a more comprehensive analyis

first, i got tagged!


thanks georgie :) however, i do not think my work is complete as i do believe you are yet to knit a sock, n'est pas?

which leads me to my next point, my tagees, and what better place to start than the queen of socks herself, ms spider. because of this gorgeous girl, i am a mad knitter of socks, wearer of knitted socks, and evangelist for the continued knitting of socks. in fact, i think if everyone just knitted socks we'd have world peace.

homage must be paid to the person responsible for the fact that the wrap got started, let alone finished, taphophile.

and then i want to tag caffeine fairie because shes a fellow phd sufferer and reads blake for fun and hes my favourite poet.

and i dont know if she already got tagged but i love olma's blog not least because she makes cute pots and has post titles that are works of art in themselves.

and last but not least, my favourite aussie-overseas, the fabulous fernicle. she just rocks.

i would have tagged georgie if she didnt get tagged first, as well as bells and jejune but they already got done too :)

so, i have taken some more photos of the wrap and thought i would let you know what i did or didnt like about doing it.

here is the back of it:


specs - pattern: lift and separate (big girl knits) yarn: bendigo rustic agate 8ply. needles: 3.75 for the most part.

pattern: easily the hardest thing ive tried because the pattern assumes a fair amount of knitting knowledge and there are many pieces with multiple things happening 'at the same time' (beware of patterns that have 'at the same time' in them somewhere). so the pattern corrupting fairy had some fun with this one.

design: really, its terrific. the sizing and fit are spot on, although the sleeves are a tad long. also, it could have been me, but i would have the sloping part along the front edges be a bit longer:


so that the tie comes up to the waist more, at the moment it sits on my hips really. i guess this is the problem with big girl patterns. they forget you can be SHORT!! (like 5ft2 short).

also the pattern said the ties should be 14 inches long from the join but i dont see how thats supposed to get AROUND to tie together. the pictures make it look like it ties on one hip, so thats one short piece and one long? i made them both much longer than that so i could tie it at the back, i think it fits better and gives a bit of distraction away from the largeness of the rear end!

finishing: problematic. firstly, i plan to never knit 1x1 rib again. because i wanted the ties longer that part took about 3 weeks, and you have to knit them, then sew them on. too much sewing by half!!! this was also the case with the neck:


this had to be knitted in two separate bits, sewn together and then sewn to the wrap, so it doesnt sit down properly.

and the sleeves! aaagh! i had to sew the sleeve seams then sew the whole sleeve into the closed armhole. i couldnt use mattress stitch for this, it was too awkward, and of course my armholes were a bit too big, so some puckering ensued:


i have contemplated taking this sleeve off and sewing it again but i might wait and see how it washes up after a few wears.

wearability: majorly comfortable. its a bit unusual for me, as its a close fit and i am wary of that, but the design is so good it does what its supposed to do, ie, hide bits. i have been complimented on both the fit and slimming factor. its fashionable without being trendy, and i think would work in a variety of yarns and colours. only thing is with the bendigo being a bit scratchy you really have to wear something under it, so its a winter-only garment. i think i might knit a lighter weight black one for next year.

in other news, i have one and a bit chapters to go on the book and will be finished this arvo.

if i ever stop blogging.

later
k xx