pattern: gemini by jane richmond yarn: knit picks cotlin in clementine

hello my knitting lovelies. how are you all today?  we're coming out a bit from the croup cloud and a not so nice visit to the er.  i'm hoping we're on the up and up here so i thought what better pictures to brighten up my day and lift my spirits than revealing my color choice for my " tops, tanks & tees knit along" project!  i know...it's bright!  hahahaha, but i love it.  i'll be making gemini by jane richmond and i'm using knit picks cotlin in colorway clementine. 



i had a very, very, very hard time choosing my yarn.  i knew the yarn i wanted to use right off the bat so that was easy, but choosing from the many lovely colors was quite difficult for me.  the one side of me wanted to go with a nice chocolate brown - pretty and classic for all seasons. but then another part of me kept being called to by clementine.  the side of me who loves bright colors and prints wanted the clementine and the side of me who loves linens and neutrals wanted a soft grey or dark brown...what's a girl to do.

sometimes being a gemini is tough...thus the pattern choice..wink wink.  so i decided (after some strong encouraging from my knit night gals) to bite the bullet and go with clementine.  luckily 2 of my other knit night friends decided to go with 2 happy colors as well and we all love them.  so sometimes it pays to be a bit daring.  i think this yummy orange tone will be a super cheerful asset to my summer wardrobe and you definitely won't miss my gemini out on the street..lol...but i heart it.  there's no halloween here folks...just a soft, light, airy & juicy orange!


the cotlin blend of cotton/linen is perfect for this top and my wallet. at just $2.79 a skein for a 70% tanguis cotton/30% linen blend you just can't go wrong.  it's soft and has a lovely drape to it.  i started my swatch the other day and am on my second one now.  i did my first gauge swatch using a regular swatching method and was way too loose.  i'm a loose purler and the gauge calls for stockinette so after chatting with jane i decided to try doing my swatch in the round instead to see what i got and low and behold...i'm spot on!

have you ever swatched in the round?  i hadn't and boy is it different.  so weird but def worth it.  here's a great tutorial jane did recently on how to do a swatch in the round.  doing a gauge swatch is super duper important and i don't make anything and i mean anything without doing one..lol.  so i highly recommend checking out these posts that we've done on getting gauge and on choosing your yarns.  there's a wealth of helpful knowledge there and it will help you to get a great fit and a lovely drape.  and remember...when it comes to making a garment a swatch is a necessity - or i believe it is..lol, but then i'm all for doing a gauge swatch.  it's annoying, yes, but it's worth the extra 30 minutes you'd be sacrificing for a gauge swatch.  i wouldn't want you spending months making a sweater/top that ends up too big or too small where you'll end up be wishing you swatched. trust me.  so get reading and grab those needles and get swatching :)



ready to hear the deets?  here's the info my knitty pals...

start date:  april 11th, 2012
end date:  may 23rd, 2012 (the prize winners will be announced the following week)

*both knitting and/or crocheting is accepted and encouraged :)

enter the tops, tanks & tees knit along here:


*you must be entered & have started a project to be eligible for the giveaway at the end of the knit along.

you can follow along with all things tops, tanks & tees kal here:


have you chosen your pattern yet? what yarn will you be using? are any of you being daring and doing a bright color? so excited for next week's start date! i'm itching to start knitting my top!!!