Women > RYC Classic Beach Book 9 - MAGGIE - 2008 (6) > 2-13-08 078.jpg
It took me a year before I figured out what to knit with some very fine red cashmere yarn purchased a year ago. It also took a little trip to a local yarn shop in Aurora to find the right pattern and the luscious silk yarn that I added to the cashmere for extra interest. I bought the Claudia Hand Painted Silk Yarn (100% silk, 1100 yards, approx. $44 retail) and the RYC Classic Beach Book 9 pattern book. I decided on the MAGGIE pattern but after I was almost finished with the various pieces, I realized that I forgot to knit the bobbles into the pattern. The ladies from my knitting group suggested that I used sew beads on in place of the bobbles.
After completing the sweater (ie sewing all the pieces together & reverse crocheting a finished edge along the bottom edges and neckline) I took it to my local GIANT JoAnn store but as usual I could not find any buttons or trim that really made a statement. I ended up buying 2 button kits to cover with fabric and found a SCRAP of plaid 100% silk fabric in my own stash, covered the buttons, thought I was done, but still wasn't happy. At this point I sought my neighbors advise and with her input decided to add a little bit of the left-over scrap of silk to the bottom edge of the sweater. I cut the silk into 1/2" strips on a diagonal and used a sewing machine to sew it onto the bottom edge. The edges are not finished with a hem - they're just cut.
I'm thrilled with the sweater. I used the RYC pattern but made it my own, tweaking it to my specifications and desires. Now the weather needs to warm up so I can wear it.