Mostly Sunny

The Tour de France concluded yesterday during a drizzle in Paris (and a thunderous downpour roundabout Exit 151). But the sun is almost ready to come out – and my Soleil for the TdF KAL is mostly complete. I'd model it, but I need to re-knit the right shoulder so that it matches the left, then finish the neckline and armholes.



I'm basically happy with the shell. I love its pretty lace and curvaceous shaping. It was a quick knit, even with several mods: lengthening the body, reducing the number of bust increases, raising the V-neck, deepening the armseye, and using short rows to create a sloping shoulder rather than a straight one. Were I to make another, I'd add backwaist darts to reduce fullness in back as well. I hasten to note the pattern is well-written, just sized for someone quite short-waisted and rather bosomy. Ce n'est pas grave, especially not after reading Lynne Vogel's magnificent Fit Central, a master class on fitting knits (I can't wait for the book!).

The TdF Knit-along was a lot of fun, thanks to diligent organizers Meg and Debby, who posted excellent, frequent Tour updates, KAL updates, and fun links to recipes and resources for vocabulaire français. This year I was less than enchanted by the Tour itself (hélas), but a companionable KAL makes up for a lot. A big merci beaucoup to the hosts!