Swatching Alyce

Bill took his bike for service today at the very wonderful Morton’s BMW. Since it’s such a nice drive over there, and I’m always looking for an excuse to ride mybike, I decided to go along.The service takes several hours, and of course, that means time to knit.But what to bring?My Symphony Jacket only travels with its entourage of glamorous components, so I had to find something else. Something small.Hey, I could swatch for the Alyce Tee.Like I need an excuse to start yet another project. But hey, I needsomething small to bring.

The pattern diagram and chart looked daunting, but I figure, hey, I’m just going to swatch it.I grab a ball of Grace, my pattern, and needles, shove them into a bag and strap them down with a bungee cord. When we get there, I settle into their comfy leather couch and cast on. I get 5 stitches to the inch on a 7, so that's where I start. Pretty soon I'm engrossed in CNN on the giant plasma screen tv, and my swatch comes along quickly. Even though Grace is billed as a DK weight yarn, it works well at a worsted weight too. Single ply will bloom as much as you let it, so I know it will be fine at this gauge.

Then I take a quick peek at the pattern chart. Hmmm. Twenty-one stitch repeat. Nothing too weird. I give it a try. It's good. There are two yarn overs in a row which is different, but it gives a nice big eyelet and a kind of lattice effect. the central motif makes a leaf. Very pretty.

There are still a couple of rows in the pattern repeat, but you get the idea. There's waist shaping in the pattern to accentuate the positive. This woman really knows how to enhance a woman's body. Thank you, Joan.