Denial

Last Monday I got the irrepressible urge to knit this Rib and Lace Tank from the spring 07 issue of IK for our upcoming holiday. I was thinking about knitting it before, but suddenly I thought: wouldn't this just be the perfect thing to wear on an evening on the beach?



I already had a yarn in mind for this, Garnstudio Bomull-lin, so I ordered it. It got here on Wednesday already and I knit a swatch in the rib pattern. I even washed it. The gauge worked out, so I cast on on Thursday. But I didn't do a swatch for the lace pattern, only the rib... Can you guess what's coming?

I originally cast on with the 6mm needles specified by the pattern, but decided to move down to 5.5mm. I had a cold over the weekend and wasn't concentrating properly, so I had to rip the feather and fan lace at the bottom back twice. Then things started to speed up when I reached the ladder lace. However, I cannot live in denial anymore. My gauge is off. You could fit a much much larger person into this top than I am. It looks more like a dress than a tank top...

Now I am trying to decide whether to rip back and start again. I still like the pattern. I really like the yarn. It is quite stiff when you work with it, but my swatch softened up already after just one wash. The fabric is fairly drapey and I just like the feel of the linen.

I should still be able to finish this on time for our holiday, even if I do rip back. But it's such a pain, re-knitting the lace at the bottom again...