I am so incredibly happy that I have finally got this garment off the blocking boards and on to my back. I love it so much. It worked exactly as I had pictured it in my head woo-hoo!
Here it is, in all it's drapey glory. Didn't it block out beautifully? I'm so pleased with how it folds at the front, and the fronts are long enough to wrap around myself comfortably. The obvious way of keeping the front closed is to use a shawl pin.
I do look terribly serious in all these photos, for which I apologise, it's because I'm running around like a loon, using the timer on the camera which is balanced precariously on top of two coffee tables, a stack of books and a tiny tripod. I'm having to concentrate very hard indeed. I also think I'm standing in a very strange manner in this photo, but you get the idea.
I'm really pleased that I shaped the neckline. I measured the neckline graduation from the shop bought version of this garment that I used as a sort of template. The applied i-cord gives the top edge a really defined look.
Having worn the garment for about a week I can confirm that the applied i-cord was a very good idea, especially round the back of the neck. It is helping prevent stretching. Even though this is only 4ply (or fingering) weight yarn there is quite a lot of fabric being held up by the back of the neck.
After seeing other projects of this type of garment on Ravelry, I decided to try wearing it with a belt.
I think it gives it great shape. I particularly like it when I fold back both edges.
I like the v-neck shape and the contrast between the right side and the wrong side of the fabric. I have to confess, I really love the wrong side of this fabric.
It blends beautifully together. The above photo shows the reverse of the sewn hem, where it meets with the applied i-cord. It worked out so neatly.
I was stunned at how invisible the hem is after blocking. I also love how the fabric looks after blocking. This yarn really is lovely once it has been washed. It softens and almost gleams because of the vibrant colours. I really do love Araucania Ranco, it is a fabulous yarn.
Oh, I haven't shown you the back of the garment yet.
I like that it just covers my backside. I love it when I knit from the top down! The creases in the back are because I had just taken the belt off.
And once again, standing like the poorly person I am. I can't help it sometimes. I just stand weird because of the pain, that and being close to the wall.
But apart from the weird postures, I love how the garment looks from all sides. I love that it fits so snugly at the arms and shoulders and then is flowing and loose further down. I also love that it can be made to look fitted if I want it to.
Basically I'm really proud of this garment and I know I will get lots of wear out of it. Several people have asked if I will write up the pattern, but I'm not going to. I didn't take very comprehensive notes and those that I did relate to how this garment fits ME. There are also several really great patterns out there that are almost exactly the same as mine. I just decided that I wanted to fit this garment exactly to me, as I'm not really a standard shape.
Here are a few links to patterns that are nearly like mine, just in case you fancy a try yourself. I can't make any comment on the quality or ease of the pattern, I'm just linking them up so you can have a go if you fancy it, and to show I'm telling the truth about there not being a gap in the market wide enough for me to spend weeks on writing up a pattern that three people download. Sorry!
Waterfall Type Patterns on Ravelry
Perla and Ecuador by Joji Locatelli
Vitamin D byHeidi Kirrmaier
Top Down Gilet by Naganasu
Hestia by Jacquelyn Ridzy
Yoga Wrap by Adrienne Vittadini
Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig
Adrift by Carole Feller
Long jacket with short sleeves knitted from side to side in ”Alpaca” and ”Vivaldi” by DROPS Design
Waterfall by Sarah Hatton
And if you don't like any of them, then I recommend Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits. I got the maths for how to do the raglan shaping from her generic pattern at the back of the book. Then I kept increasing at the neckline until I had the width of panels that I wanted. The rest was just stocking stitch until I hit the hem. I knit the sleeves in the round decreasing to keep it fitting closely to my arm measurements. I then did applied i-cord everywhere there wasn't a hem!
I really do recommend this book as it gives you the confidence to try making garments to fit you, using very simple basic patterns. This is aimed at beginners who haven't done any designing before, and encourages you to try altering patterns by just a bit, to make it fit you better. It is also one of the books I turn to time and time again. It was worth every penny.
I am posting this automatically on Friday, but I won't be able to look at your comments, and approve them, until after the weekend as I will be out celebrating a family wedding. And yes it does go on for two days! So enjoy your weekend and maybe have a look at some other finished projects at Tami's Amis.
PS I'm guessing at the link via the button. If it doesn't work, click on the Tami's Amis link above to get to the front page of the blog.