This, my friends, is the beginnings of a buttoned camisole [pattern from Phildar ETE 2006 in French] using Tahki Cotton Classic [gifted to me by Miss HEK Jenny, Most Thoughtful Blog Pal Ever] and some Inox bamboo circs, size 4mm. I do have some sleeved cardigans and tops slotted for spring that I should start now if I want to wear them before summer comes, but first I want to knit myself something that will fly off the needles...you know, something that will give me that happy little knitter's buzz I get when I knit myself something cute rather quickly. And HELLO! This little camisole is so enjoyable to knit with its peek-a-boo eyelet pattern that I feel like going atop a green mountain, twirling around, and singing like Julie Andrews (but tone deaf): "The hills are aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive...with the sound of mercerised cotton gliding on bamboo circulaaaaaaaaaaaaars..."

Wool Time is over. I hereby declare the Season of Cottons, Linens, and other Warm-Weather Yarns OPEN chez skinnyrabbit.com. Bring 'em on.

All week long I've been sneaking rows here and there on my teeny buttoned camisole, and I've now got a back piece to show for it. I wish I had more knitting time, because I am having so much darn fun knitting this top! This lace pattern in Tahki Cotton Classic using Inox bamboos is like a box of truffles, let me tell you. You knit one row (or, eat a truffle), and then say to yourself, "I've got to get back to work so this is the last row I'll knit. Promise. I will reach the end of this row and that will be it." But then, like the naughty gourmande that you are, you go ahead and knit another row (or, eat another truffle) while you say to yourself, "Okay, this is DEFINITELY the last row. Just this last row and I'll get to work." Of course, you repeat this until you have about 10 cm on the back of the camisole (or, until you have eaten half the box of truffles). Good thing knitting 10 cm on the back of a camisole won't go straight to your butt and thighs, eh?

On another note, I'd like to introduce you to a part of "Sally":




Sally is a shirt dress project for pattern drafting, and what you see hanging on my mannequin is her unfinished shirt. She's got a muslin collar pinned to her neckline (poor thing!) because I wanted to make sure that the neckband and collar pattern I had constructed for her looked like my flat drawing of the dress. I'm introducing you to Sally - even though she's looking all crazy rumpled with her straggly thread ends hanging down and she's got that wacky looking muslin collar pinned to her neckline - because it's mainly thanks to her (and, I admit, to another project we are working on in fashion design and drawing) that I COULDN'T KNIT ON MY TEENY CAMISOLE ALL LAST WEEK. Bad girl, Sally.

Finished fronts of a Teeny Camisole, that is. Check iiiiiiiiiiiiiit:




These fronts were knit while riding in the car with Monsieur Le Hubby. Viva car knitting! (On the days I take the bus and metro I pull out a book. I like giving my hobbies their fair share of my time. I just finished re-reading Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress - this time in English - and I'm currently reading The Broker by John Grisham. Viva bus reading!)

Up next: Seaming, and then crocheting borders and buttonholes. And I have no excuse to dawdle over those little tasks because I already bought some buttons on Saturday. They're tinted red and have flecks of pink in the center, but they're translucent so they take on the color of the yarn when placed against the camisole. Oh, how fancy!

Now that I've got a finished project on the horizon I'm already thinking about what I'd like to put on the needles next. Something along the lines of this should give you an idea of what I want to knit:




For my stylisme course (fashion design and illustration) we keep designer sketchbooks where we're encouraged to shoot off sketches whenever we get an idea or see something that inspires us. These books aren't graded, so most of the sketches in them are pretty rough (like the one above) because they're supposed to be spontaneous; we do the fancy drawing and color rendering for projects we turn in. I admit that even though I'm an avid knitter most of my spontaneous design ideas tend to NOT be hand-knitwear [gasp!], but every once in a while I get an idea for something I'd like to knit for myself. When that happens I sketch that idea on a bit of paper and then I stick it in my design sketchbook for later reference. My current knitting urge: Something sporty. Something stripey. Preferably, stripey of the RED and WHITE variety. Yep...I think it's time I swatched that GGH Bali.

...so I thought I'd spend the morning lounging in my jammies and working a picot crochet border on my Teeny Camisole, bay-bee!




In addition to the picot edging, the straps and buttonhole loops are worked in crochet. It uses up a lot of yarn, but boy is it fast. The picot edging is almost done so I will definitely have a finished cami today, which is good because we're taking the train up to PARIS this Saturday for a weekend visit (meeting my little sister there) and I want to give my cami a Paris debut. Oh la laaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Incidentally, my mother doesn't knit (or anyone else in my family, for that matter), but if there's one thing that my mother does is CROCHET, and I am so thankful that she taught me the basics of crochet when I was about eight or nine. Thank you, Mom! And especially for getting me that yellow yarn so I could crochet my Curious George plushie a little sweater, complete with lopsided buttonhole. [Awwwwww!] Knowing the basics of crochet has come in handy for my knitting, let me tell you.

I've also been working here and there on Captain Destructo's Linen Jacket. This thing FLIES on the needles. I'm really enjoying knitting it and have already completed the back, shown here while still on the needles.




I've got some homework to do before I leave for Paris this weekend - textile research and design croquis for six finalized fashion figure drawings rendered in color with accompanying flats and specs...not my first design collection portfolio done in the school year but one that I will have to present before a jury in a couple of weeks [AAAAACK!] - but even with that looming over my head I am determined to finish the back piece of the linen jacket this evening. Which, I'll admit, no one will have to twist my arm to get me to do because I really enjoying knitting linen yarn. So fresh! So crisp! So easy to knit while watching a DVD! Anyone want to come over and do my homework for me?

Just kidding. About someone else doing my homework, that is. But I WILL finish the back of this jacket today. And I'll watch a DVD at the same time. While wearing my jammies, of course. I love having the day off.

People! Temps are currently in the sixties in Paris, and THIS is the way I wear a Teeny Camisole. I laugh in the face of cold weather. Ha ha!

Just kidding. Actually, that's the way I'll be wearing it come summer. The weather is still just too crisp to wear Teeny Camisoles on their own so for now I'm going the layering route, just like I did with my Butterfly. When the weather is like this layering shirts and I are BFF's:




Quick project recap: Teeny Camisole, otherwise known as pattern 13 "le top ajouré" from Phildar's L'été 451 pattern book in French. I knit the size small and used a little over three hanks of Tahki Cotton Classic in a deep cranberry red, shade 3432. The pattern calls for Coton No. 4 (which I used to knit my son's Ribbed Jacket last spring...remember?) and even though I really like Coton No. 4 I used the Cotton Classic instead because:

a) They're close in gauge. (At least that's what my swatch told me.)

b) I had the Cotton Classic in my stash (it was a gift from Miss HEK Jenny) and I've been dying to use it. Teeny Camisole was the perfect opportunity. Plus, who doesn't love to stash bust? I know I do. It gives me an excuse to buy more yarn. Muwaahaaaaaaa!

Anyway. All in all, I really like this top. It's a perfect fit and the Cotton Classic makes it lightweight and airy. And that is why I took Teeny Camisole to Paree while I met up with my sister over the weekend.




Monsieur Le Hubby, Captain Destructo and I were so busy catching up with my sis and her husband, and meeting my adorable baby niece that no time was available for taking shots of the Teeny Camisole (which my sister says reminds her of Amelie Poulain...isn't that cool?) in action. But I didn't want to leave you totally pictureless, so I did snap some shots for you on Sunday as we walked around after lunch. Come on...you knew I'd have another Paris slideshow for you, right? Enjoy :-)