Gotta' love the Patagonia

Here it is, my finished, modified Waterlily pattern. Sometimes it's good to listen to yourself when you need to change things up a bit. I'm not feeling so guilty about setting Pearl aside because getting away from the size 6 needles was just the break I needed to galvanize myself against tiny needle fatigue. Don't worry, I'm not going to slip into the fast pace world of bulky weight yarns and super size needles, recklessly casting on chunky oversized creations that no one in their right mind would wear.
Here is a photo of the back. Photography credit goes to That Guy who very patiently waited for me to decide where to pose for this and wasn't the least bit embarrassed. He also offered and bought me yarn at the LYS after we got his hair cut (the LYS was across the street from where he goes) and went in the store. SIGH. What a keeper!

There were moments with this project that I worried - have I paired yarn with a pattern that was never meant to be? I just wasn't sure how it would turn out. Although I had done a gauge swatch in which I got stitch gauge, and although I initially got row gauge as well I could tell that it would grow in length since I was using cotton. Ultimately, it carries the same silhouette and details as the original pattern and I love it. If you have that issue and compare it to the original, you will see that with the growth in length from the weight of the cotton has made my neckline considerably lower. With the eyelet in the pattern though I would wear a tank underneath anyway, and I quite like it. It breaks up what might have been an overly chunky knit. Really, the only change I made to the pattern was that I did less rows betweens decrease rows since I didn't have the yardage called for in the pattern. It's a good thing to because if I had done it as written, even if I had enough yardage, it would have ended up being a dress!

The other thing I love about this top is the way the three different skeins colors balanced overall. The Patagonia cotton, even if you have skeins that were dyed at the same time with the same colors, will have variations in how much of each color is present. The first skein that covers the hips has hardly any of the amber color, but the second which covers the bust is riddled with it. The third skein, used in shaping the straps and then to finish of the bottom edge, is much cooler, infused with some lavender, and the amber deepens almost to a golden green. The way the stockinette stitch works up reminds me of feathers!

On another note, I am closing in on my last week at the theatre. I'm very excited about grad school and have been looking forward to this time off that I've planned, but I will miss seeing my colleagues day in and day out. The last show that I will have made a costume for has it's final preview tonight and opens tomorrow. I'm going to try to not cry, but I make no promises!
Tschuss!