tops, tanks & tees knit along - casting on & knitting in the round!

pattern: gemini by jane richmond yarn: knit picks cotlin in colorway clementine

it's cast on day today everyone!!!! woot woot! are you pumped? i am!  i've been dying of excitement to get started on my gemini top by jane richmond!  i love doing a bit of lace knitting and this top has been super fun so far! over the last week i was swatching and petting my yarn in anticipation of this day.  boy was it hard to wait 2 weeks to cast on.  how did you all like the 2 week heads up?  any thoughts you'd like to share?

i'm doing my gemini on size 4.0mm needles and the lace portion on 3.75mm as stated in the pattern.  my gauge in the round was spot on so i'm hoping i do ok.  i always get nervous at this point even after swatching that i may end up with a wonky outcome because i'm a loose knitter...lol.  it's my first time knitting a garment from this kind of fiber (cotton/linen) and i want to make sure i do it correctly.

just in case some of you had more questions about your gauge and swatching make sure you go back and read last week's post.  for the rest of you i've put together a few handy links for help with casting on, accessories and also a special guest post i did in february on knitting in the round.  some of you are knitting a garment for the first time and most of you will hopefully be knitting in the round.  there's lots of tips, tricks and handy links in that post.  almost 90% of the time when i'm knitting in the round i'm using the magic loop method.  i love it.  it's my fave.  i hardly ever use double pointed needles and/or fixed circulars.  all my knitting is mostly done on my babies - my knit picks nickel plated interchangeable knitting needles.  the post i linked to below will go over a bit about choosing your needles for working in the round as well.

- how to's for knitting in the round
- my knitting accessories
- casting on stitches with knittinghelp.com
- casting on over at knitty.com

don't you just love matching your knitting to your stitch markers <3

when it comes to casting on i'm smitten with the long tail cast on.  it's fast, easy and gives a nice ease/stretch to the edge of your garment.  ever since i learned it last year i pretty much cast everything on with it.  but there are definitely many other ways to cast on your garment.  some can be used for most projects and others are designed for different kinds of effects and edges.  if you check out the links listed above you're sure to find one that works great for you.

i have a feeling a lot of things (chores and work included) are going to get cast to the wayside while i'm working on this lovely.  i can't stop picking it up and i'm dying to keep working on it.  there have been a wonderful assortment of patterns chosen, lovely yarns picked and fun topics being discussed over in the ravelry group as well.  be sure to pop in and join in!  it makes the kal that much more fun if you can share your progress with the whole group :)  also if you blog about your project for the kal please let us know either in the group or here in the comments - we can't wait to see what you're making!

and here's a button if you would like to sport one.....

<a href="http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2006/04/knit-alongs.html" target="_blank"><img alt="luvinthemommyhood" src="http://i344.photobucket.com/albums/p330/shannonandjeremy/button150a.jpg" /></a>

here's the rest of the info my knitty pals...

start date:  april 11th, 2012
end date:  may 23rd, 2012 (the prize winners will be announced the following week)

*both knitting and/or crocheting is accepted and encouraged :)

enter the tops, tanks & tees knit along here:

tops, tanks & tees knit along entry form

*you must be entered & have started a project to be eligible for the giveaway at the end of the knit along.

you can follow along with all things tops, tanks & tees kal here:

ravelry group  |  blog  |  flickr group

what project are you working on?  do you like using the magic loop method or are you more of a dpn's kinda gal?  any spring/summer yarns you are just swooning over?  let's chat knitty goodness folks i'm still dealing with 2 kiddos with the croup so i could use a happy distraction!  i'm so happy you're joining in!

i'm also thrilled to announce that we will be having some awesome kal sponsors this time round who are all generously donating some rockin' prizes for the giveaway at the end of the knit along! thanks everyone!