Where Blue meets Gray

We've finally got some FO shots for Claude and the Ribbed Tank Top... I know the shots could have been better but since I'm heading out to Beijing today.... I'd better post first before I'm gone again.

First up, here's my Ribbed Tank Top. I was totally inspired after seeing Krista's Fitted Tank here and went digging into my stash for the 400 yards of worsted cotton/silks...

Yarn: Classic Elite Attitude 4 hanks (404 yards total, with less than 2 yards left)

Needles: 4.0mm and 5.0mm

Pattern and notes: Ordering and then wait a week for the Blue Sky pattern to arrive from the US didn't make much sense... furthermore, I'm using a different yarn and working on a lesser yardage... So again, I wing it with my own pattern and am quite pleased with the results. Negative ease is the real key here. I did so in fear of running short of yarn and ended up with a pretty nice fit.

I really love this top, it goes so well with just about anything... it's as perfect under my usually black business suit as it it over a pair of jeans... it's slightly thick for the summer months but perfect to wear in aircon places... The color also turned out surprisely flattering and I have received a few compliments already ;o)

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And then we have my Claude, this is probably the first time I'm using the exact yarn and the exact color called for in a pattern. I have wanted to make this long ago and this is my third FO for Project Spectrum 2.0.

Pattern: Claude by Anna Bell at My Fashionable Life

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora SH 09, 9 balls x 98 yards

Needles: 5mm for the body and 4.5mm for the button/collar bands

Notes: Instead of knitting the button bands separately and seaming them up later, I did the them with my shorty dpns in a smaller size. They turned out fine but juggling with all those needles isn't much fun either.

Edited to add: I made the 34" size and lengthen the body by casting on an extra 2sts for the back and 1sts for each of the fronts, and make 1 extra decreases until I get the same number of sts as when the shaping should end in the pattern. That adds about 2" to the length, and I'm so glad it did.

By the way, this lot of DB Cotton Angoras are significantly different from the lot I used for the EZ baby sweater. Despite the same fiber content, the yarn are spun in Italy and Peru, and yardage is 98 yards/50g and 86 yards/50g respectively. The Italian lot is more muted and you can certainly see and feel more angora here, whereas the Peruvian one has more sheen to it but more splity, and it's mostly cottony.