Redux

Remind you of anything?

I thought it might be kind of fun to revisit my first blogged-about project and see if I could do it any better one year later.

You know, I think I managed to do it!

Pattern: Ballet T-Shirt by Teva Durham, published in Loop-d-Loop
Yarn: TLC Cara Mia in white, 2 skeins plus a little of a third
Needles: Size 11 Addi Turbo 24 inch circular.
Modifications: Many. A year ago, I made this sweater and had numerous gauge and sizing problems. I read Grumperina's whole discussion about the Ballet T and her subsequent development of the Tivoli and arrogantly decided that all my problems were a result of the pattern. Um, maybe not. Methinks the knitter had plenty to do with it.

TLC Cara Mia is basically the same yarn as the Katia Diana I used last time around. It's a surprisingly nice blend of bunny yarn and synthetics -- super soft and cushy and should hold its shape. This time, I used much smaller needles and knitted the sweater at a slightly tighter gauge than the pattern calls for. To compensate, I followed the stitch counts and shaping for the larger size. I added rounds between the shaping to lengthen the sweater. I bound off and decided it needed to be even longer, so I undid my cast off and added more rounds to the bottom. The only thing I'd have done differently is to add a few more rounds in the bust, before the waist decreases.

I think Ballet T Redux was a success. It fits just as I hoped -- clingy but not too va-va-voom. The chunky gauge lets the stitches stand out in a nice way, without making me look thick. I love the neckline. I really needed a white summer sweater like this to wear with skirts and jeans. I started it on Sunday and wore it out to the movies with some girlfriends Monday night. Can't beat that!