 Ballerina is finished. It’s a good thing, too — I really wanted and needed it to be off the needles and in the finished pile. I’m not sure why knitting this drove me crazy or why it took so long. I knit the first half in a very short time period, but the second half just dragged like a bad movie. Oh, well.
I made a few minor changes in the pattern. Like Susan, I did an applied iCord at the bottom and along the neck band because I think it gives it a more finished look. It’s a lot of iCord by the time you go all the way around.
Now, when I finished all of the knitting I tried it on. I was, to say the least, underwhelmed. It was SO boxy that I felt like I was wearing a cardboard box. Cutting armholes in a cardboard box would have taken me a lot less time than I had spent on my poor Ballerina. But I knew from making Mermaid that the yarn would soften and the sweater would have more drape once it was drowned soaked and blocked. It worked. Yay! Here are the obligatory photos of Lucy wearing it. (I’m not sure I’m crazy about how the stripes look wider at the shoulder, but I don’t think there’s much I can do about it.)
I do like how it fits; it looks better on because of the way it moves. Therefore, I am actually — gasp — going to post a couple of photographs in which I’m modeling it. Warning: These are not great pictures. There’s a reason I take most of the photographs in the family although it was sweet of my husband to try. I did some serious cropping as well. Part of the problem was that the angle of the pictures made me look even shorter and stubbier than I am. I mean, I know I’m not the tallest Rainey Sister on the blog, but still. Okay. Takes deep breath. Here you go:
Edited to add: I always get nervous about yarn quantities when I work with kits. For those of you contemplating Ballerina, I did have plenty of yarn. I chose to make the S/M. I lengthened the sleeves by an inch or so and then also did the iCord, which uses a lot of yarn that would not have been accounted for by the designer. I have a full ball and a half of each color left over. (Falkenberg gives you enough yarn for the largest size.)
In other news, Astrid finished her beautiful Roslin and kindly let us show it to you — what a fantastic job! She used Jamieson Spindrift & DK in Peacock (Color 258) as her main color and most of the same colors for the fair isle inset. To accommodate gauge, she knitted the size small to achieve a finished size medium.Â
Astrid, we are so proud of your Peacock Roslin! Thanks for sharing!
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From Susan, the Tallest Rainey Sister on the Blog: Your Ballerina looks and fits great! I wore mine the other day and got a dozen compliments! People love Ballerina!
I wish I had not reduced the size of my back gussets — I like the flowy, drapey look of yours.Â
Comment by lv2knit — December 8, 2007 @ 2:35 pm
Your Ballerina is great. Which do you like the fit of better – the ballerina or the mermaid?
Love the colors Astrid used.
Comment by Eunice — December 8, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
Sally,
It is much more lovely on you than on ?? (insert manekin’s name). I like the drape and flow. Very nice! Kudo’s for finishing, it something I rarely do.
Comment by Marsha — December 8, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
It’s lovely Sally, and looks lovely on you. And another nice Roslin!!!!
Comment by Bonnie — December 8, 2007 @ 6:22 pm
It looks wonderful on you, Sally. Stunning! And Astrid’s Roslin looks great.
Hey, thanks for noticing Mary T’s neckband. Although most would think it was through luck that fleur de lis was completed, it was actually planned 😉
Comment by Marina — December 8, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
Sally, your Ballerina looks wonderful on you and your photographer did a great job. I agree it is one of the hardest garments to photograph right. I am not clear on why you added the i-cord to the bottom edge since there is already a knitted-in i-cord finish to it, but kudos for persevering all around a zillion stitches! I find it tricky to place the sleeves right on my shoulders when I wear my Ballerina jacket and I have even contemplated inserting shoulder pads (not too big though)to make sure the “swing” stays in the back of me.
Comment by Laura — December 8, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
Hey, I like the way the stripes widen just a bit at the shoulders. It accentuates the shaping of the sweater. Nice job!
Comment by Kay — December 8, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
Your ballerina is a fine piece of work. You are too hard on yourseelf. Quite an accomplishment.
Comment by kellistarr — December 8, 2007 @ 8:55 pm
At long last? You just started it! She (and you wearing it) look fabulous.
Peacock Roslin looks pretty darn good in every incarnation too.
Comment by Carrie K — December 8, 2007 @ 10:48 pm
Absolutely loverly!!! 🙂
Comment by Romi — December 9, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
For me- with this style sometimes you never know.But on you it looks just so classy and beautiful.
Comment by katomliz — December 10, 2007 @ 6:56 pm
Simply gorgeous Ballerina! Looks great on you. The Hoodie looks very nice as well, how exciting to see people knitting up your pattern!!
Comment by Elizabeth — December 17, 2007 @ 11:10 am