Swatching Alyce

Bill took his bike for service today at the very wonderful Morton’s BMW. Since it’s such a nice drive over there, and I’m always looking for an excuse to ride my bike, I decided to go along. The service takes several hours, and of course, that means time to knit. But what to bring? My Symphony Jacket only travels with its entourage of glamorous components, so I had to find something else. Something small. Hey, I could swatch for the Alyce Tee. Like I need an excuse to start yet another project. But hey, I need something small to bring.

The pattern diagram and chart looked daunting, but I figure, hey, I’m just going to swatch it. I grab a ball of Grace, my pattern, and needles, shove them into a bag and strap them down with a bungee cord. When we get there, I settle into their comfy leather couch and cast on. I get 5 stitches to the inch on a 7, so that's where I start. Pretty soon I'm engrossed in CNN on the giant plasma screen tv, and my swatch comes along quickly. Even though Grace is billed as a DK weight yarn, it works well at a worsted weight too. Single ply will bloom as much as you let it, so I know it will be fine at this gauge.

Then I take a quick peek at the pattern chart. Hmmm. Twenty-one stitch repeat. Nothing too weird. I give it a try. It's good. There are two yarn overs in a row which is different, but it gives a nice big eyelet and a kind of lattice effect. the central motif makes a leaf. Very pretty.

There are still a couple of rows in the pattern repeat, but you get the idea. There's waist shaping in the pattern to accentuate the positive. This woman really knows how to enhance a woman's body. Thank you, Joan.