2006-12: Bamboo Picovoli

Pattern: Picovoli
Yarn: South West Trading Company Bamboo, Sahara, 211gms
Needles: Denise US 5 & 6

I started Picovoli in SWTC Bamboo Sahara last month. I had a few problems with it so it didn't make the WIP list... and now it's a finished object.

When I began knitting the top, I thought I'd be real slick and close the picot hem with a k2tog round instead of sewing it down. A quick email to Grumperina confirmed that she didn't see any problems with that approach as long as I made the appropriate adjustments. She wrote,

First, because the picot edgings around the armholes and hem are knit top-down anyway, and thus cannot be started with a provisional cast-on, I figured one set of instructions would be easiest. I thought it would be confusing to make the picots one way at the neck, and another way at the armholes and hem... Second, k2tog the provisional cast on and the live stitches a few rows down takes a bit of finesse, since by then the number of sts will have increased - some stitches must be skipped, those in the raglan increases.

So after swatching and all, I knit the picot edging and then did the k2tog round and continued with the sweater. As it grew, I noticed that the edging was flipping to the right side. Rats.

First of all, I didn't like how my easy-peasy kluge for the increases looked. Let's forget the fact that only I would notice it. Plus, a sanity check with the women at the Santa Clara Knitting Meetup pointed out that I may have knit one extra round on the facing which would also cause it (and me) to flip out. The suggestion was to block it and see if it would lie flat. Rats.

I convinced myself that it would never lie flat so I ripped it out and took a slightly different approach--knit the picot hem facing in smaller needles than the outside of the hem as described by Marnie, added corresponding increases and decreases in the hem, and then paid more attention to how many rounds to knit before the k2tog round.

After all of that the hem was still flipping out, but only slightly. I didn't want to face a possibility of having to rip it out again, so I started and finished a few more projects before getting up the courage to block the neckline.



It was a success.

From there it was full steam ahead in stockinette. After a trip to OR where I met up with Ilona, followed by a delightful weekend in Tahoe with Spinnity & her DH, my new summer top is finished. And it's still summer! Amazing.

Related posts:
KIP & stash enhancement