The creative process is filled with unexpected discoveries and
disappointments. But, until now, I’ve never worked with an actually defective
yarn. I was crushed on Tuesday when I discovered that the
Louisa Harding Merletto yarn that is required to knit the
pattern, Dorothee exhibited disturbing flaws.
Because of randomly-interspersed fibers extending an
inch-long off of the strand of yarn, the lace took on a HAIRY texture I have
never seen the like of, ever.
The resulting lace swatch looked snagged at intervals, with these strange fibers hanging off of it, as if my cat had been sharpening his claws on the lace.
I heard briefly from the Louisa
Harding customer service that they would look into the problem, but nothing
else. I was extremely disappointed, as I’ve been excited about this sweater for
a long time, and now I am literally without the yarn to make it possible! I am
working on a yarn budget here, and I made a commitment to myself to knit three
projects from stash before I buy the yarn for a new project. So, here I am,
without the means to buy new yarn for several months, with my lace project up
in smoke. All the Sexy Knitter’s Club members are chattering about their lace
knitting, and I’m sitting her like the proverbial party girl, all dressed up
with nowhere to go.
Apparently black lace is a HUGE
trend right now, as you can see in this gorgeous dress by Oscar de la Renta:
Susie Sweet has some fantastic
advice on how to capitalize on the current trend in her ezine article, which I am quoting here: (http://ezinearticles.com/?Spring-2010---Lace!&id=3540994)
“Not too much, not too little
The key
to wearing lace well is to strike a balance in the amount you wear; you don't
want to wear too much and you don't want to wear too little, either. For
instance, a great pair of lace tights can add a sexy feel to just about any
outfit, but don't overdo it by wearing other lace-trimmed pieces at the same
time. The classic lace camisole is another perfect example; wear it peeking out
from underneath a blouse or a blazer to create a flash of allure without
looking like a doily your grandmother crocheted in her youth.
Choose your colours carefully
Traditional
white or cream coloured lace looks great on a wedding
dress or a christening gown, but for your wardrobe it is better to stick with
darker colours that look less pasty and pastel. A
lovely chocolate brown, charcoal, rich navy, or coal black
are all great choices that will serve you well. Be a bit cautious with
too much black, though, so you don't end up looking like a widow or person in
mourning.
Quality matters
Just as
cheap quality clothing hardly ever fits correctly, neither does cheap quality
lace look (or feel) quite right. Be careful of lace which is itchy and stiff or
the patterns are too bold and old fashioned looking. Look for a lace which is
softer and silkier, with a lovely delicate pattern; you'll be more comfortable
wearing it and he'll find it much more interesting to glimpse and enjoy.
Remember, lace has the unique ability to both allow a peek at your bare skin
while at the same time offering some skin coverage.”
One of the fashion designers who
best exemplifies these principles this season is
Toronto-based Nada Shepherd. Nada uses the black lace top as a classic element
that tempts the viewer from underneath a classic jacket or cardigan, or all by
itself:
Naturally,
no one but a fashion model is going to parade around, sans camisole, like these
gals:
But
there is something undeniably modern and fun about the way Nada incorporates
these lace elements into an everyday wardrobe for a little romance. Or even for
some extraordinary glamour:
After
looking at these photos, my mind was spinning with all these gorgeous images,
and the inspiration formed in my mind of knitting a black lace camisole that I
would wear beneath a work blazer that stayed buttoned up, so that all you would
see was a glimpse of the transparent lace peeking through the top neckline of
the jacket. Too glamorous and sexy for words!
The
more I thought about this idea, the more excited I became. I started flipping
through some camisole-type lace knits on Ravelry that
might fit the bill, and came up with these:
From left to right: Frost Flowers top by Lankakomero, Pele by Elsebeth Lavold, and Lace Top by Erika Knight
If
you notice, though, what makes the Nada top so stunning (and unwearable without a protective jacket for us mere mortals
not on the runway) is the openness of the lace—there is more skin than fabric there, after all!
To
get a really dramatic effect, I needed something more flowery and romantic for
my basic lace pattern. Then I remembered the Vogue Knitting Magazine from Spring/Summer 2007,
that had a big spread on lace. The design #11, Lace Tank, fits the bill perfectly, as it creates a wonderful,
open, flowery pattern at the top of the camisole, which will be exposed by the
neckline of the jacket. I plan to raise the neckline even more, to create a
real crewneck, like the Nada design:
#11 Lace tank by Nancy Cassels
Of
course, I still don’t have any yarn, and I am afraid that by the time I
complete three sweaters from scratch, the knit along will have passed me by. At
some point, my common sense pulled me out of my wallowing about my yarnless state. Since I want a sheer top I realized I could
knit it using laceweight yarn, which tends to be very
affordable. Doing some research, I found that Merino Oro sells in a 1300 yard skein for less than $20. In other words, I could
knit my entire dream sweater for a twenty-dollar ball of black yarn. Voilà.
This transforms the Merletto
yarn debacle from a sow’s ear into a proverbial silk purse of glamorous lace!