Oh my goodness, I finally finished the Bamboo Diamond Shell. A year and seven months in the making (okay, I knitted it off and on and put it away for months and months), I finally decided to wear it for the first time today since it was a mild mid-70F day in Los Angeles. The Valley Yarns Southwick bamboo cotton blend (from WEBS/Yarn.com) kept me nice and warm and it felt really comfortable against my skin too. I love the retro styling! And the button is vintage too! I scored it at one of my favorite flea markets and have been saving it for years to go with the perfect garment.

I actually had all the pieces (collar, bodice, and waist band) finished for months and just couldn’t bring myself to seam them together. And that said, if you ever see me wear this in person, please don’t look too closely at the seams! I really need to get myself to a “finishing school” or class one of these days.

I actually wore this to work today. It always feels a little awkward/funny wearing something I knitted, but dang it, it’s something I made! I’m a knitter and I’m proud. ;)

Can you believe we have 50 more knitting days until Christmas?! This year has gone by way too fast. I’ve only done three projects for myself (so many more in the queue!) but I have to start knitting holiday gifts soon!

The pattern is “Bamboo Diamond Shell” from the book Boutique Knits. I love this book!

I’m currently working on the Bamboo Diamond Shell from Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin. This is one of the best knitting books I have purchased in the past year – the patterns are wonderful and all the pieces are unique and beautiful.

I had trouble with counting my CO stitches and kept ending up with too many or too few. After taking it apart 4 times I’m finally on the right track! The bamboo cotton blend is Southwick by Valley Yarns – it’s nice and “bouncy,” really nice to work with and the subtle sheen is lovely. I’m about 3/4 through the bodice now and will be separating the sleeves soon. The diamond pattern is really easy as I got the hang of it too.

I decided to work the bodice longer so it’s something more wearable for me. I love how it looked in the book, hopefully it will look just as nice with a longer bodice.