Think Spring!

For me, the month of March has been dragging on for so long that I've been feeling a bit down lately. The weather hasn't helped matters much. Athough we have had a few "teaser" days of warmer temperatures here in the New York City area, for the most part it has been cold, wet, and grey.

To alleviate my miserable mood, I started making some Spring/Summer outfits for my daughter Lydia. The first outfit is this Monica ruffled tank top by Christine Schwender I found on Knitty. I used two skeins of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease yarn in the colors azalia and pink.  I knit the first three rows of the body of the sweater as well as the bottom and top portions of the ruffles in moss stitch. I then knit the rest of the tank top in stockinette stitch.  Although other knitters on Ravelry made the Monica pattern in the round using circular needles, I chose to work the front and back separately and seam the two sides together at the end.  The finishing work involved in sewing the front and back together, including the ruffles, was minimal.    

 

Knitting the tank top in the bright-colored yarn definitely cheered me up. It was fun thinking about how Lydia would look in the ruffled top.  I even learned how to use three needles at the same time when I had to attach the pink ruffles to the body of the top. 

The top was very easy.  I was able to make it while commuting to and from work on the train.  I finished the project in one week.  The only issue I have with the pattern is that the straps are too long. The top keeps falling farther and farther down Lydia's chest the more she moves around in it.  I will need to shorten the straps by hand-sewing them up higher along the back of the sweater.     

My next Spring/Summer projects will be a cotton hat and skirt for Lydia and a tunic top for myself.