So, as Linda Richman would say (does that reference make me old?)
my Saturday-in-the-Park Perfect Dress is neither perfect nor a dress.
After a few repeats of the faux cable pattern it became clear to me
that - at least as executed by me - it had too many little holes to be
a suitable pattern for my , er, more private areas. I decided to make
a top and a skirt with no cable pattern. So I just continued the cable
pattern down the front panel and then ended with one eyelet hem section
.
My mods: I attempted some additional waist shaping, tapering and then
widening again. I also, as described previously, raised the neckline
several rows. I assume Stefanie knows better than I, but it seems to
me there's an error in the hem directions, especially at the neckline.
If you do as many rows past the turning row as the pattern instructs,
the resulting hem will show through the eyelets. At the bottom I had
to reduce the hem by one row, but at the neckline I think I increased
one row before the turning row and reduced by 2 rows afterward. I'd
never done hems before , so I enjoyed learning about that at least. Another thing I thought was strange in the pattern is that it tells you to knit the sleeves flat, which I found impossible to do. They are already more or less round from the raglan shaping and the joining of the torso in the round. So I did them on DPNs.
Here's the real problem: the yarn. I used Cascade Pima Silk, as in the pattern, and to its credit it is nice and soft. But it bleeds. And it sheds lint like mad. And it stretches out. So after all this, instead of a beautifully draping, fitted, snazzy, "perfect" dress, I have a top which leaves red fibers all over my pants, my desk, the floor, my co-workers.... A top that could fit two of me inside, despite the fact that I made gauge initially and made the smallest size... A top that will probably continue to leak dye when washed, as I rinsed it in FIVE changes of water and it still turned it pink. Cascade Pima Silk can bite me. And I still have 6 skeins, because there's no way I'm making a matching skirt now.
I'm going to machine wash and dry it and see if I can shrink it up a bit. Maybe the lint situation will improve eventually.
My humble advice to those considering this pattern: use a different yarn. I think Tahki Classic Cotton would be nice, as both the stiffer yarn and tighter gauge would help with the stretching issues. It might also support the neckline better so it isn't so revealing. You would of course then have to adjust the sizing to deal with the gauge. Also, swatch the faux cable pattern to make sure you like it! Finally, definitely follow my mods to raise the neckline, as it will still be plenty low, believe me!