Since returning from Maine a month ago, I have been working on three knitting projects. The first one that I started on vacation was the Auger tank top from Quince & Co. I was branching out of my comfort zone a bit because it called for 100% cotton yarn. I have used cotton once before for a tunic for the little babe and I wasn't a fan. It stretches SO MUCH and I knew that going into this project, but I thought it looked like a fun top for summer. I chose the correct size according to the pattern and the tank straight off the needles would have worked. But as soon as I put it on, it started to stretch. And that was before blocking it. It might be the style today to wear tank tops with the armholes down to the waist, but that is not MY style and I felt that by having to wear another tank top underneath was defeating the point of a lightweight summer piece of clothing.

It doesn't look so bad in this photo, but I wore it for two days to try it out and it stretched even more. Plus the body could have been an inch less on each side. I just wasn't feeling it. So I went back to the drawing board and am currently working on a wrap/scarf with a lace pattern. I am really excited about it, even though the lace means I have to do it after the little babe goes to bed - no mindless knitting and playing with her. Luckily I had a skein and a half left over from the Auger, so I didn't have to frog the top right away - any day now I'll have to dive into it.
But for the good knitting news, I completed a one skein shawl for the little babe that was to her specifications - pink, fringed, and not itchy. We found one skein of Berroco alpaca/wool in the sale bin at our local yarn shop and I was pretty sure that on size 10 1/2 needles, I could make it work. And I did, with literally no yarn to spare. I even used the little piece that I cut off the tails for the fringe.


I wanted to try something different from the typical centered triangle shawl, so I followed an easy asymmetrical recipe. I cast on 3 stitches and then only increased on one side every right side row. The little babe liked the simple garter stitch row pattern on my fringed shawl, so I did a variation of that. It was fun to see it knit up so quickly and the make-it-myself pattern meant I didn't have to think too hard. I really like it and I think she does too.