Friday, April 10, 2009

Modified Elaine's Blouse

Excuse the mess in the background! I finished this sweater last Saturday, but with all of the guests we've had, there has been no time to take pictures of my most recent completed project (or clean the apartment, for that matter)... The basic pattern for this came out of the Winter 2008 Interweave Knits, called the Elaine Blouse. I didn't alter the basic pattern very much - the biggest modification is the cable pattern in the front. I lifted that pattern directly from here, which was originally designed to be an afghan square. I used Joseph Galler Superfine Prime Alpaca Yarn that I got at the Yarn Tree in Brooklyn. I was hoping to make this sweater without having to buy another cone (one cone has 665 yards in it) and I am happy to report that I was successful! I was unsuccessful in NOT buying another cone, however - I went back and bought two more cones for another project that is in the works. Something about the feel of alpaca - I can't get enough of it! I'm slightly obsessed. My previous alpaca projects have been hats and scarves for the most part, as I have heard that Alpaca has the tendency to grow horizontally after washing/blocking. Luckily, that has not happened to me as of yet. Giddiness aside, I am not sure if the ribbing is placed appropriately or is very flattering on my non-womanly figure, but overall the sweater is comfortable, not itchy, hasn't pilled, and was all done under $30. Can't beat that. Oh, and I also love the non-functional buttons up the back! Courtesy of M&J.

4 comments:

Frk.Badegakk said...

That is a really beautiful blouse!!! Love the color, the pattern - everything. Saw it on ravelry and I had to take a closer look on your blog. Nice blog by the way=D

*bookmark*
Sorry if my english is a bit off. I´m norwegian;)

Bellanaija said...

I love your version of Elaine's Blouse! I want to make mine similarly. How many stitches did you use for the "lace panel" insert?

fishsknitty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
fishsknitty said...

Thanks for your question - I used just the leaf pattern, which was 22 stitches. I then purled four stitches before and after the leaf pattern, for a total of 30 stitches. I hope this helps!