Picovoli

Picovoli is finally finished! It seemed to take forever, because it was the first time I'd knitted a garment with DK yarn. I'm very pleased with the neat fit due to the waist shaping. The picot edging is cute too.



I've also started Tempting 2, which I hope is going to be a quick knit. I used the tubular cast on, which gives a very neat edge. I am using the Calmer specified in the pattern. It's the first time I've used it, and knits up much more nicely than its appearance in the ball suggests. It's also very silky to the touch and a pleasure to handle. Worth the money!

I tried using different sized needles to get some waist shaping, but to be honest, the tension seems to come out the same regardless of the needle size. I think the elasticity in the yarn makes it somehow spring back to a certain size, no matter what the knitter does!

The main ribbing is going quite quickly, but I'm having trouble mastering the dpns for the sleeves. I started off using long bamboo needles and got very obvious ladders. I've now bought some shorter metal needles, and they seem to work better.

I've also taken Thea's good advice about the lace project, and have stopped trying to fight with it to complete my 'stitches per day' goal. I'm now just knitting it when I feel like it, which is mostly at the weekend, when I have more time and my brain is less frazzled. Although progress is slower, I'm enjoying it more and seem to get more of a rhythm.