Chickenlips Knitting

Oh lordy, I am in deep ambivalence about this one! It started out so good. I knew it should have been a tank though, such as the Trellis & Keyhole tank. I picked up the yarn at a clearance sale last summer, and of course when I got to the lower edge of the garment I was on the last ball and had to do the ribbing in another color. While at Knitting Bee, I ran into a friend from knit night, and thankfully she talked me out of the pumpkin orange I was going to use for the trim - the dark plum color definitely pops more.

Before I get to my grousing, let me supply the details.

Pattern: Tomato by Wendy Bernard, from No Sheep For You
Main color: Dale of Norway Svale, 10 balls, shrieking neon orange (ok, that's not the real color name, but it might as well be)
CC: Queensland Bebe Cotsoy, 1.5 balls, plum
Needles: Size 6 (body) Size 5 (trim)
Size: 3x


And now for my unrelentingly harsh critique:

- Fit isn't everything! I managed to make something that fits me well but I probably won't wear it out of the house, because I'm afraid of being laughed at. It should have been a solid color.

- I suck at picking up necklines. Granted, this still needs blocking, and while the blocking project has a magical way of washing away our sins, I don't think it's going to fix the ugly pickup line along the front neck.

- That mysterious stain visible in the second photo. I have no idea what it is. I took this project with me to California and back, so something must have spilled on it. Praying I can get it out when I soak-wash the garment.

My verdict: epic fail. I'm willing to forgive myself, it being my first try at an awesome, infinitely customizable design. I will knit this sweater again, and do a better job.