As some of you know, in July, I began a crochet-along for Evalise. There is a fair number participating. Since this is a first-time Tunisian lace project for many, several participants have been making scarves from the lace stitch pattern in order to test the pattern before plunging into making a garment. Some lovely scarves have been produced and you can even see one of them on Ravelry.
Here is my original Evalise, made with sport weight Honeysuckle premium cotton from Peaches & Creme.
Yesterday, Kathryn posted a photo of her Evalise to the group. I was thrilled to have Kathryn participating in the crochet-along because she is also a designer and I really wanted her feedback about the design. You may know Kathryn as The Answer Lady. She is a designer for the machine knitter. I haven’t yet tried machine knitting, but I’m glad to have such a valuable resource when I finally decide to give it a go.
After asking Kathryn about the design, I was positively thrilled by her response. As many of you know, I have been working vigilantly to try to get proper sizing throughout my designs. It’s been a painstaking process, but her response has given me the much-needed confidence to continue forward. Thank you so much, Kathryn, for taking the time and effort to give me your thoughts!
Kathryn chose Naturally Caron Spa to complete her Evalise and she chose the lovely green sheen color.
And, here are Kathryn’s comments, used with permission, of course.
Me: Kathryn, your project looks great! And, I love the color. How do you feel about the fit? I know you had to make adjustments because Spa is so light and won’t grow like cotton. Do you like the adjustments you made? Did you wear it today? 
Kathryn: Yup, I’m wearing it now and I love the fit. My target size, chosen to wear over something else was 42″ finished circumference and 24″ length. I actually did not have to add many rows and the stitch count was just about right as given for the closest size. I did a little bust shaping and I made the lace area a little shorter and the plain area a little longer so that on me, the lace would stop at the waist. Both of those things worked out well.
The usual issues for me with a design like this would be whether the shoulder width, armhole size and neck depth worked well with the bust size. They do. Your armhole sizes looked a little small to me but I followed them anyway and I’m glad I did. Once washed and blocked, they were just right. I’m really pleased with the drape, too. I have not made many crocheted blouses because I generally prefer the drape of knitting to that of crocheting but this is really nice and flattering.
I’m wearing it over a black T and dark blue denim capris today. But I have been envisioning making a matching skirt, perhaps by machine knitting which is my most expert skill so I could make one more quickly. Happily, I did imagine that possibility and ordered extra yarn when I got the amount for the top so I can probably do that.
My experience has been that bamboo yarn does grow in length if the project is as large as a blouse, even though it is so lightweight. I did an article for a machine knitting mag last year and every single knitter interviewed had the same experience as did I when I designed a machine knitted blouse. So I hung the swatch to dry and blocked the sweater hanging so that the growth would get over with. I am happy to say that the sweater is fitting the same right now as it did at 8am and I have had a hectic, hot day so far.
Just terrific, Kathryn! Thank you so much!
