FO pic!

I finished my tunic a LONG time ago, and posted about it, but I thought I'd include a pic since I finally got one of my sister wearing it (albeit a crappy cell phone pic, but you can see the tunic fairly well).
So here it is, my first garment, knit for my sister:

Help! Finishing!

Please bear with me, this is my first garment ever, so of course even with the easiest stitch in the world, I'm still confused....I'm working on the back, and have finished shaping the armholes. I did my Purling on the Right Side (turning row) and the instructions say to continue in stockinette stitch.

Do I go right back into pattern -- since I'm on the wrong side now, do I start Purling again? I'm confused as to how the front should look, whether the stockinette should continue on the right side still, or on the wrong side? I know ultimately this will be the ribbon casing, and may not matter, but I would like to do it correctly. Thanks for any guidance you have!

Plugging Away

First I want to say that those of you who have posted your finished tunics, they look stunning! It's wonderful to see so many beautiful varieties, and they look gorgeous on you all.

I have a bit of catching up to do now that I'm back from Italy - I've gotten past the ribbing (finally) and am onto the stockinette marathon.


(click to enlarge)

I think I'm finally hitting my stride, though, and I'd like to get this finished soon so I can wear it while there's still summer warmth. Who else is still working on theirs?

- Vicki

Still Knitting Away

I started the Summertime Tunic in mid-June, and by the end of June had to take a break. This is my first garment, and I had a bit of difficulty on the ribbing, but my technique and recognition of stitches has gotten better. I'm finally into the long stretch of knit, knit, knit. I am determined to finish this by the end of this month even with it's imperfections. I actually don't hate the LionBrand Microspun yarn, either, I thought it may be troublesome, but it's not!

Is anyone else out there not yet finished?

The FO has arrived!!!!

"Singing to the Rooftops" My Summertime Tunic is finaly finished! More pics on my blog.

Finished and Posted!

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't kept you more up-to-date on my progress. I did finish this about two or three weeks ago but couldn't find the time to get a picture and post it. That's what you get for taking a summer college course in five weeks. But here it is:

Me posing in my drive way while my mother takes the picture.

Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus in3590 Lavender
Needles: Additurbo U.S. sizes 6 and 3

I had several issues with this including four inches in (about to start the ribbing) that I had twisted the entire piece. I almost died! But you move on. Otherwise it was alright. I do not know if I'd knit this again or not because, though it was easy, it was time consuming and the stockinette really got to me after a while. If I were to knit it again, I'd knit it in pure cotton (instead of a cotton/acrylic blend which surprised me when I read the label) and potentially knit it a bit smaller. I knit it for a 36" bust casting on 206 stitches. And though I enjoy this piece and wear it often (even though I just got the white ribbon today) I wish it were a bit tighter.

Hope you enjoy! Good luck to the rest of you!

Green T Knits

Finally Finished!

I'm done - I finished last Wednesday but the weather's been so lousy I had to wait until yesterday to try and get a decent photo with some sunlight. It fits pretty well but the ribbing is too loose. I guess I should have gone done one more needle size. I still can't decide whether or not to put the beads on the ends of the ribbon or not. It's a rayon velvet so it's not very slippery. I enjoyed making this but I'm so glad to be done! LOL I will try to get a photo of me wearing it this weekend.

IK Summer Tunic

Elann Callista - 50% Viscose/25%Cotton/25% Linen in Tarragon

US 5 for body and US 3 for ribbing

Started 6/1/07

Finished 7/18/07

Ease

Hi all! Well, I have finally weeded my way through some other projects and I am planning to start this weekend. I had a question though as far as ease that everyone is allowing. I'm a 35" and was planning on knitting the 33.5. Does that seem right? I'm wondering if I need adjust a bit for a bit less negative ease? Thanks!!!

Completed Tunic

Well I finished my Summertime Tunic last week but just now got to take pictures of me wearing it. It ended up very big and I tried 3 times to shrink it but not much of a difference, I really like it Im just bummed its so big around the bottom, I may give it to my mom, but I cant decide cuz its so cute, Im not set on a ribbon yet either, I just chose this one so I could try it on, its a little rough, Id like something more smooth on my skin

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay in Teal
Needles: circular 4 and 6
Mods: I casted on a number between the 33 and 36 inch size, I cant remember how much, I have it written down somewhere Im not sure of right now, Other than that I followed the rest of the instructions, except knitting the back on straights, so I didn't have to move stitches around

Here are some pix..enjoy!

Summertime Tunic Progress

Here is what I've done on the summertime tunic so far. I'm currently working on the 11" after the ribbing. Wish me success!

Knitters-Delight

Sisyphus joins

I wasn't going to knit the Summertime Tunic, but then my sister called me from Baltimore & said "let's knit it together" and of course I couldn't say no. I've chosen ella rae silkience, it was a new yarn at my lys & it felt so good & came in great colors, so I swatched & only had to go down one needle size to get gauge. I'm about 7 inches into the tunic, and at the endless rows of stockinette, great for tv watching or knitting group knitting! I'll post again when I'm done, or if you want to see what else I'm knitting, stop by my blog: Sisyphus Knits.

Better Late Than Never

Well, I don't know if it's KAL appropriate or not but I just signed up for this KAL even though my top is done. Thank you Adrienne for letting me sign up after the fact!

I do love this pattern and am pleased with the way my Summertime Tunic turned out!I'm one happy knitter!Yarn: Reynolds, Gypsy. 100% cotton. 7 skeins.
Notes: The yarn was a bit 'stiff' to work with but once I finished and washed the piece it softened up. Kind of has a nice, denim-like finish.

Finished!

I finished up the tunic last night.
Deets:
Supplies: Debbie Bliss Cathay yarn (cotton/silk/microfiber blend) in colorway 09. Denise interchangeables in sizes 6 and 5. Ribbon and beads.
What I learned: This was my first project in the round. This was my first garment of any kind. I learned how to whipstitch the casings closed and that it's a good idea to buy beads that the ribbon will actually fit through.
I don't have any action pictures, because I'm sending this one off to my sister, but here it is blocking/still slightly wet (the pictures look a little wonky but if you click them they are clear):


I will post action pics as soon as Sarah takes some!

New to KAL

Hi,
Thank you for the invite to this KAL, I can't wait to get started. I ordered the yarn yesterday, it's Elann Sonata in the pecan colorway. I'll start as soon as i get it, hopefully by then my current project will finished: a round trip to Chicago-Minneapolis on the bus should do the trick (I'm meeting my boyfriend's parents for the first time, wish me luck).
Bye for now but i hope to post again very soon.

Marie

I am starting to see an end...

LOL I finally started on the back yesterday after putting MUCH time into the stockinette this weekend. I am really going to focus on this as I'm feeling closer to being finished but I HAVE to go get some ribbon very soon as that's the last piece of the puzzle. Congrats to those who have recently finished - everyone looks really nice in their tunic which means this is a nice flattering piece for every body so far!

Sinfully comfy

Maybe I need to make another one

first I thought it was just to big, but after washing and blocking the fit is just comfy and right.. love it.

All Done!

I used the "invisible" straps bra, which I'm still getting used to.

Size needles used: 3 US
Yarn: The Village Spinning & Weaving Shop, 712 Spun Silk
I knit the largest size.

The End Is Near...

Yay I just got to the front and back split, in what seemed like Fo-Eva, I was about 4 inches shy of it after yesterday so I went and sat out on my patio and tried to get a tan on my legs while knitting away, and I made it... I just left the front stitches on the circulars and started knitting the back with some 6 straights, so I dont have to take off and put stitches back on the needles like it says to

Im not sure if it will be too big, I cast on a number between the 33" and 37" since my size is between the two but it looks really big, I measured and its about 17" flat so 34" around which sounds fine but I guess we'll see in a few days,

I still have no idea what color ribbon to use, Ive seen a lot of chocolate brown which is great, I plan to take to the store and hold some different colors up to it to see what I like best, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :0)

Should I pull out the calculator?

Hi everyone! I've enjoyed reading your posts, seeing all the great fiber choices, and trying to figure out sizing issues so I can start my own. Using Classic Elite Premiere (the "dried cherry" color; it's less pink than the picture, more of a raspberry) and size 6 needles, I'm getting 20-21 stitches and 30 rows to 4 inches. My problem is, the 33.5" size is too small, and the 37.5" size is too big. With the gauge I'm getting, using the 33.5" directions would give me the right measurements... but that's not taking into account the stretch factor. So the question is:

Have you planned for any ease (negative or positive) when choosing a size? How much stretch did you plan for your tank? The Premiere is 50/50 cotton and tencel, and does seem to stretch just like a 100% cotton yarn would. I could either knit the smaller size and hope the larger gauge + stretch factor will take care of the size problem, or go down a needle size and knit the larger size. What do you think?

- Jenny

Armhole question.

I should preface this by saying this is my first garment.
I started working on the back yesterday and am very confused about the armholes of this garment. I fold over and whipstitch the entire back and the entire front (in two sections), right? So what is left for the armholes and how do I thread the ribbon through in order to make the straps?
Maybe I'm just being super-dense and it will make sense once I get that far, I'm just confused -- if everything is folded over and whipstitched and no stitches are bound off than what is left?
*headdesk*

Started!!

Hi! I just bought my yarn at Michaels today. I am using Lion Brand Microspun in French Vanilla. I also bought my sixes. I am having to order the fours off of Knit Picks. I was wondering what it would do if I just used the sixes all the way through. Any thoughts? I am about to start the first row of the tunic and then I will be off. It won't take me long to knit the four and a half inches so that's why I wonder.

Thanks!
Sarah

At LAsT

I'm done...

Sorry, my photographer wasn't available, but you can see detail shots here.

Stay motivated everyone, I can't wait to see more FO's.

a quick introduction

Hello everyone! While I was posting in my own blog, I found the Summertime Tunic KAL and I became very excited! You will be my very first KAL! As you can see by my many exclamation marks, I am very excited.

Really, I should stop talking and just show you some pictures:

There is about six inches finished.

A close up of the ribbing.

I haven't been working on it for days because the mindlessness of it really got to me so I decided to knit a pair of Fetching gloves and I'm working on a pair of socks right now. I've been taking summer classes and I knit during my four hour class (I get about an inch or two finished by the end of the four hours) and that tends to be the only time I'm working on the Summertime Tunic.

I hope you all enjoy! I'll try to work on it some more so I'm not the last one to finish. But I do have a question for all of you reading this. This is a lavender colored cotton yarn, what do you think would be a good color or type of ribbon, thread, etc. to wear with this? Also, I have never washed hand knit cotton items, what is the best way to wash these types of items?

Thank you for any help you will give!

Done!

I'm done! I finished it a couple days ago but my daughter wasn't home. Here she is modeling it.

The front view

The back view

I should have knit another inch for under the arms but other than that, it's ok. :)

Robyn

Yarn has Arrived

My yarn has already arrived from Elann.com! I'm so excited. Now I'm just waiting for my new Knit Picks changeable circular set to arrive. If it's not at my house when I go home, I'll just cast on with some 6s I currently have and then "upgrade" once they arrive.

Knitters-Delight

More progress shots

This is the where I am at on my tunic.

I finished the back last night and now I am on working the 2 sides of the front piece, I hope to be done by tomorrow.

and this is the beads and ribbon I plan to use for it

Almost to the finish line!

Casting on & saying hello

Hi there - a newbie to the KAL - as soon as I saw this I knew I had to knit it up. Dashed out to buy Rowan Luxery Cotton DK immediately - this is a perfect project for knitting meetups!

The yarn is totally sumptious [click the pic on top for an extreme close-up] however a wee bit splitty. Not splitty exactly ... it's just that there are very distinct strands and with the fibres used they won't stitck to each other, so it's quite easy to accidently make extra stitches when not paying attention [like at a knitting meetup!]

Anyways- the colour at the bottom is more true, and I have to finish Icarus before I get to the ribbing, as it has the size needles I need for that bit and I'm trying to be strong and not buy too much.

Inching along

Well, I've reached three inches above the ribbing and I must say the going feels quite slow. And I'm also concerned about having to post a completed photo after seeing all the skinny arms and great shapes in finished tanks. I sure hope I'm not the only pleasingly plump knitter working on this! LOL I may have to start lifting weights in between stockinette rounds.....

I'm Finished!

I'm finished, done, finito...woo hoo! Crazy, party of one? That's me right here. LOL

;) Bren


Some notes:

~ I, like Rosann, didn't work the front split pieces at the same time with 2 balls of yarn...I did one side to completion and then did the other.

~ I used size 6 and 4 needles to get the gauge correct. I did switch to flexible needles after the stitches were separated into front and back since my cord was bugging me.

~ For now I'm using white ribbon (remember the bra post??) and I noticed that the bra is not the center of attention. I'm thinking I can change out the ribbon if I want a different look.

~ The yarn is Elann's Sonata. This is basically just a mercerized cotton. I think it worked great. If you want more sheen though, use Tahki Cotton Classic as this one is a little matte. Also, I had an extra skein left over.

~ I made it a few inches longer after I knit the ribbing, just as a personal preference.

Once I choose some beads I'll post another pic. Good Luck to everyone else!

Intros

Hello everyone,

I've just joined this KAL and am very excited. I have just purchased yarn from Elann.com for this project. I think it'll be a nice and easy knit. This will be my first time adding ribbon to any of my knit projects, so even though it's an easy project, it'll be a good learning experience. The color is called dappled sunlight which has green and gold tones to it. I think the either a chocolate ribbon or deep sage color will work well. I'll have to start looking for some soon as elann has been great with speedy deliveries so far.

Feel free to check me out at my blog.

Progress pic.

I made it past the ribbing today and am back to miles and miles of stockinette. Here's a recent picture:

YAY!
I'm on the lookout for a chocolate brown ribbon.

Time to Untangle

Just wanted to give you all an update before I begin the daunting task of untangling the rest of the yarn being used for this project. The yarn was originally intended for another tank that came with sort of difficult instructions. After encountering numerous issues while trying to wind the yarn into a ball, I decided to put that project on hold. This is the how much progress I've made so far. The second image is how the yarn looks out in the sun.


Since this project is so simple, I took the opportunity to unburden my stash. But wait, this is still the same yarn. Let's review the issues I'm having now.

I swear I went down a needle size for the ribbing. It's not syncing at the waist the way that it should. This shouldn't be a major problem on a pear-shaped person as my self, so I'll continue on. I think this occurred because the yarn has absolutely no elasticity, but I'm not sure. I also don't like the fact that the ribbing kinda disappears in the variegated pattern. I like that little detail.

The yarn is full of what I call BS joins. In some places it seems like some sore of gelatinous compounds were used. It's not very effective.

Some holes have resulted when the BS yarn joins failed.

There are also several snaggy strands. I've been able to hide most of them except this one.

So, I'll be close by happily watching the progress of you all, but because the sheer volume of untangling necessary, I expect to be the last one to post a finished product. Ciao for now!

Hi!

Hi ya'll I am Sarah from down in Bama. I have just bought my Interweave Knits magazine and I am planning on ordering the needles today or tomorrow. I was wondering how many skeins it will take of Lion Brand Microspun to knit this tunic. I have to plan out how much baby-sitting money I will be spending! lol. If someone could help me with that I would be very glad!

Everyone's tunics are so pretty and I can't wait to start mine!

Sarah

Eh-Hem!!

There's not anyone in this KAL talking about how they're going to deal with their boobs in this tank. All the tanks I buy have shelf bras, and I'd rather not wear this one I bought with invisible straps. Not wearing some kind of support is not an option for this mother of two.

got gauge? Nope!

Hi everyone, just joined the group on Tuesday! I'm Lisa and I've been knitting only since February, and this is my first garment. I'm looking forward to my first knitting in the round, and will be making the Summertime Tunic. I decided to go with the Lion Brand Microspun Yarn in Leaf, even after reading about others difficulties with it. It fit my price range, and I figure if it comes out well, I can tackle another one.

I'm working on my second guage swatch, the first one on 6s was too small, and I know I am a very tight knitter (will I ever learn to loosen up?). Now I'm trying 8s and will post once I've actually begun the tunic. Keep up all the great work, your pictures are motivating me!

Keep it Rolling

Hey Everyone

well,,, I have made some progress since my last unfortunate post. I am at 8 inches above the ribbing (since Sunday), and I feel like my second wind has kicked in, I am going to finish this, it is not going in my project basket or a bag, lol

I've been knitting during my lunch hour and an hour in the morning and an hour or 2 before I go to sleep and its working.

thanks to Rosann's FO, I am inspired again.

YAY!

Progress Report

LOL....I will do ten rows (HOPEFULLY) everyday, so hopefully tomorrow, I will post another pic....HOPEFULLY! LOL

Progress so far

Well, I finally made it past the ribbing this morning and it's back to plain jane stockinette. This has been a great "mindless" knitting piece for when I'm really tired at night. Seeing everyone else's progress is encouragement to keep on going.

I started the tunic 6/10/07.

Here's mine so far in a 100% silk yarn I've named African Sunset. Half of the ribbing is done.

Just started!

100_2066
Originally uploaded by Renee Antoinette

I just started the Summertime Tunic on Sunday (while watching The Tonys). This is my first hand knit top and I am anxious to see how it will turn out. I am using Elann Sonata in Victorian Rose with size 5 and size 3 needles.

Now I just want someone to design a cardigan to match so I can wear this year round!

Renee

Sidetracked

Hi everyone! I began my Tunic several weeks ago, but got stalled while finishing up another project. Here's where I am so far.

I'm using some Lion Brand Microspun in silver I had stashed from forever ago. The yarn seems to have a nice drape, but the splittiness is killing me. From here on it's just endless stockinette, so hopefully I can get to the neck part soon. I'm enjoying seeing everyone's progress, and all the different yarns being used.

~ aquaknits

Finished

I just finished my tunic today.



Additional Photos:

Back View
Ribbon Detail

Some notes:

• This was a super easy, mindless knit. I zoned off knitting the Stockinette St main portion while watching countless hours of Man vs. Wild and Reign the Conqueror.
  
• I substituted the S. Charles Collezione Kyoto with Rowan Calmer in Drift. In retrospect, this was not a good idea. Although Calmer has a stitch gauge very close to Kyoto, it knits up more like a worsted weight rather than a DK weight. The result is something less drapey and slightly thicker than I would have liked . In short, I don't recommend using Calmer.
• I used US 7s for the larger needles and 6s for the ribbing.
• I didn't knit the front split pieces simultaneously by joining a new ball of yarn; I just finished one side and then worked on the other.
• I originally made a turning row on the very bottom with the intention of hemming up the rolled bottom, but it turns out I don't mind the rolled bottom much, so I didn't hem it after all.
• I used 1/4" ribbon doubled instead of 3/8" ribbon.
• No beads. I'm not a bead kind of person. :)

Good luck to the rest of you on your tunics! I'll be sticking around some to look for some FOs. :D

The Rip back

Hey everyone,
I started the summertime tunic on Memorial day but the all that stockinette stitch slowly wore my out so I put it down to pick up another project, eh hem,, lace work, lol

But I have to get this one done so I picked it up again, got to like 4 inches above the ribbing and realized that I didn't measure the height of the ribbing, so I did 1.5 inches instead of 2.
so what happened?
I know for a fact that on my bigger needles which I'm using for the stockinette, I got 1 inch per 7 rows, so when I switch needles I neglected to measure the ribbing because I thought that 14 rows will give me 2 inches,,,,, not quite, as I laugh at myself now.

smaller needles, different gauge, different measurements

so back to the drawing board, I know, such a silly mistake, but such is life.

Thanks for posting all the progress shots, I need all the motivation I can get, this stockinette is killing me.

New to KAL!

Hello all, my name is Pixie and I'm just starting this. I'm a newish knitter, and this will be my first garment, so I'm pretty excited about it. I'm using Debbie Bliss Cathay and size 6 circs. I have about an inch or so more to go before I get to the ribbing section:

Making Progress...

So here's where I'm at. I finally feel like I'm getting some- where! The color of the yarn is a lot less purple and a lot more blue than Elann's website depicted it. (See my older post) Truth be told, I like it better. It will look AWESOME with jeans. The darkest color is definitely denim colored. I still haven't found a ribbon to go with it. The yarn has less sheen than say, Tahki cotton classics, so I'm wondering what kind of ribbon to choose...any ideas? Can't buy the beads until I've chosen the ribbon. *sigh* That's what I like about this pattern...it uses yarn, ribbon and beads. Multi-crafty, I tell ya!

Happy Knitting,
Bren