Knitting Fiend!

I mentioned on my 'daily blog' that I had been itching to start knitting something for myself this week. I know I'm doing the sock, but going round and round with knit3, purl1 was just getting a bit monotinous for me and I felt like more of a challenge. I will of course continue with the sock/socks, but in the meantime I am making HUGE progress on the top I finally chose to knit.

And it was no easy choice either - it took me days to find something I actually thought I would wear once I knit it (unlike this top that I knit last summer and haven't been seen out in public with it on once!)

It's not that I don't like the top, I think it's quite cute, but I have never gotten round to buying a flesh colored bra (with clear straps) that I can wear underneath. And I'm not a 'layers' kind of gal, so I don't want to put it on top of another cami or t-shirt. So for now it sits in the drawer - waiting.

But here is what I did pick - it's called Sahara and I bought the pattern on StichDiva. I have also seen this pattern featured on the 'SexyKnittersClub' blog. I have to say the way this is knit is totally alien to me. I have never knit a top from the top down. I was totally baffled by the pattern once I got it and read it. In fact if I could have read it before I bought it I probably wouldn't have bought it! It sounded so totally complex to me. But I'm glad to say that as I knit and then read the pattern, it is all making a little more sense to me, and as you can see from the picture I've already got the top knitted up to the armholes (or down to the armholes!)- and I only started this on Wednesday. Yes! I'm a knitting fiend and I just can't stop.

I went to my LYS on Wednesday night after Jason got home from work. I took my time chosing a yarn that would work with the gauge (with huge help from the store owner Pat), and because it was 'Chicks with Sticks' night, I actually sat there for a couple of hours, knit up a swatch and then cast on. A provisional cast on I might add too, another thing I have never even tried before. I tell ya, I just amaze myself sometimes, ha ha :-)

The yarn is Classic Silk (50% cotton, 30% silk, 20% nylon) by Classic Elite Yarns. The color is #6904 (it doesn't have a name on the label) but it looks true to the picture, a nice fresh aqua color. I had intended to knit the whole thing in the same yarn, but I may end up looking for a contrast yarn to do around the neck.

As for my sock, well it's on the back burner just for a few days ;-)