Rule Breaker

I don't really follow many knitting rules. I mean, there are the obvious do's and don'ts (do swatch, don't steam block acrylic, do measure, don't put hand-knits in the washing machine), but other than those sorts of useful guidelines, it's pretty much anything goes around here. I knitted myself a bikini when I was 17. And wore it.

But I do have one firm, albeit unwritten, knitting rule: No Knits Below the Waist. I just can't see hand-knitted fabric doing anything positive for anything I have below the waist. So I am at a loss to explain this:

It just sort of appeared on my needles while I wasn't paying attention. And as much as I've told myself it is a bad idea and ill-advised and clearly a mistake, I can't stop working on it, around and around and around.

The style is based on this tulip skirt (Ravelry link), but the shape and sizing are entirely different, since I haven't completely taken leave of my senses (or my eyesight), and recognize that a skirt that wraps tightly around my butt and thighs would not only drive me crazy but would very likely result in indecency charges.

So I shaped mine to fit at the waist and then skim (I am hoping) over the various curves that I prefer not to emphasize, before dropping straight to the knee, where it will flare out again to about mid-calf length. This is the plan, anyway.

To be sure I could get this up over my hips (I know knitted fabric is inherently stretchy, but I'm not taking any chances), I created space for a zipper at the back waist.

I also plan to turn the waistband under and insert either elastic or a drawstring to help with the shaping. To that end, I worked an eyelet row, which, when turned, should give a little picot edge at the waist.

Although the color is not terribly accurate in these pictures, the yarn is a warm, golden tan BFL. It is a long-since discontinued Berroco yarn, and I got about 2100 yards of it at the local knitting guild's destash sale. It's been in my stash for quite a while because I couldn't come up with a project that would use so much worsted weight yarn in such a neutral color. It's great for this project, though. The yarn isn't as soft as I would choose for a sweater, but it seems very sturdy and has a subtle sheen. I can picture this skirt with boots and a jeans jacket. I can't really picture it on me, but I can picture it. So I guess that's a start.