Boxy T Finished

I had a couple chances of getting some better shots of my Boxy T on a nice (warm) day but I'm afraid I'm out of chances now until spring. So instead, I'll show the pictures I got on my phone and wrap this project up.

What is there to say? I love it.

It wears like a fluffy cloud of heaven. The cashmeres, wools, and silks feel warm on my skin while the loose shape and lack of sleeves keeps it perfect for warmer weather.

My favourite way of styling it was with white jeans and my Missoni zig zag slip-ons.

As fall came on, it also worked with some tall leather boots.

I was planning to crochet along the seams on the reverse side so that the garment could be reversible, but once I was wearing it, I didn't see the point. I like the "purl" side facing out as it is and there wasn't really anything to gain by being able to wear it the other way. And all the detail of the twisted trim wouldn't be visible.

So I'm calling this done. It was a pleasure to knit--a fun experimental play with colour--and is a pleasure to wear. What more could I ask?

Project Stats
Started: 6 Jun '19
Finished: 5 Sep '19
Pattern: #15 Boxy Tee by Laura Bryant (in Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2019)
Materials: (to be added when I figure it all out)
Ravelry project page: Boxy Tee

How to Wear an Elephant

So a dear friend gave me two lovely tea towels for my birthday. She knows I have a thing for elephants and who doesn't need new tea towels?

BUT I could not bear to use them as tea towels. They were so cute. I thought, "I could make a shirt out of these." (I have obviously been reading a lot of "re-fashion" blogs! This one's my favourite.)

And that is what I did!

I started by tracing the shoulder slope from a sleeveless shirt that I liked to wear, and sewed the two towels together:

I then traced the side seam and sewed them together at the side leaving a slit at the bottom. Then I tried it on. I could barely get it on. Obviously tracing a knit shirt to a woven fabric has its pitfalls.

So I ripped out the seam, marked the armhole a little deeper and stitched the back and front together with no seam allowance at all.

I just ran the pieces through the machine with their finished edges side by side. I used a wide decorative stitch and it worked out great. It also progresses beautifully into the side slit.

Here is the back:

This towel was a little longer and had a lace trim as well as a ribbon on the one end. Perfect for a hem of a shirt.

The other towel was a little less busy with a larger motif. In other words, it was perfect for the front.

Ya, that's a pretty big smile.
I'm pretty pleased.

It has a simple ribbon edging--no lace.

I know the shirt is not well fitted and sits a little awkwardly, but I love it and it is just what I was imagining. It is comfortable (it is the perfect crispness for cotton--almost like linen) and has an easy fit. (Once I get it on; it barely fits over my head.)

Later I may cut a rounded neck in the back and redo the front. (A rounded neck? A slit tied with ribbon?) But for now I couldn't bear to cut into the towels and liked the idea of just using the two rectangles to make a shirt.

On top of loving the shirt, I serendipitously acquired two skirts recently that are the perfect shade of pinkish orange to go with it. (Before I got the tea towels. Life just works out sometimes considering this is not a colour I normally wear!) And it's a good thing because I have a wedding to go to today and obviously I was going to wear this shirt for its grand debut. It was nice to have something matching and dressy (or dressy enough for a summer afternoon wedding) to go with it.

Here is a shot of my wedding outfit:

After I had it together, I was looking for a necklace to break up the big space of white on the top. I couldn't find anything the right length and "heft" until I tried this knitted necklace I made last time I went to Squam. It was exactly what I was looking for, except I wasn't sure about the colour. Then I noticed that it is the same tone of greige of the ribbon on the bottom of the front and the lace on the hem of the back. Serendipity strikes again!

I also added some turquoise bangles to my wrist to break up all the orange that was going on. But it turns out I didn't really need to because when I got to church, this same friend had part two of my present ready to give me:

A parade of elephants on a bracelet that will match everything! :)