WIP: Indigo Ripples Skirt

So I'm actually already finished with this except for finishing the i-cord and throwing everything in the wash.

WIP: Indigo Ripples Skirt, originally uploaded by Buxtrosion.
Indigo Ripples Skirt by Kat Coyle, from Interweave Knits Spring 2007.
I didn't make most of the modifications other knitters have. (I'll describe these real quick- A lot of people cast on the waist stitch number for one size larger than desired then increase just until the hip stitch count for the desired size is reached. This makes the skirt sit lower. A lot of people, maybe most, lengthened the solid part to 15" from the waistband instead of 12.5" for a more modest look.) I don't mind that it sits at the waist instead of lower, and I don't mind that it might be slightly scandalous. If it comes out way too short after washing, I'll surgically insert a panel and wash it again until the amount of fading is about the same. A lot of people have changed the gauge for a slimmer fit. I definitely wouldn't want the fabric to be any looser, but I didn't want to mess around with gauge and fit since I wasn't sure how much ease to allow for. What I decided- not much. Pretty much zero ease, maybe a touch negative. It's not going to be a hobble skirt, but it isn't too big either.

Do check the errata, for sure. In addition, I changed M1R to M1L on row 25, and rewrote rows 5 and 9 of the ruffle as * K2tog 3 times, (yo, k1) 6 times, k2tog 3 times* See the swatch below for why (click to view large).

When we do shop samples, we try to stick to the pattern as closely as possible so customers know what to expect. If I had wanted to do the modifications on this, I probably could attach a note on the tag saying "see Eunny Jang's modifications." (Actually she didn't drop the waist.) But as I said, I was fine with the rise and length as the designer intended. When I got to the ruffle, however, I was pretty stumped. It was clear the feather & fan rows weren't going to line up as normal. I looked all over Ravelry to find a good picture of the ruffle to see what it was supposed to look like. My search was in vain because the ruffle, well, ruffles. I emailed Kat Coyle but she couldn't remember which way it was supposed to be. I decided to go with the lined-up version because the other way looks "wrong" to me as a connoisseur of feather and fan.

Last time I made a shop sample (the Bonsai Tunic), the written directions for the armhole edging did not match the picture. I was curious which way Norah Gaughan intended, but she didn't remember. I'm thinking it's a good thing that I'm so anal, I mean observant.

I used the Rowan Denim available at Yarndogs (duh. It's a shop sample.) The magazine calls for Elann Den-M-Nit. The 2 are pretty swappable. They both shrink lengthwise after washing. Check out this great comparison.
The dye bled on my hands really bad. I didn't mind too much because I did most of the knitting on this project at home, so I could wash my hands whenever I felt like it. It freaked out Bryan for some reason, though. Can you tell how I tension my yarn?