Psyche

Despite what Greek Mythology says, it’s my belief that Aphrodite was jealous of Psyche’s wardrobe, not her beauty. I’m sure it’s obvious I’m probably not as young as the Psyche of legend. No matter. It’s my belief that every woman should have interesting, and killer, pieces in their wardrobe regardless of age.

You never know where inspiration for a project will come from. Crafty and artistic people learn early on to keep their eyes and imaginations open. You may be starting to notice a trend here, but the halter top I’m naming Psyche is a stash busting project. The main body of the project is knit in Artyarns Regal Silk. A few years ago I took myself to the LYS for a birthday outing (something I tend to do annually) and fell in love with the silk yarn. Since it was my birthday I had no problem treating myself to a few precious skeins, certain I would find the perfect project for it.

Early last summer, a nascent idea started forming after I had made a fabric purchase for some sewing projects. All of the fabrics I bought were for specific patterns, except one. I’m very attracted to rich, saturated colors so this one really caught my eye. It is a stunning ultramarine blue with multi-hue butterflies embroidered on it. The butterflies are embellished with sequins and small, iridescent beads. There were only a couple of yards left on the bolt, so of course I snatched it up. If I had passed on it, I probably never would have seen it again.

As pretty as it was, the embellished butterflies did present a bit of a problem in deciding what to make with the fabric. It would need a project of simple construction because it would have been criminal to hide the butterflies in ruffles or pleats. Plus, I didn’t have enough yardage. Cue the yarn stash. After repeatedly gazing at my amazing new find it occurred to me that the butterflies’ colors were almost an exact match to my silk yarn. Those colors were burned on my brain anyway. Every time I encountered that yarn in my stash I had to pick it up, stroke it and rub it on my cheek. (I stopped short of licking it.)

The butterflies on the fabric started the stirring of a design direction for the silk yarn. Of course, now that I’m thinking of it, the fabric would have made a darling sleeveless sheath and the yarn a dainty, lacy shawl or shrug. For some reason, though, the myth of Psyche and the butterfly that represents her was percolating in my mind. I figured I probably had enough of the yarn to make a halter top, and I’m still young enough to be bit daring. And since I was going to be daring anyway let’s just go ahead and make it a statement piece. Enter the addition of some crochet elements.

This is where my doily making past came into play. I looked through some of my vintage crochet booklets, but the butterflies I found in them weren’t quite what I wanted. The search went to the internet. I found the “Fancy Crochet Thread Butterfly” on Cheri’s Crochet site. If you’re interested in the pattern you will need to go to that site (https://sites.google.com/site/cheriscrochet/fancy-crocheted-thread-butterfly). It’s protected by copyright and can’t be posted elsewhere. I can tell you that I did my butterfly a little differently. I left off the antennas for an obvious reason. I thought they would be awkward considering the placement of the butterfly. Instead of crochet thread, I used Berroco Seduce in Aqua. I wanted yarn with a sheen to equal the silk and desired an end product that would be a bit larger. What would say statement piece better than a big butterfly on the neckline of a halter top?

The butterfly turned out just the way I hoped, and knitting the halter top helped me keep my sanity during the summer last year, while my husband underwent speech, physical and occupational therapy at the VA hospital. He was recovering from a stroke he had the previous April, and driving himself wasn’t an option. After you make a visit or two to the VA, you quickly learn to always have something to do. While I also enjoy reading, it just felt like I was making better use of my time by creating something. And not just “something”.  But a top that would be a pleasure to wear and guaranteed to make goddesses jealous.

The Project Queen

P.S.-In case you’re wondering where to find the halter pattern, it doesn’t exist yet (other than my notes for certain parts of it.) It was one of my seat-of-the pants projects. The finished product was a vision in my head that eventually became reality through experimentation and the occasional adjustment (rip it out, make fewer increases or decreases). I knew before I started that I wanted short-row shaping for the bust. No matter how blessed you are, shaped cups are far more flattering than flat triangles. It’s also a top down project, which I highly recommend for this style of garment. If anyone is interested in making Psyche, please don’t be bashful. Let me know, and I will put the pattern in writing.