TIM GUNN'S GUIDE TO STYLE -- Pictured: Tim Gunn -- Bravo Photo: Mitch Haaseth
Is it Time for a Knitting Makeover?
Recently, I’ve been watching episodes from Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, looking for tips to make my knitting more fashionable. I didn’t start out knitting with any thought of fashion. What I liked was the soft texture of the yarn in my hands. Knitting started off as a delicious tactile experience, like taking a long, hot bath.
Look at my cat, Bodhi. Nothing will keep him away from my yarn. And the truth is, nothing beats digging your hands into something and kneading it like a contented cat. But if you’re one of those people who are determined to finish what you start, you end up with an awful lot of fuzzy things that look like garments.
It’s a slippery slope, wearing your knitting. You finish a sweater in really pretty yarn, or it’s really soft. It’s cold outside, so you throw the sweater on to keep warm. But you go on knitting more and more of these things, and they start piling up in your house—scarves, sweaters, hats, socks.
My question is, when to wear them all? Nothing equals the joy of showing off a new project—the intricate lace, the tricky cables, and scrumptious cashmerino yarn. Knitters are generous with positive feedback and support. My knitting friends cheer me on, encouraging me to create more and more! But as my figure changes, and my clothing money is swallowed up by my yarn addiction, I find myself with more knitted sweaters than actual clothes. I am now faced with a crisis! I have plenty of knitting, but do I have anything to wear?
Seeking inspiration from a fashion expert, I watched some episodes of Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. In one episode, Tim Gunn and supermodel Veronica Webb make a bee-line for Gina's closet. Apparently, humiliating the fashion victim is the first order of the day in these make-over shows. When Tim Gunn goes through Gina’s wardrobe, it is my worst nightmare come true. With a disgusted look, he pulls a crocheted lace dress off its hanger. “This looks like a craft project,” he says, dumping it into the trash bin. In another Guide to Style episode, Tim Gunn starts back in the horror at the sight of Angela’s chunky-knit sweater coats.
TIM GUNN'S GUIDE TO STYLE -- Pictured: Tim Gunn --Bravo Photo: Barbara Nitke
Aaaaagh! These fashion episodes sent me into a tailspin. Here I have been foisting my “craft projects” onto my friends, neighbors, and—egads!—business prospects for several years. Is Tim Gunn wrong, or is there something wrong with me? I can’t deny the fact that people judge me by what I wear. My knitting friends love my sweaters, but what about the strangers I meet at work? What does it say about me that from time to time, I can be found greeting clients at an open house dressed in a cotton lace sweater?
Has my obsession with knitting taken over my fashion sense? Or are some hand-knitted pieces appropriate for work? When does a sweater cross the line from being a craft project to being clothes?
It is too easy to lose perspective on this kind of thing. We fall in love with our knitting, which represents our creativity, our passion, and our time. But just because a sweater has a beautiful pattern doesn’t mean it is a finished-looking garment that is appropriate to wear in public. It is clearly time for a knitting makeover! I have grown too attached to my handmade clothes. The first step towards sanity is to go through my knitting cupboard: Do any of my sweaters qualify for business wear? And what is business wear, anyway?
1. Client meeting wear: those official presentations to prospective buyers, sellers, or other realtors when I am presenting or receiving an offer. These meetings typically take place in my office. In this setting, I will never wear a hand-knitted sweater. Would you trust your $500,000 home investment with someone who looked like she was wearing granny’s shawl?
Open house clothing is a different thing. People are relaxing on the weekends, wandering in off the street to look at a beautiful home. I’m there to make them feel comfortable, although I must project a certain professional appearance. Ideally, it is one level of formality above the weekend wear of the people walking in. That being said, some women do drift into my open houses carrying Gucci purses and dressed to the nines. Others are wearing flipflops and trying to keep their kids from jumping on the furniture. Every time the door opens, you never know who will come in.
So, here I go, emptying out my knitting closet, Tim Gunn style! Please give me your honest opinion! Do you think any of the garments pictured below would be acceptable for an open house setting? If not, why? Is it too fussy, too sexy, or does it carry that tell-tale handmade look that disqualifies it from work? Please post your candid comments in the comments section below. I have numbered the sweaters to facilitate feedback.
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Other Questions for my Readers:
How many of you knitters out there wear hand-made clothing to work?
What types of sweaters are appropriate for your business?
What level of quality does a hand-made project need to have for you to be comfortable wearing it in the workplace?
What kinds of finishing techniques do you use to keep your sweaters from looking “handmade”?