Silver Lining

Quite a while ago, I borrowed Knitting in Vogue No.3 from the public library and was really taken by the Tucked Woollen Dress. Understandably, I was also quite dismayed when I realized the largest size offered was a 24" chest. (Which, in hindsight, may actually have been for the best, seeing as how the pattern would probably not have translated well into adult sizes.) So I resolved at the time - I queued the pattern May 2012, so it's been almost a whole 2 years now! - to size it up and make my own. I would plug in different measurements, work out the gauge I'm going to work at, and recalculate everything. (This isn't actually that difficult. At all. Simple multiplication and division.)
2 years down the road (present day), I've realized that this pattern would probably not look quite as adorable on me as it does on the toddler in the picture. The tucks on the skirt would have to be huge to keep the proportions on me, and puff sleeves aren't the most flattering look I could ask for. But I still adored those tucks and that button-up back, so I decided that I could just take those two design elements and run with it! So now, armed with simple math skills, a calculator, sketches, a tape measure, and what knitting know-how I've accumulated, I finally sat down to finish some final sketches, make a gauge swatch (blocked and measured!), and did some math. I'm using the madtosh lace in charcoal and hoping that I'll have enough! I should - it's almost 3000 yards I've got right now, so I'd be really worried if that wasn't enough. But I still bought another skein at the Knitter's Frolic, just in case. It's a lot darker and a different tone compared to my other 3 skeins, but it's a last resort thing, so it'll be fine. I'll use it for the sleeves if anything.

Speaking of which, although I thought to myself, "This madtosh stuff isn't anything special, apart from the gorgeous colour, maybe, but even that other yarn companies have... it's a little overrated" while I was knitting up the swatch, my opinion took a 180 after I washed it and blocked it out! It's so ridiculously soft after washing and blocking and just beautiful! While I'm sure other yarns have that going for them as well (Araucania, my love), madelinetosh has made my favourites list.