Michelle Obama wearing J Crew
Do you remember this cardigan of Michelle Obama’s that I raved about on my blog a few years ago? This is a J Crew cardigan which sold out within a few hours of Michelle Obama’s photo appearing on the news. Beaded cardigans are a classic look, elegant enough for even a first lady to wear!
The beaded sweater was popularized in the 1950s and 1960s which was the true era of sweater glamour. Check out this still from the show, "Where the Boys are:"
The dress and cardigan set were as standard then as a suit is today. So figure flattering and feminine! Sweaters were body conscious, which is why Marilyn Monroe was able to use simple knits to establish herself as a sex symbol:
And here is Dorothy Lamour looking super glamorous in a beaded knit from that era:
Although we no longer wear sweaters with so much style and verve, we can learn some lessons from the past. For a sexy, feminine look, pair form-fitting sweaters with dresses or skirts that also emphasize the waist. And beading is a timeless way to glamorize knitwear. Just add a sprinkle of beads to the edge or collar of any cardigan, and you have elevated its style.
However, in my opinion, a little beading can go a long way. First of all, too much beading can look tacky. Second of all, beading can change the shape and drape of your fabric if you use too much.
I learned this to my dismay when I knitted the pattern, Glisten by Kim Hargreaves. Here is a closeup of the beaded detail on this cotton vest:
Too many beads, knitted in at regular intervals across the fabric, changed the dimensions of the textile. The weight of all the beading pulled the vest down, making it two inches longer and three inches narrower than its actual dimensions when measured on a flat surface. This is why the vest, which was knitted to my exact dimensions, is too small for me to close. Even worse, unless you are looking closely at the knit you don't see the beads anyway, so all my hard work was wasted! This project was a failure because of my lack of knowledge of how the addition of beading can change the dimensions of a knitted piece. And clearly even more beading would have been needed to make those fabric distortions worth the cost!
My sad experience with Glisten steered me away from knitting with beads for some time. But I was unable to resist the beauty of the design, Brigitte from Martin Storey’s Angora Haze collection.
What I love about the Angora Haze collection is the classic 1950s sweater glamour that is revived in this collection of knits. Ruby is another one of my favorites:
Doesn’t it remind you of the sweater Marilyn Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes?
And Eva is another design which I love:
I knitted Eva to match my 1950s polkadot dress and I wear them together all the time.
But Brigitte incorporates the elusive beading that I have been wanting to tackle again. Its branch pattern which is made by the eyelet holes of the lace reminds me of 1950s beading patterns and has a wonderful retro touch. However, I am a little skeptical of all of the elements that are operating in this design simultaneously. Between the furry angora texture, the eyelets and the beads not to mention the reverse straight-stitch purl background I worry there are too many design elements jostling for attention.
In particular, the eyelet lace pattern executed in what is a hairy-textured yarn does not work for me. In the dark green angora haze, the little holes appear like algae or moss. Also, I worry that an all-over beaded texture will yield the same dimension distorting problems that I experienced when I knitted glisten. So I have decided to confine my beading to the edges of the cardigan. Instead of using the branch pattern to knit eyelet lace, I am using the branch pattern to knit a beaded border on each side of the button band for the front of the cardigan. Here is what I have done so far:
I think the copper colored beads I am using have a wonderful, subtle sheen against the background of the black angora.
We will see how the weight of the beads on the edging affects the knitted fabric. I have taken the precaution of knitting this in a larger size so that I can still wear it if the weight of the beads detracts from its width.