The Sweatshop of Love Blog » Allendale http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog The Sweatshop of Love Blog celebrates every aspect of knitting - from finding a pattern to finishing a project. I publish my own patterns, share everything on my needles, and help knitters of all skill levels get excited about knitting. Never snobby, I use creativity and ingenuity to create finished projects for less. More than anything, The Sweatshop of Lover's Blog LOVES knitting and wants to make you love it, too. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:10:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 FO: The Loop Entrelac Tank http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/22/fo-the-loop-entrelac-tank/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/22/fo-the-loop-entrelac-tank/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:06:26 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=6378

I know. It’s showing off. Yesterday I got to show you my Make Up Your Mind tank and today I’ve got my The Loop Entrelac Tank hot off the needles!

The Loop! Looking Sexy!

Yes, I paid too much for that tiny skirt so I’m getting it as much face time as humanly possible, and trying to prove to myself that it can be worn with anything! My Make Up Your Mind AND my The Loop Entrelac Tank!

Just Chilling by the Logs!

But enough about the skirt, let’s talk about that tank! I expressed my concern for it being too small when I finished the front, so I added more stitches when I cast on for the back, increased more than was instructed, and blocked aggressively. And it fits! I wish it had a little more flow in the tummy area, but it fits and I’m just going to have to eat like a tiny bird when I wear it.

Boob Shot

Could the construction of the front of this tank be any more flattering? From the yarn over increases to where the entrelac is placed and crisscrossed, it all works. I like it in one color, too! It’s almost too commercial looking, you know?

Yep! Arnold is Still Under There!

The one thing I’m not happy with is the side seam. I really don’t know what I was thinking with the visible, hole increases. It looks messy. But with boobs like that who is going to be looking at my seams? AM I RIGHT?!

Cute!

I’m really happy I revisited this pattern. It was fun to knit (besides that never ending K1P1 rib in the back that I neglected to take a picture of!), turned out great, and totally wearable. I hope you guys all had as much fun knitting it as I did!

Pattern: My The Loop Entrelac Tank

Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport in Bermuda Heather

Needles: Size 4s and 7s

Ravelry Project Page

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]]> http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/22/fo-the-loop-entrelac-tank/feed/ 7 FO: Make Up Your Mind http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/21/fo-make-up-your-mind/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/21/fo-make-up-your-mind/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:05:58 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=6367

Hello from Minneapolis! Before I left I used my mom’s beautiful house as a backdrop for my knit along sweater FO shots. I don’t think she’ll mind.

Make Up Your Mind!

How cute is this tank?! It fits well, even though I was going for a larger, looser top. The 4″ I added worked out perfectly – I love the longer length. It will be a really great tank to just throw on to cover up the fact that I’m just wearing a wife beater.

LONG and Pretty!

I added 4 rows of single crochet to the bottom and I love the loop. It’s weighting the top down nicely, as you can see here, and adds yet another texture. You can also see that the neckline bind off is a little loose. I’m going to see how this plays out during a day’s wear and maybe add a line of single crochet along the neckline, too.

Me and Pug Baby Otis

I got a couple visits while I was doing this shoot! Pug Baby Otis needed to get some camera time, and what’s that under my chair?

Arnold Sleeping Away

My mom’s cat Arnold. He hung out on the back deck between squirrel killings the entire time I was in Michigan.

Hot From The Back, Too!

I had to modify the back because I was following two sizes – my stitch count was for size 44 but my inches and sizing was coming from size 36, so I got to the inches I needed before my stitch count was right all the way through making the back, but it all turned out!

YAY!

How much do I love this top? THIS MUCH! We made it through some issues with the armhole shaping, but other than that this top was a total joy to knit and I’m excited to wear it all summer!

Pattern: Julie of Knitted Bliss‘s Make Up Your Mind

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Fingering in Hollyberry

Needles: Size 6 circulars

Ravelry Project Page

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]]> http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/21/fo-make-up-your-mind/feed/ 12 Goodbye Michigan http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/19/goodbye-michigan/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/19/goodbye-michigan/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:01:48 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=6358

I’ve been hanging out in Michigan for more than two weeks, helping out with the babies and hanging out with my family. This time has flown by!

Baby Ryenn

Remember that outfit I made for yet-to-be-named baby niece back in March? Ryenn’s mom decided it should be her outfit for her announcements! It doesn’t get much cuter than that, right? For project details check out my rav page.

Cherry Pie!

We’ve also done a huge amount of eating. We picked cherries and made pies and cherry butter! We’ve been feasting on my mom’s garden. I’ve barely left the house. It’s been glorious.

But I’m headed back to Minneapolis tomorrow. You know what is hard to get to from West Michigan? Minneapolis. It’s either a $300 plane ticket with a layover in Milwaukee or a 13 hour Amtrak to MegaBus shitshow that will save me about $250. You know what this Dutch girl picked.

I’ve had a couple 13 hour travel days. From Michigan to New York City last summer. From Minneapolis to Michigan for Christmas last year. I’ve got projects lined up, snacks packed, and a visit with my best girl Rachel in Chicago during my transfer. I’m as prepared as I can be!

I’ll be sharing KAL FOs when I get myself organized! I can’t wait to share how they turned out!

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]]> http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/19/goodbye-michigan/feed/ 4 Unexpected Independence Day in Michigan http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/06/unexpected-independence-day-in-michigan/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/06/unexpected-independence-day-in-michigan/#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:48:29 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=6284

PT and I were planning on driving to Michigan yesterday, over a week before my sister in law Emily’s due date, to hang out and wait for that baby to come, but things never really go as planned, do they?

Miss Ryenn Dykhuizen!

Miss Ryenn Dykhuizen was born on July 3rd at 9:15pm! All 9 lbs, 1oz and 22″ of her. And only 1 year and 17 days after her brother Baby Nolan. Crazy, right?! Babies abound!

Baby Nolan!

So we took off from Minneapolis when we got the word on July 3rd that she was going into labor and only missed Ryenn being born by about 3 hours. But that did mean we got to spend Independence Day in Allendale with my family.

Nolan and his Dad

We threw some lawn chairs in the car, drove about a mile down the street, and set up shop in a field next to my old high school.

Fireworks in the Field!

Everyone was setting off their own fireworks while we were waiting for the sun to set. It was a show within a show!

FIREWORKS!

Once the big show started, though, we were all eyes to the skies.

Me and Nolan

For a town of 17,000 they put on a pretty good show! I hope your Independence Day was full of family, friends, food, and babies, too.

 

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]]> http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/07/06/unexpected-independence-day-in-michigan/feed/ 1 Dead Blog http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/04/04/dead-blog/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/04/04/dead-blog/#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:03:57 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=5595

When I’m in Michigan with the family, like I was this past week, I stay up late and get up early. I eat mostly crap. It’s pretty glorious. Unfortunately these habits leave me pretty susceptible to illness, so mix in a couple Amtrak trips, 4 days with a sick baby, AND my mom’s pretty bad head-cold… well you can see where this is going.

Cute Sick Baby!

I’m going to try entertaining you with a few more shots from my trip.

If, however, you’d like some actual content, I published the last 2 Knit and Crochet Blog Week posts over the weekend that you might have missed since, you know, it was over the weekend.

Day 6′s question was about projects and patterns I aspire to, and how my personality gets in the way of my knitting.

Big Baby Arnold

And Day 7′s question was about when I craft, and how the answer to that is when DON’T I craft?! Am I right?!

Barley, Looking Awesome

That gusto took a lot out of me. I promise to be much more interesting tomorrow.

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