Getting ready for summer

I usually avoid lace patterns but I couldn't resist this one. I'm swatching for the Ladder Tank. It's a nice layering piece for warmer weather. I love the outfit that Interweave styled for it. It's from their Spring 2013 issue.

I have a chevron blue and white maxi skirt that I have no idea what to wear with and this top should work with it...or so I think in my head. I'm using Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy as the pattern calls for as well as the same color in the example.  It will be a nice change from knitting cardigans the past 2 months. Although Hempathy is categorized as DK, it feels more like fingering. It'll be rougher on the hands compared to the silk-alpaca-wool blends I used for Effortless and Rosemont cardigans. 

Speaking of cardigans, here's my unblocked vs. blocked Rosemont:

Unblocked: bound off and ends weaved in

Blocking: hurry up and dry!!!

Finished right at the unofficial end of spring. I'll be using it quite a bit during the San Francisco summers. For those of you who don't know, winters are actually warmer than summers in SF. I got it done while pet sitting at my friend's house. It's currently drying next to me as I lay on my belly on the floor of her sun room. I can't wait to put it on so I feel like I'm getting a long warm hug. I should have finished this days ago but I misplaced (or lost track of) a skein of yarn. I was short 3 long rows and a bind off. I racked my brain trying to find a way to avoid buying another skein but I couldn't without unraveling too much yarn. 98 yards of this yarn is not fucking cheap. It was killing me that I'd have to buy more! I lucked out getting most of it at a deep discount from a closing yarn store (I still miss you Bobbin's Nest!) a couple years ago. Being so close to finishing I didn't have the patience to order online and paying for shipping on top of that. After making many phone calls to Bay Area yarn stores between where I live and San Francisco (Peninsula side), I discovered not many carry The Fiber Company's Terra in black walnut. Imagiknit in SF was my savior with one skein in stock.

This new skein was so dark that it wasn't looking good on the edges of the neck/body band. I had to unravel the sleeve ribbing and used it for the band. Then I re-knit the sleeve ribbing alternating the "old" and "new" yarn. I spent half my Saturday doing this. =/ Not like I had much going on anyway. Yesterday looked like a foggy mess until late afternoon so I had no problem staying in. At least that's how I justified not leaving the house. Oh, that and trying to not spend any more money. Yup, still unemployed if you were wondering. Every cent counts these days.