May Resurrection: Cable 8

My May UFO Resurrection Challenge project was my languishing Cable-Eight Top by Joyce Wu from the Spring 2005 Interweave Knits. This was a special project for me because this is one of the first patterns I ever wanted to make. My sister-in-law had given me a gift subscription to IK that year for Christmas and this was the first issue I received. I fell in love with the classy patterns and focus on quality. I had always planned to make this top, but there was always something else to make.

Then last year, this was one of the patterns I brought requirements for when I went to the Yarn Lady Bag Sale. It was also an ad-on purchase I made after I had already bought the rest of the yarn for that day. We made one more run though the bins after lunch and I found a bag of GGH Goa in color 23, which must be SO discontinued the color isn't even showing up on Yarndex.

I promptly cast on during last year's heat wave, finished one panel, and then it sat...for almost a year! I really wanted at least one summer top this year and felt I better hurry up since I have a feeling the summer is going to be over before we know it. So, I thought Cable-8 would be perfect! In the end it took approximately 6 1/2 balls on size 11 needles (although I have a sneaking suspicion that I knit the first panel on 13s. Shhhh, don't tell, you'd never know).

Modifications included skipping nearly all the crochet instructions in the pattern. I was supposed to crochet each selvage edge, then crochet the front and back together. I gave this an honest try, but a consensus was reached at our knit night last week, that it was just too stiff and too ugly. I ripped out the crochet and then seamed up the sides like normal. I then only did one crochet row around the sleeves given the bulk of my yarn compared to what was called for in the pattern.

At first, I didn't think I would like this top all that much. I thought I'd probably wear it every so often, but it would never be a favorite. But, then I wore it yesterday and promptly changed my mind. I like it a lot. It is a little bulkier than the clothes I normally wear, but it fits nice and I love how unique it looks compared to most summer attire. The best part about the bulk? The, um, accentuation of my, err, frontal area. Hey, you gotta take it where you can get it! So, overall, I am very pleased with this FO!