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

How's everyone doing?

Just thought I'd post to see where everyone else is. I just started the ribbing portion--yeah!! It's only taken me a WEEK to get to that point LOL!!! I just don't have the time I'd like to spend knitting, but I'm taking it with me to every ball game and event where I just sit and listen/watch so I can make some progress. I'm hoping to have it done by July 4th, and if it's earlier I'll surprise myself! Where are you at?

Progress so far

I've got about 2.5 inches knit so far. Today I went to buy size 3 Addi Turbos and the shop only had bamboo needles so I bought those but I'm going to look for Addi's online or at the Maine Fiber Frolic next weekend. This is such an easy knit compared to the Lotus Tank that is my other project!

I went to a bead store while I was in Portland today and came home with three different pairs of beads that might work for the ends of the ribbon. Of course I haven't picked the ribbon yet so they might have to be saved for something else. Has anyone decided on that yet?

Got Gauge?

I got my gauge finally using my Addi Turbo 5s. Now I'm wondering if I will need to use #3s for the ribbing since the pattern called for 6s and 4s? What does everyone think? I will probably cast on tomorrow or Sunday as I'm just too tired tonight!

First Progress pic

I just started on the 1x1 rib last night and only a few rows into it, before this I was working on some lace projects, its so nice to be able to just mindlessly knit without thinking about what I am doing, its a nice break from harder patterns, well here is a progress pic for your viewing pleasure, this yarn is great but I keep having that problem where the yarn coming from the ball gets all twisted on itself, is there any solution for that?




so I also am posting on craftster, would it be to much to post in both places or is everyone here?