Fashion: Yarn Style

The White Trend: Spring/Summer 2011

 

White on white is in for Spring/Summer 2011! Everywhere models are sporting monochromatic white ensembles featuring long, flowing maxi skirts with sheer layers of white tops or lace.

 

 

The one trend that I saw in Paris everywhere was white lace! In every section of the department store, Lafayette, from Catherine Malandrino to Zara to Derhy, frothy white lace confections were everywhere! Catherine Malandrino had an amazing collection of crocheted white lace dresses:

 

 I came to Paris with white lace already on the brain, inspired by some of the pieces Kim Hargreaves uses in her latest collection, Whisper, to style her knits.

 

I was really inspired by this lace/knit pairing. The delicate lace with the asymmetrical, flowered neckline compliments the knitted cardigan in a unique way. Here the top is again, paired with Edda:

 

See how the delicacy of the lace softens the bulky knit! Genius!

Inspired to find a fine white lace top that would form the perfect companion to my knitted pieces for summer, I searched Paris high and low.  Although white lace was to be found in every boutique I entered, there was not a single blouse with the asymmetrical neckline, formed by the flower petals, to be found. I haven’t been able to find anything similar here either, so I decided to make something of my own. This doesn't have petals at the neckline, but it is delicate enough to satisfy me:

 

I really struggled to find the right use for this Habu silk-wrapped linen yarn. I selected it because it is such a pure white, and pure white is suprisingly difficult to find in yarn. But the habu yarn acts like paper--when you knit it up into a moss stitch fabric it crinkles and folds like real paper, making it impossible to block. Lace seems to be the perfect medium for this straw-like yarn, just as flexible as it is strong: 

This is Vogues’ Tank #11, which is a 41 row, non-repeating lace pattern complex enough to defy the most acute eye. I had to devise several different anchor points for each pattern repeat to avoid costly mistakes, and the resulting fabric is a delicate cobweb that might be unstable in a regular yarn. To my delight, the habu paper turned out to be the perfect material for this kind of intricate lace, as its straw-like quality allows it to knit up into an extremely stable fabric. 

 

I don't know if it is the lace pattern, or me, but this never knits up to the correct row gage--I have used this pattern twice, and each time the lace panels end up much higher on the neckline than in the pattern design. However, the high neck gives more versatility to the lace, making it possible to wear it in winter as well as summer, since it blends with black just as easily as white:

 

 

Paired with a black cardigan, this could be a great winter piece:

 

So there you have it—if you can’t find that wardrobe completer piece for summer, knit it yourself!

 

Edda: Transform your Closet in a Pinch!

 

Who hasn’t secretly wanted to win a place on one of those makeover shows like Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, where you are suddenly given a limitless budget to revive your dull wardrobe and get a fresh look? I was so jealous watching the In Style segment when Tim Gunn sent a participant to the magazine’s fashion headquarters. This lady’s frumpy work dress was transformed by an In Style fashion expert, who laid it out with heaps of fabulous accessories, choosing just the right leather belt, trendy purse, metallic heels and color-coordinating cardigan, elevating what was just a summer sheathe to super chic!

 

It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that my own home knitting workshop could provide a magical formula for making over my humdrum clothes. For a regular shopper, it will take hours, perhaps days, and a hefty price tag to locate just the perfect cardigan to elevate a banal work dress to a stand out ensemble. But for us handknitters, all the tools for this transformation are right in hand!

Step One: Select a boring dress:

 

In my case, old zebra print here ($25, purchased in 2009 from Ross).

Step Two: match said dress with eligible balls of yarn from your stash.

Step Three: throw in a design that flatters the figure.

Voilà, two weeks later, a star is born! 

 

I have no idea why it has taken me this long to stumble onto the practicality of knitting cardigans to elevate the existing dresses in my closet. For years, I frittered away my knitting time with quixotic lace making or color work, fascinating in itself but eminently impractical for everyday wear. At a certain point, I grew tired of toiling over pieces destined for tissue paper and a storage box. What is exciting about a piece like Edda is that it is not only pretty in itself, it makes everything else I wear with it look better! Cardigans in this style can go with a limitless number of summer pieces:

 

Somehow, the total sum of this outfit together is greater than the individual parts. The versatility of this cardigan is its best feature. Although the yarn is worsted weight, the design lines, use of waist shaping, and suede tie at the waist keep good figure definition. And the sleeves are summery, but long enough to avoid that dread scrourge—a focal point on the flabby upper arm.

This style flatters pretty much any arm shape.

 

 

To top it all off, it takes only 700 yards of worsted weight yarn to knit Edda. I was able to use up some Cascade Sierra that had lurked for four years in my stash, taunting me with its presence. Now it will haunt me no more! Since I have knitted these last two modern cardigans from Kim Hargreaves’ Whisper, Cameo and Edda, to match specific pieces, it is hard to deny the transformative power of a summer cardigan on an every day dress. Instead of shopping for the latest trendy pieces for this season, perhaps we should all spend more time shopping our own closets and stash!