Habulishious Tunic

I have had a love/hate relationship with Habu. As I spoke about in this HabuTextile post, I hate spending money. Habu is not, what you would call, a yarn that you can get on sale at Michaels. However, Olga (my friend, enabler, and huge reason why my credit card bill gets bigger) got me HOOKED. Like, addicted, I would almost say I am nearing crack addict status, but I strive for a PG rated blog, so I will not go that far.

The Habu Tsumugi A-1 for this tunic was actually a left over Olga had. I had always wanted to make this Tunic in the Rebecca #31.

However, this yarn did not yield the same gauge, so I had to recalculate the entire pattern. I am fascinated with this yarn. It is completely organic, and the result is a nice and flowy and (dare this wannabefashionista say it) utterly comfortable! There is this boho look and feel that comes with this tunic, but I am going to see if I wear a white tailored shirt underneath, and some dress pants how this looks.

Project Details

Project name: Bramble Tunic from Rebecca #31

Yarn: 6 skeins (double stranded) of Habu Tsumugi A-1 2/1 Coloway 83- Cork

Needles: Addi Turbo's US 5

Modifications: Umm... I recalculated the entire pattern to fit my gauge. Time consuming, well worth it.

The only problem is...what Habu project will I do next... trust me... more of that to come. BTW - this is my 100th post!

Having a Bad Day

Yes, I am... I got rear ended today and it has totally ruined my day. I am okay, and the car is fine. Well, the trunk of my little red Honda Element does not open, and my venti coffee I was enjoying is all over the car, but it will all be fine. Accidents happen, I know. As long as everyone is safe and healthy that is all that matters. However, sometimes the grumpiness takes a while to dissipate. Am I saying all this to get sympathy? Yes, I am. So hit me with some funny comments so I can get out of my funk.

This has certainly been helping today:
We had a girls night last friday and I asked Reese to bring Ava with her Avita top. I wore my Redgina just for the sake of a cute picture. She makes me smile.

OH! Speaking of Avita, I want to thank you all for your wonderful comments on my first ever pattern. I am so excited when I see that 6 people have added t to their Ravelry queue!

Another thought that has been helping me is the knowledge that there is a Gilmore Girls Season 2 DVD waiting for me at home. I am now addicted to that show (thanks Reese). I am planning on going home, opening a bottle of wine, watching Gilmore Girls and working on my next Secret Project.

Some of my most detailed oriented readers may have noticed that the Secret Michi Baby Projects on my sidebar have now become Secret Charlie Projects. That is because my dear friend Michi gave in to the pressure and found out the sex of the baby! In a few more months I will have a brand new "nephew"! I am so excited, although Michi and Reese are even more so excited as they plan Ava and Charlie's wedding. I am working on Secret Charlie Project 3, and ravelry users can check out the progress here.

Once that is done I am going to keep working on my Breton Girl. I started working on this last Saturday and just cannot stop. I love working with Elann Esprit! It is so soft and stretchy and I am very very excited about finishing this top.

My habulishious tunic is nice and finished, but the preliminary attempt at looking cute during a photoshoot turned out disastrous. Don't make me think about it cause my day has been bad enough already.

I can't stop thinking about other things that i must knit. I have to finish my Free People Inspired Sweater, and I want to make a Clapotis for an upcoming trip of a lifetime (more on that later), as well as this absolutely ridiculous shawl that I cannot get out of my mind. (it is MINE Iselita!). The ideas are just never ending, never stopping, ever flowing, and I love it.

I had a cheesy moment the other day when I told Olga (man I love gmail chats) " I never thought I would love knitting so much!". I am a knitting nerd with everyone in my life that is not part of my knitting life (does that make sense?). Everywhere I go I bring yarn and a couple of sticks to pass the time. But on days like today, when things are just a little bit off kilter, a little bit of nerdiness is well needed.

Pattern: Avita

A simple camisole created for a gorgeous little girl. It has very little seaming (always a crowd pleaser) and easy textured pattern to follow. The straps can be made longer or shorter, depending on your preference.

I hope you will enjoy this pattern. My little "niece" Ava certainly loves it!

This is my first time creating a pattern, so please send me notes and corrections if you see anything. If any of you make this I would love to see some pictures!

Avita

Difficulty
Easy

Sizes
To fit ages
6-9 (9-12:12-24) mths

Materials
2 (3:4) Skeins Karabella Vintage Cotton (or similar weight yarn)
Pair of US 3 (3.25 mm) knitting needles

Gauge
30 sts and 40 rows = 4 inch in st st

Textured Pattern
Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
Row 3: k1 *k2tog*repeat from *k1
Row 4: p1*k1 m1 by lifting strand betweens two stitches* repeat from * p1

Back
Cast on 64 (68:74) stitches. Work in textured pattern for three pattern repeats.
Switch to st st.
Work in st st until work measures 6 (6.5:7.75) inches from CO edge ending with ws row.

Shape armholes
BO 4 (4:5) sts at beg of next 2 rows
Decrease one st at each end of next and 3 (4:4) foll alt rows. 48 (50:54) sts.
Starting on the rs continue in textured pattern.
When work measures 10 (11:12.5) in from CO edge place 8 sts on holder.

Make straps
BO next 32 (34:38) sts, leaving 8 sts on needle.
Work these 8 sts until strap measures 7.5 (7.75:8) in.
BO 8 sts.
Take the 8 sts from the holder and work other strap in same manner.

Front
Work same as back.

Finishing
Seam sides together until you reach armhole decreases. Weave in ends.