Morning Mist, I Didn’t Forget You

Don’t let the length of time this was on my needles fool you.  Morning Mist, by Annie Rowden, was a fun knit and is a lovely pattern.  Every knitter needs one… or two or three.   I just got distracted by Fall knitting and I gained some weight and wasn’t sure if it would even fit.  So, I set it down for a while, but pulled it back out for my Spring Cleanup.

A quick disclaimer:  My camera was being loaned out and so I used my cell phone as camera and husband as tripod.  Sadly, it isn’t the best and he just can’t do still or straight, or reduce upper arm puff with various camera angles.  Sheesh.

But I wanted to get this on my blog and get my modifications out there in case anyone else wanted to try a fingering weight yarn for this, but were feeling hesitant.

And now it’s perfect weather for this lovely tee, my friends.  Come along with me and let’s dissect my modified Morning Mist to the few cell phone photos I could get that were decent.  (My camera was on loan and my husband has no concept of a still, straight photo.  Not that I’m ungrateful for the help…)

Details:  When I cast this on, I really wanted to use a different weight yarn for it- Knit Picks’ Lindy Chain, in Linen and Plum.  I knew I would have to knit more tightly than the sample gauge, though, to produce a nice, full looking fabric.  My gauge in stockinette was 6 sts/ 10 rows per inch.  So, I decided to loosely follow instructions for the second size.

Lace Panel: With a size US 2 needle, I cast on for the lace back panel, completing the number of lace repeats recommended for the second size.  When finished I blocked as instructed, but it was about 1.5 inches shorter than the pattern dimensions.  No problem.

Straps:  I moved on to the straps and picked up 1 more stitch than directed for each strap and worked each one about 1.5 inches before casting on the neckline with 6 more stitches than the pattern called for.  I worked front to the length instructed, then set it down to get my back panel to the right length.

Lengthening the back:  To get it to the same length as the front, I simply picked up the same number of stitches I had on the front and added about 1. 5 inches of stockinette.

At this point I blocked the front and the back again because things looked wonky with an unblocked front and a partially blocked back.  Thankfully, they lined up beautifully.

The edges: From this point I could’ve just followed the directions, but for some reason I added a 1 x 1 rib band at the bottom instead of garter.  I think I did this because I was away from home and couldn’t get to my phone to see what was really supposed to be happening.  Of course, once I’d done that, I went ahead and added the same style ribbing to the sleeves.

Neckline: The ribbing didn’t look good at the neckline, so I just did an I-Cord Bind off around the neck.  It’s fine and has the look of a raw edge that I really like; however, I wish I’d remembered what the pattern called for at the edges.  Oh well, what’s done is done.  Either way, this is such a lovely design that I don’t even think of those things when I wear it.

I love the simple style of this tee.  The fact that it involves a challenging lace panel adds that thing that a knit needs to feel like their “really knitting.”  I’m excited to see how the Lindy Chain washes and wears over the summer.

A note about the fit:  I started this one year ago.  I was 22 pounds lighter, according to my doctor.  Without getting into a long winded diatribe against unnecessary hormone therapy, I will say that I had a feeling I might gain weight when he put me on hormones (though I was feeling a bit desperate).  Thankfully, I figured this into my sizing when I cast on.  So you can see that my Morning Mist fits, but without a lot of ease.  Normally, I would want more ease, but I cast on when I was unsure what would happen.  A lot of ravelers have intentionally made there’s as fitted as mine, so I know that’s some people’s preference.

(more on ravelry, kollabora, instagram, and flickr)

Annie has a lot of designs out now, but Pasture and Avana are the ones that call to me.  Probably because they can be made with summery fibers and still look great.  I’m thinking I could use Lindy Chain for Pasture and shorten the sleeves to a level that’s bearable for the ridiculous heat of Southeast Texas.

Side note about me:  I think the weight is coming off but, more importantly, I’ve finally found better, natural methods for regulating my periods, controlling migraines, and treating my skin- in case you were worried.  Now to reclaim the last year of my life. 🙂

What summer knits are on, or about to be on, your needles?

Other posts on this top are here: waxing nostalgic, beach knitting, wardrobe plans, and spring knitting.