Me: I finished something pink.
Him: Nice!
Whenever I make something in pink, my husband says, "Why don't you just knit everything in pink?" It's nice that he likes me to wear pink because I like to wear it too!
The pattern is Goldie from Kim Hargreaves' Honey book. I've knit this pattern before using one strand of Kidsilk Haze Eclipse (the sparkly KSH) combined with one strand of Rowan Fine Lace. As soon as I finished it I knew I would have to knit another for summer. This yarn is Rowan Panama, which for me knits up at 25 sts. per 4 inches. The pattern calls for the gauge to be 23 sts. per 4 inches. By making my gauge smaller I was able to bring the sweater size in a little bit so it wouldn't be quite as blousey as the model. Even with that modification, I decreased the stitches in the width and made the dolman sleeves less wide. The V is very deep, which I like, but I'll often wear a cami underneath to be on the safe side.
Panama is sublime. It's my second time using it and I love it for summer--it practically floats on your skin and is a yarn I can wear even in the hottest weather--it always feels cool. It's a nubby, fingering weight combination of viscose, cotton and linen. Simple stockinette in Panama has a lot of texture and beautiful drape. Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but I put the sweater in the washer and dryer and it comes out perfect each time. I'm pretty certain the ball band does not recommend this, but it works for me. If I put any sweater in the washer I turn it inside-out and use a mesh sweater bag and use cool water. If I put a sweater in the dryer, first I would lay it flat until it's half dry, then put it in the dryer on low for 10-15 minutes, maybe less, then take it out while still a teensy bit damp and pat it flat to finish drying.
As much as I like to touch knit stockinette, (knitting without looking) I don't recommend it for this yarn, I found that I dropped stitches too often. But if you look at what you're doing--and I know that probably sounds funny to recommend actually looking at your knitting--you'll find it easy going on your hands and your needles. I liked using my sharp, wood, Knit Pick Caspians as they had just enough of a point to dig the stitch without snagging and the slick wood has just enough "grab" for the yarn. The right needle choice for Panama is a must, so I would experiment to find what works best for you.
I am absolutely loving wearing this style of sweater. Martin Storey has a similar pattern new for fall that I plan on making soon in the Alpaca Merino DK, the new yarn that I previewed last week. I think it will be a perfect yarn/pattern match.
Sorry about these poor, grainy photographs. It's just me and my computer some days and it's either that, or no picture at all. I have several more sweaters--and two of those are pink--and two cowls to share too. I'm so behind in blogging about FOs and I hope to correct that this month. So this summer there are more FOs, lots of reviews of the new yarns and some cool giveaways. Come back soon! xo
Read about Rowan Panama here.
The pattern Goldie is from Kim Hargreave's Honey.
My Ravelry project page for Pinkie
Knit Pick Caspians/Rainbows, my must-have go-to needle.
