FO: Bamboo Frock Camisole

My A-Z stashdown continues as I plunder my stash for any non-wool yarn that I might be okay with wearing in summer.



I had 8 skeins of Bamboo Tape yarn in my stash. Like so many yarns from Rowan, it's been discontinued, but a almost exact replica will certainly appear with a catchy name like "Tapey Bamboo" or something.

I chose a pattern- after my previous lace project, I wanted something super simple- I wanted to be able to go into a movie theater on an overly warm day, catch a film and come out of the place with most of a garment done. The ribbon yarn did a little twist and coil trick, but otherwise I was as happy as I could be with it (considering it didn't come from a sheep). You just have to pick the right project for the yarn in order to love it.



The yarn basically has no shape- it just becomes this drapey mass. It would be impossible to do lace in this yarn. Just let it hang out and drape. If you fight it, it will win. Let it move like a jellyfish.





I used 7 skeins in the color "Tissue" for the Medium size. It's so pretty and purpley. The whole thing took less than 570 yards. I used size US6 needles.



The pattern is called Frock Camisole by Katie Himmelberg. It's from the Spring 2010 Interweave Knits, but they also have the pattern for free up on their website. It's a really simple piece- really, if you get gauge you can whip this up with no issues while you are taking a nap. It has a line of purl stitches running up the front and back to give it a neat seam. There's a tiny bit of shaping, you work the fronts and backs of the yoke separately and knit up the straps in reverse stockinette. The only real finishing involves tacking and sewing the straps to the front, and you're done.

I love it- it's wearable and comfortable. The fabric is dense enough so I can wear this without a security shirt underneath, lest my bra show through. It's a bit heavy but I'm really in love with it. As far as cute summery tops go, it's pretty much instant gratification.

I like it a lot better than my other Bamboo top, the Lotus Blossom, from a couple of years ago. This one is much more flattering.

Silk Cami

Once upon a time, I hit a rather epic LYS sale. It was one of those once in a lifetime situations where they were going out of business in a hurry and selling everything in the store for $1 a skein. Epic yarn sales are rather dangerous events and I remember very little of the actual sale. I do remember cutting out of work early for 2 days in a row and slogging home with 3 giant shopping bags each time. Looking back, I actually did this rather smartly- I bought a lot of basics in neutral colors and enough of each color for, eh, several sweaters. So far from this stash, I've made 5 adult sweaters, 6 baby sweaters and hats and several adult sized hats and fingerless gloves for gifts. Definitely high on the entertainment value.

One thing that has plagued me is some Debbie Bliss Pure Silk Yarn. It's a gorgeous single ply worsted weight silk yarn with a nice sheen and beautiful hand. I bought 4 skeins of plain white and a few other skeins in purple and green.

For the life of me, I can not make this yarn work for me.



Attempt #1. The Frenchy Cami. (ravelry link)This was an Interweave Pattern. I was going to Puerto Rico for a couple weeks on holiday and needed something mindless to knit on the beach and on the plane. Apparently, the tropical sun got to me and my knitterly denial was at the highest possible level, because only once I was ready to attach the straps did I realize that I had actually made this for Jabba the Hut. It's a gauge disaster at its best. The gauge swatch I made did not predict this outcome. Liar swatch.

I bravely frogged this once I got home, spraying sand all over the house in the process.

Attempt #2. The Silk Camisole. (ravelry link)

White yarn does not stay white for long in my life- I get bored with it. I had dyed a bunch of white alpaca yarn (from the same sale!) in Madder Root. Once I was done with the alpaca, the dye bath was not exhausted so I threw in this silk yarn to soak it up. It's now a pretty peachy rose color. It's like new! I felt that I could face it again.



I picked a new, but similar pattern got gauge and cast on. As I was finishing up the lower body of the cami, I ended up with an end of yarn in my hand. Where did the rest of my silk yarn go? This can't be right. I looked all over the house for it. Then it hit me: I am out of yarn. I went back and compared the two patterns. The gauge on the Silk Cami is 24 st per 4 inches. The gauge on the Frenchie cami was was 20 st per 4 inches. Those extra stitches and tight gauge had made me run out of yarn despite the fact that it would have fit me. YARGH!



I had more silk yarn, but nothing that wouldn't make it look like I had run out of yarn- unflattering stripes in odd places and random blocks of color aren't going to work with me. It's really hard to replicate a dye bath using natural dyes, and I didn't want to even try. Madder root will yield different results depending on the climate, age of the plant, drought, how long the dried roots are sitting around before you use them and the water you use to prepare the dye bath.

So I frogged. Again.

And cast on. Again.

Attempt #3. The Silk and Pearls Cami. (ravelry link)

I really want a silk camisole! Either I'm too stubborn/stupid to give up this idea or I'm going to get it right one of these times. At 16 st per 4 inches, this is making a much more open fabric then the previous two tries, but I won't run out of yarn anytime soon. The pattern is and sexy and if I could be bothered to throw my hair in curlers and put on makeup and get freakishly thin arms that stick out at a weird angle, I might resemble the model.

Suggestions for another use for this yarn are welcome just in case.