You might well wonder who this class act is who dropped by my apartment yesterday (given that there aren't too many class acts who make it to one's place when one is living on the wrong side of the ravine...
Is it one of those English princesses who go around with the crazy wide hats, dressed down for the Canadian winter? Or Grace Kelly or Greta Garbo, paying a visit from the afterlife?
Nope.
Just little ol' me, wearing my newest design - a fancy new cotton/silk blend top!
(This is a photo of JJs breakfast, which he flung off the balcony in disgust after I kept whining at him, "Do I look fat in this top?!?!?! I know you say I don't, but DO I?!?":The top was constructed with a Moebius tube for the top/bust part, courtesy of the fabulous Cat Bordhi's Moebius knitting technique. It was a bit of an experiment and halfway through I was ripping out the little hair that I have left - but all's well that ends well, I think.And no, he didn't manage to toss it all that far. A squirrel came along, took it and stashed it there. Now at least I know where to look if any yarn has gone missing mysteriously... ! And 12 hours later, the food still sits there...)
Here is a close-up of the Moebius fold and how it works with this top, which I call the Valley of the Beads because of the crevices created by the magical Moebius:
Having said that, taking a look at Aphrodite's bustline, I'm inclined to rename it "Valley of the Silicone". I mean, check it out - she's gone from an A cup to a D cup overnight, apparently!
Her breasts are now bigger than mine!!! It's quite the site to behold, actually - even some of the local wildlife apparently came by to have a look:
(Damned pigeons... they probably just wanted to steal the beads! And do I spy with my little eye the footprint of Glasgow's answer to the Loch Ness Monster?So how did a dressmaker's doll manage to get a boob job? Well, I must confess that it's all my fault. She came to me the other day whining that she was sick of wearing a training bra. I tried to give her the little "make the best of what you've got" speech but she wouldn't listen and just started snivelling about how the other kids were better endowed than her.Eek!!!! ... but I digress...)
Well, she had a good point there. So I signed the consent form that she shoved right at me, and I guess the dirty deed was done on Saturday when I was running around like a jackass crafting. I think I'm just jealous because hers are firmer than mine now. Ah, foolish youth!Anyway, isn't the top sparkly and lovely? I'll give you some specs below, and there's also the "Making of... the Moebius-bosomed top" Tutorial.
(Please note that it is not a "pattern" as such as in order to learn how to do the mosaic cast-on you will need one of Cat Bordhi's magical knitting books - highly recommended, by the way!)
Specs:
- yarn: Svale of Danegarn (DK weight cotton/viscose/silk blend)
- needle size: 4.00mm (47" addi turbo and 24" Clover bamboo)
- beads: 6/0 size gunmetal and olive coloured beads by Earthfaire.
- start date: 31 January 2008
- finish date: 2 February 2008
- size: 32" circumference for 34" bust (mine, not Aphrodite's)
- I'm so happy that the Moebius concept worked out for this top! I foresee many more... I wasn't quite sure it would work out.
- I knitted the Moebius first and bound it off, then picked up stitches around one side of it and knitted the bottom down in the round (see my tutorial for more info).
- I was originally planning a stockinette bottom part. However, I still had quite a few beads left so decided to adapt Sivia Harding's lovely River Rock pattern, using a larger rib and somewhat different rocks. Thanks, Sivia!
- I didn't quite know what to do about straps and mulled over several ideas (which I ramble about in the tutorial).> I finally just decided on a 12 stitch 4x4 rib with one rock in each strap:
Anyway, I'm quite happy with how it turned out. If anyone is interested in the concept and wants guidance beyond my various rambles, please feel free to Email me directly.(NB. there is a tutorial of sorts, really more of a ramble, on how to design something similar for yourself - click here if interested.)
Cheers,
Kristina
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