Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Personal knit/new design - Tunicus Maximus.

I started a new project late last night (after midnight). I don't know why, but I just really wanted to start something fun and different than my other projects. I had plans to make a long sweater tunic, so last night I cast on and work a bit of the bottom ribbing. I am making it up as I go, but writing down the steps as I make them. Hopefully in the end I will have a working pattern for my size, then just have to figure out how to change the pattern for other sizes.

I am using size 10 40" circulars and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Painted yarn in the color "Juicy." I wanted a hand painted yarn for some interest since I am going to keep the design very simple and clean looking. I measured around my hips to find the size I needed in inches then multiplied it by how many stitches per inch I got from my swatch. I cast on 168 stitches and started working in a 2x rib. I worked on it for a couple hours last night and have approximately 2 inches of length.

 I am really impressed with how the colors are working out. I think it looks very pretty. The yarn feels softer in hand than it did on the hank and has been nice to work with so far.

I plan to knit 5-6 inches of rib before I start working stockinette. I am making this out of chunky yarn and thought a bigger band at the bottom and around the neckline would help balance out the look.

I won't be working on this very much as I still have 3 projects to complete from Christmas. This is something that I will work on when I need a change from little needles to give my hands a break.

I don't know why I decided to name this "Tunicus Maximus" but I thought it was both fun and kinda cheesy.  It doesn't really have anything to do with the sweater tunic or the design I am going for, but I guess I was in a gladiator type mood when I started working on it. We'll see if I decide to keep the name or if I come up with something else later.

I don't really know what the protocol is when making a pattern similar to someone else's. I have been wanting to make a sweater tunic since about fall time, and have seen several patterns that I liked. I particularly liked "Diva Tunic"by Phoenix Bess. (I do believe you need to have a Ravelry account (it's free) to view the links). I am drawing most of my inspiration from this pattern, but I am not copying it exactly. I did not purchase her pattern and my tunic will look similar but not exactly like it. I will be making my tunic longer and will be fashioning the neckline and arm holes how I want. I will also be doing the shaping in a way to suit me. I am creating my tunic from the ground up while looking at other tunics for inspiration. I just wanted to say where I was getting my inspiration from and to give a nod to Phoenix Bess. I like many of her designs and think she makes beautiful clothing. I have one of her books in my wishlist on amazon that I hope to buy in a couple months. Her stuff is definitely worth checking out.

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