Noro yarn and a cotton top disaster

Well, the Frou Frou top is now complete, blocked and still totally not to my taste.  Although the side panels are hanging a bit better it is just not the way I wanted it to be.  As we are in the process of moving house at the moment I have added it to the pile of clothes that will be going to the charity shop.
More successful is the the latest version of the Belmondo Shawl in the Noro Yuzen that I purchased at Olympia earlier in the year.  It is not the softest yarn but the colours are lovely.

I came across a ribbed scarf that I knitted years ago from Noro Silk Garden and never wore.  The colours are beautiful, so I've frogged it and started another Belmondo.

The Belmondo Shawl and deeply unflattering cotton tank top

Having finished the first of my Belmondo Shawls, I was well pleased.  The Patons Dew was perfect for this pattern as it drapes nicely.  I used about three and a half balls and have plenty left to make more shawls.  I like the style and the colour of this shawl. Being so pleased with it, I decided to cast on another one to give as a gift with some RYC Silk Aran that I purchased on sale at my LYS, Mavis in Bushey.
 
  I managed to knit the whole shawl up on Sunday afternoon and was just patting myself on the back when I noticed that I had made mistake with the lace pattern. Darn it!!!
 
  I must have lost concentration for a while as I watched the Olympics on the telly.  Fortunately you can't see the mistake when you wear the shawl. I have decided to keep it for myself rather than give it as a gift knowing it's not perfect. I love it and have worn it twice already - so maybe it was a lucky mistake.  Still need a gift, so have cast on Belmondo III using the Noro Yuzen that I bought in March at the craft show at Olympia.  This time I will be checking the lace rows very carefully!
Meanwhile, I also had some Wendy Supreme Cotton dk that was telling me it wanted to be a top from a recent issue of Knitting magazine.  The design is called FrouFrou.  Maybe that should have been a clue that it wasn't for me.  After a marathon knitting session on Monday and Tuesday I finished the knitting, sewed it up and was sorely disappointed with the result. There can be few things less flattering than a big frilly panel sticking out at hip level. I should have let the dog eat it when he expressed an interest. Anyways, I've given it a severe blocking and am hoping the frills will drop into a slightly less ridiculous looking style.  More news on this next post!