Thanks for the suggestions to go to Get Knitted and John Lewis in Bristol! I did try to go to Get Knitted, but every time we were going past it, it was closed, or we were already running quite late for something else. But John Lewis did yield some treasure! More Rowan than you can shake a stick at, that goes without saying. but I was on the hunt for something that I hadn't heard of, something special.....
... and then I found them.
The skein on the left is
Marisol Sulka, in Black Pepper, and the skein on the right is
Marisol Hacho, in Purple Peacock. It's been a while since I was seriously interested in sock yarn, and this Marisol Hacho did it for me. As for the Sulka, I couldn't resist- it is the cuddliest, softest merino, and the black is amazing- it has the softest halo colour combination of golden brown and bright blue over the basic black. Have a look:
And then this photo pretty much sums up my feelings on the subject:
It was a good day for yarn.
And books. I love checking out books in other native English speaking countries, to see which authors they are showcasing, what's new, and what simply doesn't always make it across the pond. I'm on a bit of a non-fiction kick at the moment, and bought
this and
this. I haven't started either of them yet. I'm still reeling from the novel I read on the flight over:
Utterly amazing novel, I read it all in one sitting, it is that compelling.
But back to the yarn...I did some resesarch on the yarn afterwards, and found that the
Marisol Project works on developing sustainable income and social programs for the communities in Peru where the yarn is made. So naturally I felt even happier about my yarn purchase- it's kind of like saving the world, via knitting. At least that's what I tell myself.
I was so busy having an amazing time in the UK, that I didn't do any knitting on the eyelet ribbed bandeau, except on the flight back (I slept on the flight there, or at least tried):
And I was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to me:
Knitting and an extra seat? That's luxurious flying.
I have to give props to my boyfriend, he took most of these photos. For someone who doesn't knit, he certianly knows how to photograph yarn!
The Specs
Pattern: Eyelet Ribbed Bandeau, from Interweave Knits, Summer 2007
Size: Small
Yarn: Filati Italian Collection Tebe Extrafine Merino. I cannot say enough good things about this yarn, I immediately fell in love with it's sprongy-ness. I dont' care if that's not a word, this yarn is heaven. Heaven!
Needles: 3.25 mm, 3.5 mm, 3.75 mm (straights and circulars)
Modifications: Made it a couple inches longer. The waist shaping is done with needle sizes, so it didn't pose any challenges to the shaping and how it aligned on my actual body.
Notes: I would have finished this a month ago, if I hadn't misplace the pattern for over three weeks! I bet a lot of people were put off by the eyelets in this, and figured it wouldn't be wearable. My original plan was to wear something underneath, but I found that the eyelets were small enought that my skintone strapless bra worked just fine.
If I was knitting this again, I would make the button band longer. The pattern calls for the button band to be shorter than the length of the top, but I found that the top is only as long as the button band allows. So my extra inches in length were all for naught, and cause a bit of bunching sometimes.
And I can I just say how much I love picot hems?
You would think a merino tube top would be toasty, but I have to say- I froze my tail off in that thing. Those eyelets, while modest enough, sure do provide a lot of ventilation! a bit of a breeze, and it feels like you don't even have a top on. 
As for my final opinion? I'm not sure. I want to like it, but it's shorter than I thought it would be, and sometimes it's hard to appreciate a knit for what it is rather than what you were expecting it to be. The pattern is a breeze, but if you hate finishing, I warn you now- there is a LOT of sewing involved in this. Button bands are sewn on, not knitted on, and the picot is comprised of live stitches that are tacked down on the other side to form the hem.
Hats off to G, who took the photos. I must admit, it's very nice to have someone else (other than me, I mean) taking pictures!
Having this blog has really made me face up to something... I'm really uncomfortable having my photo taken. I don't know why, exactly, but I find that when I've had time to register that my photo is being taken, it's like I tuck away my personality somewhere, where the camera can't see it. So the best photos of me are the ones where I didn't have time to react to the camera, or when I didn't even know I was having my picture taken. And, I'll confess, they also aren't bad when I've had plenty to drink..... damn the liberating effects of alcohol! None of those factors are in play below, though:
I totally knew Kevin was taking a picture, and Jen is making a cute wide-eyed face, and I'm moving around, playing with my meat tongs, trying to pretend the camera doesn't exist and generally blurring all over the place. Classic. You'd think I'd be comfortable considering I was the one that pulled out the camera, but no. And then here's Becca, being super cute, and really working the meat tongs:
So, I'm conducting an experiment to get myself more comfortable in front of a camera- I'm starting self portrait Sunday. I'm not sure exactly what but if it means I don't have to take three or four tries to get some good shots of FOs, then I'm all for it. Sunday, I'll post the first one. I'm interested to see how long it takes before I feel more comfortable in front of a camera.