Thursday, August 09, 2007

Bonita es una nueva camisa muy bonita!


After much ado (and much frogging and re-knitting!) Bonita is finally here for her debut!

Her pretty scoop neck and bodice

Her wavy beaded edges


Her lovely lace and chartreuse beads


And the money shot!


Specs:

Bonita from Rowan #41

Second to largest size - 46 inch chest measurement

8.5 skeins Berroco Nostalgia, colorway #6672 "Gecko"

Size #3 (3.25 mm) 32" Addi Lace circular needles

Approx. 400 size 2/0 chartreuse seed beads

Mods:

Well of course being me, I changed just about everything :)

I subbed the yarn. I found the called for Rowan Damask not only ridiculously spendy but really too busy to show off the lace well.

I had just used the Berroco Nostalgia to make the Retro Redux Shrug and loved it so I was glad to find a colorway I liked that worked well with the lace. I adore the green and I think the chartreuse beads really compliment the design.

The Nostalgia is a cotton/microfiber blend with a lot of bounce so it was a dream to knit. It's a good thing because if you recall, I decided I wasn't happy with the first incarnation of the "front" because I was off a few stitches and I didn't like the shaping so I frogged the whole front, 200 beads included! (I also omitted the shaping completely in v.2 cause I figured being fluffy gives me built in shaping, heh!)

I always have a very loose gauge with cotton so I had to go down FOUR needle sizes to get gauge! The pattern called for a #7, I used a #3.

The finished product is next to the skin soft with lots of memory so unlike pure cotton I don't worry about it stretching out into a tent by the end of the day! I LOVE this yarn, can ya tell?

The original pattern calls for a SKP to form the lace but I changed mine to my preferred centered double decrease which is why you can see a more defined "line" with each lace repeat (click to embiggen for a closer look!)

The original pattern design had a rather high neck in the front and a "scoop" in the back from which you were instructed to knit an I-cord from which you were to hang a shell ornament that hung down the back into the scoop as a sort of backwards necklace. Um, no thanks :)

I knit two "backs" and made mine more of a tank than a shell with a scoop neck both back and front. A design much more Florida friendly! I figure if it's warm enough to go sleeveless with lace who wants a high neck with a shell hanging down your back, right?

In summary, te quiero mi Bonita!! I love how she turned out - the fit is great, it's nice and cool, it can be dressed up or down and it was an easy, enjoyable knit! I would totally recommend this as a first lace top for any lace newbie.

I leave you with my Director of Photography taking a little break. The photo shoot was so hard on my P-Man he needed a bit of Kitty TV to relax with.


Have a great week!

48 comments:

alltangledup said...

it's lovely and making mods is one of the great things about knitting..you can change it to getexactly what you want. Ilove that green

Anonymous said...

Very pretty - love everything about it!

Terri said...

I think your changes made it absolutely perfect! I love everything about it, and I bet the beads really make it a stunner. Happy knitting.

Carole Knits said...

That's fabulous, Debi!

Alison said...

Beautiful! I'm so glad you stuck with her!

Anonymous said...

It's just gorgeous!!! Love the changes you made to it, too.

Monika said...

Nice top! Love the color and the bead work! But what I would really like to do now, is pet the P-man, even if it's hot, because his coat looks absolutey soft and lustres. ;o)

Angie said...

Beautiful, You tempt me with your knitting. Lovely, truly lovely.

Nana Sadie said...

Oh WOW! Just so pretty...the lace is delightful! You should be very proud!
(and of course, P-Man is scrumptious as always!)
(((hugs)))

Barbara-Kay said...

It is so beautiful! Congratulations on a great job!

Hugs to Pumpkin!

Anonymous said...

Love it! I'm a sucker for anything green, too. I'm still reeling from the change in needle size to get gauge.

Anonymous said...

Muy bonita! I love the decrease too.

Diane said...

Bonita came out really nice. Love the color and the beading.

Nice to see your P-Man security system is keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

WandaWoman said...

I love all your mods to Bonita. I recall seeing the initial picture with that necklace in the back. Umm, no, that didn't appeal to me either. I agree if you're in a climate where you can wear the tank, why would you want a high neck? That said, Bonita looks great! I adore that green and the beads work wonderfully with the design. Gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Bonita es muy simpatico. Muy bonita, mi amigo.

(That's about it for my grasp of Spanish. Future posts will all be in English.) LOL

Dorothy said...

Muy buena! I think that's right. One semester of Spanish in college and I'm still useless. I love beaded edging. Hmm - any chance of a model shot? I just realized I don't even know what you look like.

Kristi aka Fiber Fool said...

Gorgeous, Debi! I like your mods a lot.

alt.ayu said...

Umm... i can't speak a word of spanish...

BUT that doesn't stop me from saying 'I love this top!'
hehe great modifications too!

Anonymous said...

HEY! I was just thinking about that tank this weekend when I bought the Damask on sale, but I so did not want to spend the money on the Rowan mag, because that is a lot and the tank is the only thing I want to make, except that I want to change it all up as well, so I decided that I should really just design something similar myself, because, well just because. I love the one you made. I LOVE the color. I should have gotten that color, there is a similar one in the damask, but you know. I got blue. Maybe I'll exchange it......

Anonymous said...

Hey, were there beads in the original pattern? I love that little bit of glitz at the bottom. Tell me more.

Agnes said...

Beautiful! I love the colour ... so good for summer season.

Marguerite said...

Beautiful! The beads just make it so special.

You're such a smart girl to knit summer things in the summer. Unlike moi who is knitting a heavy wool Acorn sweater.

I second Dorothy's request to see a modeled shot. All I know about how you look is that you have great fingernails.

Leslie said...

Muy bonita. Felicitationes, Senorita Debi, por un otro camisol perfecta. Or something like that :)

What shade of green fingernail polish are you planning to wear with it?

Nan said...

I hadn't stopped in for a visit to your blog in awhile, it looks like you have been very busy, I love your new creation!

Lorette said...

Fabulous, is right! I love the green.

Anonymous said...

But apart from that, it's identical to the pattern!
You did a lovely job on interpreting the pattern and making it work for you (I'm all for that, you may have noticed!)

Cookie said...

She's beautiful!

You and the P-Man did a wonderful job.

Madge said...

Your Bonita is tres belle! (I can't speak Spanish, so I'll go with French.) Fantastic job on making the pattern yours, yours, yours!

La Cabeza Grande said...

You've got the magic touch, Debi! Way to go, making the design work exactly the way you needed it, too.

Nothing but the beaded best, my friend!

p.s. Scruffles to the P-Man...

Opal said...

It's beautiful! You did a fantastic job!

Beth said...

That's gorgeous! Puts me in the mood to knit something more substantial than a sock.

Unknown said...

I love the color and the (lack of) pooling. Beautiful!

Carol said...

Bonita is a beauty! And yes, very FL friendly! If I want a shell on my back, I'll lay on the beach, thank you! ;) I so love the colors and the beading!

Sharlene said...

¡Muy bonita, es verdad! Y el gatito es muy hermoso tambien.

Norma said...

It's just so juicy and limey and beaded and lacy and LOVELY!!! A really wonderful piece, and a wonderful job you did on it, Deb!

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmmm yum! That is truly gorgeous.

blissfulknitterATgmailDOTcom

ravelling said...

Gorgeous! L love that green.

Anonymous said...

it's beautiful! the yarn isn't so variegated that it obscures the lace pattern. and it's classic enough that you'll get lots of wear out of it.

Batty said...

Wow, that's just plain amazing. I love the colors, the pattern, the beads... it's just incredible.

Anonymous said...

That tank is gawjess! I love the beading. Good call on the inverse necklace thingy!

Are you happy with the color of green, cuz I think it's ravishing!

Meg said...

ooh la la!

Knittinreed said...

Stunning!!!!

Diana said...

Wow, that is one great looking summer knit! it's really fabulous! The colors 'landed' perfectly. The beads..... Oh! wow, wow, wow!!!

Sheri at The Loopy Ewe said...

Oh, so pretty! (Love the color, as well as the pattern.)

Jes said...

Stunning! I particularly like the beads. Those are a serious commitment =)
You've got me all interested in this yarn now! I can't wait to meet some in person.

Anonymous said...

Oh quite pretty! I love the colors, it kind of reminds me of prairie grasses waving in the wind :-)

Anonymous said...

Lovely! I really admire your stick-to-it-iveness. The devil is in the details.

Director of photography too? He is a cat of many hats.

Yosemite said...

Your Bonita is lovely. I really like the beaded accents. I have to knit more with beads.

The pink yarn is really nice as well. Can't wait to see how the sock looks all worked up.