the Drop Stitch Tank

You know when you find a really great bargain on ebay and you're so stoked and then when it arrives, you realize why it was such a great bargain? This yarn was like that. Years ago, I got a ton of it for some ridiculously good price on ebay, and when it arrived and I started to swatch it, I could see why. The first few plies are a simple and lovely undyed blend of wool and cotton. The fourth ply is a very thin brown linen -- nice enough, except that every twelve inches or so, there is a funky little brown linen slub along that ply. A slub that looks like a funky little brown linen maggot. It wouldn't even bother me that much except that it makes my stitches uneven and makes the knitting a bit herky jerky.


I used it years ago to make a very large lace wrap, which turned out to be quite beautiful, but it didn't even make a dent in the stash. I was going to use it for the Whole Wheat cardigan (ravelry) but the gauge was wrong, and the slubs obscured the pattern. I decided to use it for Stefanie Japel's Drop Stitch Tank top (ravelry), and found that the stitch pattern was enough to disguise the little slubs.


While knitting this project wasn't the most pleasant thing (I would much rather have used some sort of drapey and slinky cotton tencel, for example) it still turned out to be a pretty nice top. It fits just the way I wanted it to, and the positioning of the ribbing is where I wanted it to be. I made the three buttonholes, but haven't sewn on buttons yet. I'm not sure if I will, actually, although I admit I like the idea of being able to close one at the top and make a keyhole look with the top. In any case, it was just meant to be a quick little summer knit that would use up a bit more of my yarn stash (and make room for more!) Mission accomplished.