New Threads FRIDAY!
*************************************

Queen Bling
Designer: Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Katia *JOYA*
Color: Copper #8
Gauge: 18 sts/24rows over 4″
Needles: #10.5

Behold! The power of the Lust for A New Party Outfit!

I am shocked/not shocked that I actually finished this – it was basically begun on the 14th of December and WHOOT! Two weeks later, even though the blur of the holidaze spun my head, even though the naughty nature of this tinselly ribbon provoked and aggravated this native, even though other more important projects were staring me in the face, I finished this.

PARTAY!

A pile of jewels anchored by a brooch fills the deep neckline with a sigh.

Originally, I was going to use leftover gold tone ribbon to finish the edges, but it didn’t work! The bright gold in the main ribbon clashed with the dullness of the edging. So I went back to the drawing board and decided to try the red leftover ribbon instead. It neither detracts or retracts but edges the shell with a delightful KISS of color that is in the same tonal range as the Copper in the body ribbon.

You’ve painted up your lips
And rolled and curled your tinted hair
Ruby are you contemplating
Going out somewhere
The shadow on the wall
Tells me the sun is going down
Oh Ruby
Don’t take your love to town

…Read the Complete Notes HERE…

wherein I practice what I preach…

This is one of my most favorite tops. It is a stretch tank with a relief paisley pattern in the velvet. The label reads “Pandora”. I’ve had it so long I’ve forgotten where I originally bought it but I suspect it might’ve been the neighborhood Rainbow…

It is a holiday staple.

So much so that when I decided to make the Queen Bling top, I used its dimensions as a standard to shoot for. If I could match the measurements in strategic places on this top, chance were very good that it would FIT me in the same way.

This is the key to success for most of the garments I’ve made that fit me well the last few years. I’ve studied commercial standard measurements and brought this into play by comparing the dimensions in my off-the-rack wardrobe to actual knitting patterns and designs out there.

At first, I was shocked by the major discrepancy between the two worlds. Why wouldn’t the two standards be closer together? I want my hand-knitted garments to look and fit like a commercial garment. Would this time be any different?

Deal or No Deal?

hit reload to replay animation…

Deal. Even though the materials used in these tanks are a world apart, their basic fabric behavior is very similar. The velvet has a little lycra and therefore has tension in its fabric; the knitting of the sparkly ribbon adds tension and stretch to its fabric as well. Side shaping matches; length is negotiable. Since I actually have some *JOYA* left, I am going to pick up around the bottom of the QB shell and add about an inch or however long the yarn lasts…