Lotus Blossom Tank is done!

Well, as I said in the Lotus Blossom Tank (LBT) knitalong, I still need to block this thing. I think my neck and armhole finishings look like crap since I had such a hard time w/the SWTC Bamboo at the end. Probably because I was using the Boyes interchangeables, the yarn was splitty as heck, but the only bamboo needles I have are all straights. Wonder if I need to put bamboo interchangeable needles on my to-buy list. They're not cheap though.

So, quickie recap of what I did w/the LBT:
size: 39"
SWTC Bamboo in Cobalt Blue - yarn called for in the pattern, but not in the same color
needle size to get stitch gauge: 7
row gauge w/size 7 needles: 7 rows/in as oppposed to the pattern's 9 rows/in
added 1.5" to the section between the lace and armhole. Since my row gauge was longer than the pattern gauge, I felt I didn't need to add another lace pattern repeat or another 0.5" to the the St st portion between the lace & the armhole.

Both pics are of the LBT unblocked. (Don't ya just love my self-timed modelled pic? Not!) I'm hoping that blocking will minimize the more egregious portions of the fnishing stitches on the armholes and the neck. If not, I'll have to re-knit those and they will be a PITA.

As for shape, the lace portion is very drapey. Not sure if it's too drapey or not. However, if I had knitted the smallest size (33.5"), I would've had to do some major revisions to the top portion fitwise. And speaking of fit, I think the top part is okay. I definitely need a good supportive bra underneath and need to keep my posture correct so the front doesn't sag. Then again, my Old Navy layering tank underneath also likes to sag, so it may be that pushing on the LBT.

All and all, this was a nice challenge for me. I love the pattern and initially had fun with the Bamboo yarn, but in the end I wasn't enjoying knitting w/it. It may have been just project and wrist fatigue too as I was pushing myself to finish by the end of this week. I was inexplicably afraid that if I had stopped to take a break from this, I would've not finished it. Then again, if I did take a little break I wonder if I wouldn't have felt such an aversion to the yarn at the end.

As it is, I still have 2 whole skeins of the Bamboo leftover plus the remainder of the 3rd skein used for the LBT. I think there's maybe about a 1/3 left, definitely not half though.

As for other knitting stuff, I e-mailed Interweave Press if there was an editing error in Kate Gilbert's Pea Pod hat 'cause I saw another very pretty white one that had the same error as mine (lace pattern not centered between the crown decreases). They replied that there was indeed an error. Yay! I don't feel like such an idiot. So IK says the directions should be corrected thus:

from this:
Next rnd: Work Row 1 of Leaf Lace Set-up chart over first 15 sts (1 st inc'd), k2 (4, 8), pm, [k18 (20, 24), pm] 3 times--72 (80, 96) sts.

to this:
Next rnd: K1 (2, 4), work Row 1 of Leaf Lace Set-up chart over next 15 sts (1 st inc'd), k1 (2, 4), pm, [k18 (20, 24), pm] 3 times--72 (80, 96) sts.>

And course, I so want to make another Pea Pod hat and the matching jacket, especially since halcyonyarns.com has the Debbie Bliss cashmere cotton on sale. I know I initially didn't like knitting w/it, but I was using bamboo dpn's so it may be nice on aluminum needles. And I also have a DB ballet wrap pattern from Junior Knits I want to make for monkey1 that calls for DB cotton cashmere. Oh, decisions, decisions!

Now I need to get back to the gift scarf that I've been neglecting this week. Oops!