to officially nominate the Tea Rose Halter Top from the Spring '07 issue of Interweave Knits. I think this pattern would look great over a cami as shown as well as short sleeve t-shirt with a pair of jeans which would make it more bra-friendly.
Edited to add: Okay, I've been doing a little research on the "called for" yarn (Twinkle Cruise made by Classic Elite) and not only is it a bit pricey but it's next to impossible to find! Then to make matters worse, I couldn't find a gauge for the "called for" yarn (neither on the Classic Elite site nor Wenlan Chia's site) to be able to shop for a decent substitute, so here's what I did. I found other yarns that had a similar 'yards-per-ounce' ratio and deduced that Twinkle Cruise is more than likely a sport weight yarn with an approximate gauge of 5.5 - 6 stitches per inch on size 3 - 5 needles. This makes sense since this pattern requires 4 strands held together to acheive the "chunky" look and also explains why so many skeins are required. That being said, I'm wondering if KnitPicks Shine would be a more affordable alternate at only $2.50 per skein.
Does anybody out there know what the exact gauge of Twinkle Cruise is so that we might consider yarn subs?
12 comments:
Oooooohhhh, Super cute! Wonder how it would look if I modified it to be all lacey (no center ribb-ish thing) & with two straps rather than a neck tie ... I would SO wear it over a little tee or tank with my cut-off in the summer!
The list of yarns that they have in the back of the magazine lists Twinkle Cruise at 17 wpi, which means it's fingering weight. Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, for example, is listed at 18 wpi, so Twinkle Cruise is very close in weight to that. Any thin sock yarn would probably work.
So freakin cute! Lov'in the color too. Very "crochet" like ;)
I got gauge with 4 strands of KnitPicks Shine! When you do your test swatch, remember to PURL those knit rows since the pattern is written for knitting in the round!
Thanks a bunch Sherri! That pretty much confirms my yards-per ounce ratio theory then. I'm pretty sure that fingering weight isn't going to acheive the chunky look even with 4 strands held together. 4 strands of fingering weight would more likely yield a worsted weight yarn as opposed to a chunky weight (picturing this in my mind). So here's my next sub suggestion. IF my yards-per-ounce ratio theory is correct, then I was also thinking that Lily Sugar 'n Cream would work holding 3 strands together as opposed to 4 strands. If you do the math (which I won't do here) the yards-to ounce ratio of 4 strands of Twinkle is ALMOST the same as 3 strands of the Sugar 'n Cream. I say "almost" because it is just slightly over which might put your gauge over slightly as well, therefore swatching is a must. I'm also not exactly sure how 100% cotton will work for this pattern as opposed to the silk/cotton blend as far as shape retention, etc. Does anybody else know how similar 100% cotton and silk/cotton blends are when knit up in a garment? I know that silk doesn't have much "give" or "bounce" to it and neither does cotton, therefore I'm thinking it would work... Input anybody?
My friend & neighbour who is a master knittress & knitting teacher, says that it would work since neither has 'stretch', and that in this pattern it's the lace pattern that is giving you the stretch, not the yarn itself.
Hello,
I would like to join your KAL. Please can you send me an invite to nicolececiliataylor@gmail.com .Is there any other information that you need?
Nicole
I'm cleaning up my accounts and was wondering if I could be removed from this kal?
thanks
I'm not a member of this group, but I love this pattern (it's the reason I bought the current Interweave). As to whether the Twinkle Cruise is fingering or not - Chia used the same yarn in her Seaberry Shell pattern in the Summer 2006 Interweave, and in the back it is listed as being 12wpi, not 17. I don't know which is correct, but thought that worth mentioning.
My only tip is (if you haven't used knitpicks shine before..i dunno) that this yarn is less than quality in my opinion. I just used it on my Picovoli T by Grumperina and the color is so inconsistent. Also, the yarn has globs of puffy cotton wads in different places due to less than quality spinning (?). I don't know. I had to cut strands to get the wads of cotton out. It wasn't fun. I just thought I'd mention it since you've gone to so much trouble to figure out the gauge.
love this pattern!! my nomination.
I love this pattern! I was thinking of doing it anyway, already have the yarn all picked out. :D Now I just need to choose the color....
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