Res Completa: Indigo Playmate

Thank you so much, everyone, for the lovely birthday wishes! When I logged into the ol' blog just now, the comment count was at 19, which is of course my magic birthday number (when I turned 19, it was on 9-19-1999...so I had a party at 1900 hrs...yep, I'm a total dork about these things). That's pretty cool. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate each and every one.

So about the knitting. Back in February, when my knitting ladies and I went down to Stitches West, I got a great deal on a ginormous ball of navy blue cotton from the Newton's Yarn Country booth. (The last photo of this post shows just how ginormous). Originally, I thought I'd make some sort of garter stitch cardigan, but the texture of the yarn wasn't quite right, so I had a human-head sized ball of cotton sitting around in my stash for about a half a year. Then, in early August, I was flipping through Custom Knits and decided I needed an Indigo Playmate immediately. My lounge-around-the-house wardrobe was severely lacking and I needed something nicer than a beat-up, 11-year-old sweatshirt to wear while watching the Giants on tv*, and I needed it that night. Having no idea how much yarn I actually had in that giant skein, I wound it up, threw caution to the wind, and cast on.



Pattern: Indigo Playmate, by Wendy Bernard (in Custom Knits)
Yarn: Newton's Yarn Country Bulky Softball, ~1 lb.
Needles: US7 circs and dpns
Start to Finish: August 9-27, 2009



Mods: The original sweater is very slouchy with a large collar, which I love, but didn't have enough yarn for. So I used the pattern as a guide and, being a top-down'er, I was able to work everything to my measurements with a little bit of ease and use just the amount of yarn that I wanted to. The collar is teeny, but enough. Also, I worked a buttonhole in the collar just under my bust and added a button to close.

I don't think I've talked about how much I love Custom Knits, so I'll say it now. I love that book. The designs are fresh and adorable, and there is a mountain of information for aspiring designers inside all laid out in a very clear way. To quote Chrispy's post back in February, "If you don’t have Custom Knits, Run. Don’t walk to your nearest bookstore." For me, this book was an impulse purchase, having gone into a bookstore after wine tasting (great idea) and being lured in by the pretty pictures and fun style of the designs. But now it has a special spot on my shelf, alongside Sweater Design in Plain English and the Barbara Walker pattern treasuries, so much do I consult it. Run, don't walk.

*Silly me, wearing a sweater in Dodger blue while watching the Giants is totally bad luck. After a couple of losses, I went back to the sweatshirt.