Pattern: Orangina by Stefanie J.
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa "Mirto" in white, cotton/linen/rayon blend; just over 3 balls (like 3 balls plus 1 yard of the 4th, grrr)
Gauge: approx 26 sts = 4in on US3/3.25 mm needles

After the sides were all seamed in, the loose ends woven in and I tried Orangina on for the first time, I thought to myself in a very giddy voice, I am so so so so so so so so so (ad nauseum) glad I learned how to knit. Dude this is my favorite pattern of all time. It is beautiful in its simplicity. Zero waist shaping, zero arm shaping, zero neck shaping. If you want to make it smaller just remove 9 stitches from the pattern. Vice-versa to make it larger. The border for the pattern scallops naturally, so is used as the neckline...man it's so brilliant I wish I came up with it. It's no wonder that the entire planet has knitted or wants to knit this piece. So easy, but looks anything but.

Happy 4th!

FdiC Mirto was a very nice choice of yarn. It's oh so clean and crisp and nice for summer picnics, but if I had spilled ketchup on the front I would have murdered the person sitting closest to me. You've never seen someone eat so carefully as if she were having high tea and finger sandwiches at the Ritz instead of beer and Italian sausages at a 4th of July barbeque.

The lace pattern was really easy to remember, even though I found myself routinely meandering out of pattern. Do not watch Alias dvds while knitting Orangina. Or, count while you do it. I found that counting while knitting really helped: 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9, 1..2...3...OK I think you all know how to count to 9. You get the drift.

Orangina did turn out pretty snug. Like I've mentioned, I went 27 sts less than the smallest size indicated the pattern. This means the width for each piece is about 12 inches. This means the total bust size is 24 inches. :/ This means I am sans chest. But to my credit, it is 24 inches UNBLOCKED and UNSTRETCHED. I just re-measured now after having worn it for a day and it's now 30 inches around. That's right. I'm still bigger than either of the Olsen twins combined times 4, alright? I could have gone down 18 sts and been ok. However, a lot of people who posted in this craftster forum have mentioned that it knits up loose with a lot of ease. I didn't want another version of flappy gappy Dianne, so to play it safe I sized it way way down. The side seams at the underarms I noticed were stretched to the max, like all eeeee! and quivering to keep it together.

And instead of seaming 2 inches for the shoulders, I seamed one scallop'd width, which was just over 1 inch.

I just love love love this piece.

P.S. While we were out in western Mass this weekend we stopped at Colourful Stitches, my favorite yarn store ever. They have everything, stocked in a beautiful, lofty space. Anyway I bought nothing, but I spotted a woman there who I know works at Wild & Wooly in Lexington. I had seen her before shopping in other yarn stores around Boston, I thought maybe to do competitive research for W&W, except that each time at these different stores she was known by name. Traitor! And it was so odd that I would keep running into her at all these yarn shops. Then to see her all the way out in western Mass, again shopping for yarn and knowing the owner by name...what's the deal?

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Filed Under: Completed Projects | Orangina