Fashion: Yarn Style

Day 50 of the 100 Day Challenge

 

 

Day 43: Wisdom 2 by Kim Hargreaves

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/wisdom

 

 

Wow! I am halfway through the 100-day challenge to wear my hand knits. And what a lot I have learned. Before I started this challenge, I saw my knitting as a hobby, and the things that I made were categorized in my mind as creative projects to be celebrated and worn for a time on special days or in certain work-appropriated outfits. But after fifty days in a row of wear, my knits have become such an every day part of my life that I realize what treasures they really are. Instead of becoming sick of my sweaters, the more I wear them, the more invested I am. I think that sometimes we don’t appreciate what we really have until it is too late. The threat of losing the knits that I didn't wear in 100 days made me value them so much that I searched every nook and cranny of the house to find that stray shawl or two that I had misplaced a few years before.

 

Day 44: Opal by Kim Hargreaves

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/opal

 

As you can see, just when I had given up hope, my shawl was found! Above I am wearing Opal, the precious shawl that I knitted for the Tricot Opera fashion show at the Palais Royale garden in Paris. This treasured momento of my cross-cultural knitting celebration is back in the flesh! Naturally it was only when I let go of the shawl that it was found. Following suggestions from my readers that kidsilk aura was available in individual stashes on Ravelry, I tracked down a French knitter who agreed to sell me some lovely coral-colored yarn so that I could reknit Opal and Aimee. No sooner had I agreed upon the terms of sale that, pulling out a sweater to wear for the morrow from a drawer, the two shawls tumbled out! They had been wedged into the very back of the drawer, rolled up in another sweater, and I had completely missed them in my search. It looks like soon I will have three kidsilk aura shawls to my name, as the new crop of yarn I ordered is already on its way to me from France!

 

Day 45: Charm Pull by Anny Blatt

 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/charm-pull

 

Here I have attempted to dress down my Chanel-style pullover by pairing it with skinny jeans. Tell me honestly, does this combination work?

 

Day 46: Connie by Jenny Atkinson

 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/connie

 

I think as knitters or artists in any field there can be a tendency to feel a little detached from the things we create. They are a part of us, but we often put them aside, organizing them into cupboards. We bring our creations out to show to friends or we post photos and then we put them away again. But the challenge of wearing my knits for 100 days has meant that they could never be put aside. The constant presence of my knits then began to influence me. Inspired by continually wearing them, I became aware of the fact that I am a maker of things, and that is a central part of my identity.

 

Day 47: Audrey in Unst by Gudrun Johnston

 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/audrey-in-unst-2

 

In a way, the labour of accessorizing and wearing and photographing my sweaters every day reminded me of the painstaking hours of work that went into their creation. So that makes me realize that I am a creator of beautiful things and it is not a bad thing for my wardrobe to reflect that.

 

Day 48: Aimee by Kim Hargreaves

 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/aimee-2

 

It seems that however much I had underestimated the importance of my knitted pieces, some part of me treasured them as they deserved and brought them home safely from Paris. I am afraid that this is not the staggering dénouement that The Vanishing Shawls Mystery deserves. The shawls should have been discovered in the pocket of an absconding prime minister or wrapped around the swan-like neck of a mysterious passenger en route to Biarritz. Instead the shawls lurked in the back of a cabinet, rolled up in an ignominious ball. There lies the real difference between fiction and reality.

 

Day 49: Paisley by Kim Hargreaves

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/paisley

 

Violà, my 50^th knit:

 

Day 50: Cabernet Ribs by Liz Nields

 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/cabernet-ribs

 

 

In my next post, I’m looking forward to sharing the yarn market shopping extravaganza I just experienced at Stitches West. I wonder how many of my readers were there at the market with me, and we passed each other without knowing it?

 

To read the next installment of the 100 Day Challenge, click on the link below:

 

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/03/farewell-to-winter-knits-day-60-of-the-knitwear-challenge.html

 

Pep up your Knits: The 100 Day Challenge Continues

 

 

Day 36: Top Down V Neck 2 inspired by Wendy Bernard

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/pink

 

Wearing hand knits in every day life can be tricky because, let’s face it, often a sweater is just a sweater. Pairing a knitted top with a bunch of other woolens can create a dowdy look unless all the pieces have textural interest and fit perfectly. I try to pep up my knits by pairing them with items that have different or contrasting textures. I pair delicate soft sweaters, such as my kidsilk haze V-neck above, with a rougher denim jean. The hard and soft combination of textures is what makes it work. Another trick to make simple knits pop is to add metallic accessories. Here a Victorian necklace compliments the delicate softness of the sweater while the bold gold purse adds sparkle to the  knitted fabric.

 

Day 37: Striven by Jennie Atkinson

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/striven

 

 I built the metallic element into my Striven jacket by using bold brass buttons, knowing that the wool tweed would need a modern edge. Pairing a sporty tweed with a fitted dress also creates a balance between hard and soft elements in the outfit.

 

Day 38: Checked Cowl

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/snuggle-up-either-way-snood

 

The faux leather pants, which I initially thought I would only wear in Europe, have stayed in my closet because the gloss of the leather makes an interesting visual contrast to knits. I can assemble an all-black or black-and-white outfit and keep it interesting because the toughness of the leather is alleviated by the woolen fabric. I was surprised by the way the large scale of the checks and the smaller scale of the houndstooth somehow go together in this outfit. And the black and white top goes strangely well with the charcoal and cream of the cowl. I am really happy now that I made the sleeves of the Dinky Pull all black instead of continuing the houndstooth pattern there. It would have been impossible for me to pair the top with any other print without the relieving splashes of black on either side.

 

Day 39: Eva

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/eva

 

Perhaps it was a bit corny of me to wear this red angora sweater with the silk rosebud top on Valentine’s day. I have to admit that, in spite of all the justified complaints of commercialism, I am a secret fan of this holiday. And the silk top was sewed for me by my mother-in-law so it has a special place in my heart. Besides, the sheen of a patterned silk top makes any monochromatic cardigan pop. No knitted sweater sets for me, ma’am, I’ll take the silk top and cardigan set instead. You just match one of the colors in the print to a solid colored cardigan, and you're ready to go!

 

Day 40: Mystery by Kim Hargreaves

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/mystery

 

Here is another variation of the yarnstylist sweater set. I like the metallic sheen of these buttons, which echoe the splashes of silver in the top. It just gives me a pang right in my heart when I look at the shoes in all these photos, though. Someday when my foot injury is totally healed I will wear beautiful shoes again with these outfits—I imagine little brass pointy-toed shoes peeping out underneath the black cuff of the jeans…

 

Day 41: The Charm Pull by Anny Blatt

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/charm-pull

 

Here the Chanel-style pullover is paired with gold and cream damask pants which echo the colors of the pearls. This is classic realtor wear and is perfect for the open houses I often host on weekends. I’m tempted to pair this sweater with the faux leather pants for off-duty wear to see if it creates a more relaxed vibe.

 

 

Here I have a confession to make. After my last post about the forgotten treasure trove of the Knitting 1980s, one of my readers busted me. Yes, Dayana, you are right! I did knit one of the extravagant 1980s designs from the magazine. It seemed so fashion forward at the time. Sigh. Can you guess which one seemed daring and new to us all at the time?

 

 

 

Day 42: Design #29 from Georges Picaud

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/modigliani

 

Here it is. I feel like I'm back in 1988, don't you? This was the second sweater I ever knitted, under the tutelage of my German friend, Bettina. She taught me so she wouldn’t have to knit alone, and we used to sit for hours watching 1950s sitcoms on a tiny black-and-white tv set, knitting away. I still secretly like this sweater because of the memories I have, and I wear it sometimes when I am alone at home.

 

Well, I have now completed the sixth week of the 100 day challenge to wear my handknits. I am curious about how many of you readers are also wearing your knits right now. Every one of us must have a set of fashion rules we use when putting our knitwear together into outfits. I wish more knitters talked about this in their blogs, so I could learn some more tips from them! It is important, because the more skills we have in making our knits look like fashionable clothes, the more we will wear them. So please share!

 

By the way, there will be a startling revelation in the final installment of the Vanishing Shawl Mystery, coming next!!!! To read it, and the continuation of the 100 Day Challenge, click here:

  

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/02/day-50-of-the-100-day-challenge.html

 

The Charm Pull, A Chanel-inspired Pullover

 

I have finished my Charm Pull, and what an adventure it turned out to be! The Charm Pull is a pattern by Anny Blatt, from their Couture Collection #217. You can find it here:

http://www.annyblatt.com/boutique/femme/9-pull/3698-charm-pull/

I loved the idea of this jacket in pullover form, and it was a perfect opportunity to use the Vintage Chanel buttons I found at an antique button seller's stall at Stitches West.

 

The first part of this knitting adventure was the quest for yarn. The pattern calls for Anny Blatt Victoria, which is a ribbon yarn, and Anny Blatt Angora Prestige, but all the Anny Blatt stockists were out of purple angora. As with any Chanel-styled knit, the fabric must look expensive and there must be an element of color depth and sheen. The Victoria ribbon yarn provided the  sheen, but it needed to be paired with a fuzzy-textured yarn.  I found that the Rowan kidsilk in Black currant was a color match to the Anny Blatt Victoria ribbon yarn. To create additional depth of color and texture, I added a purple angora, Rowan Angora Haze in "love", and so I was ready to begin!

 

 

The next challenge was to recreate the interesting textural pattern used in the design. Most Chanel jackets are woven on looms in Italian mills. The reason this pattern is so compelling is that it  gives the look of a woven, semi-metallic angora tweed. The pattern itself tells you to use a half brioche stitch. However, dear friends, the Charm Pull in the design photo is not knitted in half brioche stitch. In the design photo, you see little squares of ribbon yarn stitches against a background of angora.

 

 

However, the half brioche stitch was swatched by me, my mother-in-law who is a master knitter, and the helpful ladies at my LYS multiple times, without any of us ever producing anything other than this effect:

 

 

With the brioche stitch, you get a continuous row of ribbon yarn, not the little ribboned squares from the pattern photo. So I abandoned the pattern and started swatching with a variety of slip stitch patterns until I could create a tweed effect that I liked. My break-through was when I found a way to create raised garter ribbon squares against a flat angora background.

 

 

Here is the stitch pattern I discovered for the above tweed:

Row 1: (Angora/KSH) Knit all

Row 2: (Angora/KSH) Purl all

Row 3: (Ribbon yarn) Edge stitch, *slip 1 w/yarn in back, K1* edge stitch

Row 4: (Ribbon yarn) Edge stitch, *K1, slip 1 w/yarn in front * edge stitch

 

This stitch pattern creates a flat stockinette background in the angora/KSH yarn punctuated by flashes of color from the ribbon. Since angora and KSH are fuzzy, you need to make the ribbon yarn “pop” by knitting it in a garter stitch pattern. You do this by knitting one ribbon stitch on the RS and knitting the ribbon stitch again on the WS so that it will stand out against the angora. By slipping the yarn behind, you ensure that the ribbon squares are totally distinct and separated visually from the angora . It is particularly easy to see this pattern when you are using a variegated ribbon yarn like this Berroco ribbon against a solid background in a saturated color. However, I had chosen 3 yarns with colors that were very similar to each other to create a color depth effect. 

 

 

So in order to make the ribbon yarn stand out distinctly enough from the angora/KSH background, I needed to use two stitches in the ribbon yarn together to create a garter stitch rectangle. Therefore my final stitch pattern was:

 

Row 1: (Angora/KSH) Knit all

Row 2: (Angora/KSH) Purl all

Row 3: (Ribbon yarn) Edge stitch, *slip 2 w/yarn in back, K2* edge stitch

Row 4: (Ribbon yarn) Edge stitch, *K2, slip 2 w/yarn in front* edge stitch

Here is a closeup of my sweater so you can see how this pattern works to form a subtle tweed:

 

Satisfied that I had created the woven texture I desired, I turned my attention to the other problem area of the pattern, the sleeves. No woman wants to look like she has fat arms or bulky shoulders, and the unfortunate use of angora yarn on the sleeves of the Charm Pull magnifies the width of that area.

I have broad shoulders to begin with and I hate the look of “hairy arms” on a sweater that is supposed to have feminine charm. The pattern sleeves had to go! Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve. One of the great advantages of using kidsilk haze in combination with another yarn for the body of the sweater is that I could knit the sleeves exclusively in kidsilk haze.

 

Unlike angora, kidsilk haze is light and airy, with an almost sheer effect and knits up very flat, eliminating any bulk. Because the kidsilk haze color matched the ribbon yarn color so closely, you do not even notice the fact that the body of the sweater is a different color from the sleeves.

the only elements of the Charm Pull pattern that I used were the idea created by the image, the Victoria yarn, and the instructions for the ribbing at the bottom and the neck. I constructed the body of the sweater with plenty of waist shaping (-4 inches, 3 inches straight for waist, +3 inches for bust), and drew from the Kim Hargreave pattern, Delphine, for the armhole shaping and sleeve construction. Kim Hargreaves always designs tight-fitting sleeves and sweaters with high armholes which emphasize the slenderness of the figure, so I always come back to her for those elements.

 

 In order to ensure that the sleeves echoed the tweedy look of the body of the sweater, I created an extended ribbing on each sleeve cuff. There were 36 rows of ribbing, with 2 rows of KSH in blackcurrant, then 2 rows of Anny Blatt Victoria ribbon yarn. The subtle sheen of the ribbon yarn in the ribbing echoes the tweed pattern in the body of the sweater and allows it all to come together as an ensemble. Well, here it is. My first heirloom knit of 2014, which took about three months to complete:

 

 

I think I’m going to take a little break now and knit something easy and satisfying from my stash. However, I do have another heirloom knit in the works that will requires some sewing skills. I have spent the past month gathering the materials and input I need in order to begin.  But for now, I plan to curl up with a simple, satisfying Kim Hargreaves pattern for a cardigan I can wear to work. I’ll be back to you soon with photos from week six of my 100 day challenge of wearing my handknits!

 

 

 

A Checked Cowl, Inspired by Dhurrie

 

In part one of The Vanishing Shawls Mystery:

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/02/the-vanishing-shawls-mystery-the-100-day-challenge-continues.html

I described the jacket disaster which led to wispy skeins of white Cocoon yarn haunting me like little ghosts. To exorcise these spectres of my unravelling, I have been using Cocoon to make a cowl or two:

 

 

In my "vanishing shawl mystery" post, I described how I scavenged the cable panel of Olso and built it out with garter and double slip stitches to create a simple, elegant cowl. I love it and I have already worn it several times. But at the end of it all, I still had Cocoon yarn left and those wispy skeins continued to mock me. So I decided to get with the current fashion trend of checked woolens and make a cowl. For the checks, I used the slip stitch/fair isle pattern from Dhurrie in Rowan Magazine 54:

 

 

Nothing can equal the drama of this cape/scarf ensemble, but it is not extremely practical for everyday wear in sunny California. A friend knitted Dhurrie to wear on her ski trips to Lake Tahoe and has been a bit mystified by the length of the scarf, which requires double or triple knotting to keep it from flopping around. She is also about five inches taller than I am, and she carries the cape well, but the scarf is long even on her model-like figure. By contrast, I don’t spend time in the cold, except when I stroll out in the evening and the thought of me striding through the manicured suburbs of Sunnyvale in a tweed cape makes me giggle. Nothing could be more banal and perfect than this neighborhood, mainly because of the  neighborhood garden police. Yes, that's right, garden police. These pesky neighbors report you to the city, resulting in a citation, any time your front yard develops a few weeds. Apparently a cranky old lady who lives somewhere on our block is mostly to blame, but imagine the result--expanses of concrete sidewalk and flat clipped lawns where a few old men stand out of doors watering their concrete into an immaculate, shining surface. If I popped up suddenly, wearing the checked cape, it would be like a strange fungus had sprouted in one of my neighbor’s perfectly manicured yards. No, for me a cowl is a much more practical alternative for an evening stroll.

 

 

To knit my cowl, I used Karabella Aurora Bulky, which I had in my stash, in charcoal, combined with cream Rowan Cocoon yarn. It is hard to tell since it was all stash yarn, most of it unraveled, but I think I used about seven balls of Cocoon and nine balls of the Aurora Bulky. To convert Dhurrie into a cowl is very simple. Just cast on half as many stitches as Dhurrie requires for your size—I used 119. I wanted to knit the cowl flat and seam it because the pattern requires strenuous blocking, but you could probably knit it in the round if you don’t care about that.

 

Cast on 119 rows. Garter four rows in your dark yarn, then pattern 42 rows according to the instructions for Dhurrie, and then garter another four rows in your dark yarn to finish and cast off. I ended up decreasing 10 stitches in the middle section, one every four rows, to draw the neck in, but I don't know if it is really necessary, it depends on the shape you want. Block it strenuously, sew it together and fold it in half to wear. The cocoon is extremely soft so it feels great against the sensitive skin at my neck. One little point about knitting Dhurrie—the way you create the black and white pattern is to knit a whole row in the white, slide the stitches back to the edge of the needle where you started and knit the same row again in black. So you knit every row twice to get just one row. Those 42 pattern rows are really 84! And it is not something you can do while chatting and watching television, it is a rather complicated pattern. But it is not too hard to pick up, and it is fun to knit. I am very pleased with the result, and I have exorcised my Cocoon ghosts at last!

 

 

I have now perhaps atoned for losing my two beautiful shawls by knitting two cowls. But the truth is I am still mourning their loss. Particularly Aimee, which was a great favorite.

It is knitted in Kidsilk Haze Aura, which is now discontinued and cannot be purchased anywhere, so I will never be able to make another.

 

Heartbroken, I decided to search all my closets and shelves one last time, just in case the shawls were mislaid during my home remodel last April. I knew it wasn’t very likely, as I last saw my shawls in Paris, but I decided this time I would employ the perfect wool-seeking weapons at my disposal:

 

 

If anyone could find a stray knit or ball of yarn, I knew my yarn-crazed kittens would. We set systematically to work, going through  each storage area

 

 

Peering into back corners

 

and even searching unexpected areas:

 

 

But although the kittens and I systematically searched each shelf, to my dismay, no shawls were discovered. However, I was consoled by a different find. Just like a heat-seeking missile, my kitten Miro has a nose like a bloodhound for yarn, and he turned up a long-forgotten treasure trove.

 

 

Inside the box I found some very old yarns I had bought in Holland in the 1990s and a bold French knitting magazine, a Georges Picaud:

 

What fun! I'd forgotten about the long-ago magazine, with its bold style and color combinations:

How outrageous, some of these sweaters seem now with their giant sleeves and large doses of novelty yarns:

 

 

 

 

What a blast from the past! If we couldn’t find the shawls, at least we were consoled by this knitting treasure. Now that I have put to rest any doubts about the shawls being found here at home, perhaps I should take my readers’ suggestions and search Paris next! If my search happened to take me through some pâtisseries, soufflée restaurants or the Louvre museum, it would be only fair—after all, I need to retrace my steps from the last trip!

 

Use Accessories to Fix your Knits: The 100 Day Challenge Continues

 

Day 29: Short-Sleeved Diamond Stitch Sweater by Sarah Dallas

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/short-sleeved-diamond-stitch-sweater

 

When we knit clothes with the intention of wearing them, a certain amount of accessorizing is required. The right belt, pin, or scarf, paired with the right sweater, makes a smashing outfit. And what about those sweaters that did not turn out exactly as we planned? Can we improve these imperfect projects with the right accessory? This week, as I dug some of my less-worn sweaters from the wardrobe, I reflected on what other pieces I could pair them with in order to transform them into every-day sweaters.

 

 

My diamond stitch pullover, by Sarah Dallas, falls into a common problem category—that knitted pullover that is just too short. I don’t know why knitwear designers have been making pullovers so scanty recently. Few of us dare to bare our navels any more, and those that do might want to reconsider. I know I’m not alone in this, as my Ravelry friends  complain about disappointment with pullover patterns that looked perfect in the design photo but knit up so short that they are  un-wearable. Even though I usually add one or two inches to the bottom of cropped cardigans and sweaters, still in the end I’ve found some of them don’t quite cover the waistband on my jeans. Wow, I think, if I’m having this problem after adding two inches in length, I wonder what is happening to everyone else! The worst part about these almost-long-enough sweaters is that after all that labor, it is too easy to fool yourself that it is wearable. So you throw the pullover on over some jeans and go to work. Once there, you discover that every time you raise your arms, the sweater rides up, and a delightful flesh belt appears.

 

 

 

Well, I have found the perfect solution for this—a peplum blouse!

 

 

Especially if the color of the blouse harmonizes with the color of your sweater, you can wear them together as an ensemble. Voilà, you create a flattering shape on your body and you get to wear your sweater too. The sweater ends at your waist, emphasizing the smallest part of your body, and then the peplum flows out from there over your hips, giving you a perfect hour-glass shape.

 

Day 30: The Cincilla Coat by Filatura di Crosa

 

http://tahkistacycharles.com/t/yarn_single?products_id=188

 

Bulky knits are always tricky to wear because they can swallow up your figure. Whenever you wear something bulky on your upper half it is essential to pair it with something tightly fitted on the bottom. Here I am wearing faux-leather pants, which I bought for my last trip to Europe, where women tend to show off the lower half of their bodies more. It is not about winter cleavage. Instead, tight, skinny jeans, leggings or sheer tights worn under shorts even in the winter time were staples in Paris last December. These fitted pants prevent the faux fur jacket, knitted in Filatura di Crosa Cincilla yarn,  from making me look larger than I really am. The jacket is knitted sideways, and secured with a brown leather belt, a style suggested by the pattern photo.

 

http://www.jannettesrareyarns.co.uk/filatura-di-crosa-patterns/filatura-di-crosa-cincilla-pattern-book-23649-p.html

 

I wonder, is this just laziness on the designer’s part, that they expect you to buy a belt that will do all the work of holding the knitted piece together?

 

 

Day 31: Wisdom by Kim Hargreaves

 

http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/acatalog/Wisdom.html

Sorry about the terrible selfie pic! Yes, I am wearing Wisdom again, the sweater I reach for nine times out of ten when I need to hastily get ready for work. It is a classic, elegant cardigan that goes with everything. But it has a tiny flaw. Because of the thinness of the edging stitches at the neck and button band, the top corners of the cardigan tend to droop down. It is like a page in a novel that you often read so it becomes dog-eared over time. I am reluctant to reinforce this area with bias tape or ribbon because it would show when it falls open, and for that same reason I cannot knit a thin band of interfacing—if I were to reinforce it, I would have to reinforce almost the whole thing with a second layer, and that would make it substantially heavier, perhaps increasing the problem of the cardigan fronts drooping down. I am still seeking a good solution to this problem, but in the meantime, I wear a thin silk scarf which takes attention completely away from that problem area. Violà!

 

Day 32: Bold Stripe Scarf by Sarah Hatton

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bold-stripe-scarf

 

Next time I need to cover up a problem area with my collar, I will wear my Bold Stripe Scarf. There are so many ingenious ways of typing this scarf, that it can cover up a multitude of sins!

 

Day 33: Edda by Kim Hargreaves

 

http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/acatalog/EDDA.html

 

Kim Hargreaves introduced me to an ingenious way of defining a waist in the design photo of Edda, which is styled using a thin leather cord:

 

 

I alternate wearing Edda with the thin leather tie, which I purchased at Michael’s, or a thick black ribbon, depending on how modern or feminine my outfit is. I love the versatility of this cardigan, which can be fastened in different ways that allow me to express my personal sense of style. But Edda is fitted so beautifully, in spite of having no closures, that even if it were not belted at all, I would not have to worry about it drooping or hanging oddly on the body, in the way I would with my faux fur jacket by Filatura di Crosa.

 

Day 34: Longline Tunic by Kim Hargreaves

 

 

This bulky sweater is from one of the early Rowan magazines, when I was just learning to knit, and when sweaters were styled large enough for two. Without a belt this is like wearing a giant bag. Not flattering, girl! This is one of those sweaters that, the more it is accessorized, the better it looks. I don't even know what magazine this is from, it's so old that the front cover tore off, but it is late eighties/early nineties era. I keep the sweater because the color is beautiful, and because the yarn was bought with birthday money from my grandfather right before he died, so it reminds me of him. But what a huge sweater is was! I tell you, it was such an ordeal making a cabled tunic this size on such small needles that I ran out of steam after I finished the front and back, and my mother-in-law generously knitted the sleeves. Because of her kindness in helping me finish the garment, I was empowered to knit another sweater, and so I made Salina by Kim Hargreaves.

 

Day 35: Salina by Kim Hargreaves

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/salina

 

My Salina was not a great success. Being a beginning knitter, I did not make a guage swatch before I started, and as a result, my Salina was much too big. My mother-in-law, who is truly a lovely, generous soul, unraveled my entire sweater and re-knitted it in a smaller size. Once again, I was given the opportunity to experience a knitting success, and so I kept on with my knitting instead of giving up in despair. After this lesson, I learned to knit a guage swatch and the accuracy of my knitting started to improve. But as you can see, without someone to hold my hand the whole way, my knitting hobby might have died a sad death before it really began. Using accessories is one of the tips and tricks I have learned since then to fix mistakes, but without my dear Maxi to guide and support me, I would likely not be a successful knitter at all. So I find myself at the end of another week of wearing my handknits reliving a little personal history. It really is opening a time-capsule, the wearing of my knitwear, and it reminds me to be grateful for what I have. In particular, I am grateful to Maxi for her unfailing kindness and encouragement!    

 

To read the next installment of the 100 Day Challenge, click on the link below:

 

 

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/02/pep-up-your-knits-the-100-day-challenge-continues.html

 

 

How to Tie a Knitted Scarf, French Style

 

 

 

How does a French woman manage that effortless chic look? In my theory, it all comes down to her scarf. I almost believe Parisiennes dress in dark colors in winter to provide a backdrop for the fascinating scarves they wear, arranged in marvelous drapes and knots and often providing the only spot of color in their tight black ensembles. The scarf is everything, and I always wonder, how do they do it? Do European women learn scarf tying at their mother’s knees? The array of knots and drapery that I see baffles me and fills me with envy at the same time.

 

 

The most common method of tying scarves I have seen in Paris is the arrangement above. This double loop is simple enough to achieve. Doubling your scarf, you hold it behind your neck, and then you feed the ends of the scarf through the folded loop on the other side and pull down. Many Parisian men wear voluminous scarves in this style, over black leather or denim jackets. I think it looks sexy. When in Paris, my husband wears a cashmere scarf I bought for him in this looped style over a wool blazer and tight jeans and I sigh, wondering how I could get him to dress like that most of the time.

 

 

On the subject of scarves, consider Hermes! I recently arranged a month-long rental for my father in Paris in a lovely three bedroom decorated apartment outside the Marais that belongs to a French client of mine. To thank me for helping him find the apartment, my father brought back an Hermes scarf for me. The scarf was packaged along with a “card deck” with diagrams of unbelievably complicated scarf tying configurations, some of which involved two or three Hermes scarves simultaneously. I soon realized I had underestimated the fiendish complexity of the French scarf-tying art. Of course, with a thin silk piece one can achieve much more than with a thicker, knitted woolen scarf. However, Sarah Hatton, in her wonderful book, Scarves, Shrugs and Shawls, has some wonderful patterns and ingenious ways of tying them.

 

 

There is a superb photo tutorial in the back of the book that explains three of Hatton’s more complicated techniques. Here is my favorite one:

 

 

Hatton’s Bold Stripe Scarf is designed in order to create this myriad color effect, when it is knotted in different ways. Her instructions on how to tie knitted scarves are clear and easy to follow, and she offers many creative and beautiful patterns to choose from. I also love her alternative knot for the Bold Stripe Scarf because it shows off the interplay of all the colors:

 

 

And the best part of this pattern? You can use up all your kidsilk haze remnants! The scarf calls for five colors and uses about half a ball of kidsilk haze for each one. What a perfect stash-busting project! I used the colors black currant, blood, meadow, trance, and dewberry for my scarf.

 

 

Paris has been in my thoughts quite a bit since I embarked on The Vanishing Shawls Mystery (For more details, see the post: http://yarnstylist.com/2014/02/the-vanishing-shawls-mystery-the-100-day-challenge-continues.html)

 

Part of my heirloom approach to knitting more ambitious projects is to incorporate some sewing into my Chanel-style garments, so I decided it was time to drag out my sewing machine and give it a test run. And after reading Kristen’s recent post on her blog, Knitionary, where she shared gorgeous photos of table linens and towels she made out of Italian fabrics I was inspired! You can find her gorgeous photos here:

http://knitionary.blogspot.com/2014/01/recycling-lunch-and-dinner-and-fabric.html

After reading her blog, I thought, what better way to practice sewing than make a few Paris-themed napkins? I chose a wonderful fabric that captures some favorite monuments and harmonizes with my white and silver kitchen.

 

As you can see, my friends knew me well—their gift of the Fresh Baked pies sign is a joke about the pie-a-thon my husband and I hold every spring and summer. We grow Santa Rosa plums in our garden, and every year we make eight to twelve plum strawberry pies and freeze them so we can invite our friends over to enjoy summer fruit in the middle of winter. Then there is the blueberry and peach pie season….it is apple season now, and as yet I have only baked one apple pie so I am falling far behind! But I just whipped up a batch of four spinach quiches yesterday—I bake one and freeze the other three for later use.

 

I had so much fun sewing these napkins, and using them when I served my French quiche that I am tempted to make another set in different fabric!

 

 

In the meantime, I have found another project that will use up the rest of my Cocoon yarn from the ill-fated Oslo jacket. If all goes well with the blocking, I will post the photos on Monday in the next installment of The Vanishing Shawls Mystery.

 

The Vanishing Shawls Mystery: The 100 Day Challenge Continues

 

 

Day 22: Audrey in Unst by Gudrun Johnston

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/audrey-in-unst

 

I am now four weeks into my husband’s 100 day challenge—the challenge was that I should wear my handknits for 100 days since I had knitted 100 projects. As I have delved further and further into my armoire to find knits to wear for the morrow, my concern about my vanished shawls continues to grow. What terrible fate has befallen them?

 

 

Day 23: Agnes by Kim Hargreaves

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agnes

 

It is an enigma worthy of a fashion mystery novel, such as Purses and Poison or Hostile Makeover. Chick lit mysteries these days include every area of fashion,  from purse murders to knitting-related massacres. It is only fair that I take my part, casting myself as the ruthless detective who must solve this shawl crime. The Vanishing Shawl Mystery has now begun.

 

Day 24: Audrey the 2^nd (Gudrun Johnston)

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/audrey-in-unst

 

Inspired by P.G. Wodehouse’s spurious detective in The Mystery of the Pink Crayfish, I will sharpen my pen and write out a list of suspects. Whom do I know that had both the means and motive to destroy my precious shawls? A prime suspect immediately emerges:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have the shawls met the same fate as the murdered ball of yarn? Perhaps. And yet my instinct tells me no. The kitten hides nothing. He is not so devious as to conceal the evidence. But of my shawls, there is no trace.

  

Every good detective must create a timeline. When were the shawls last witnessed? Is there a sequence of events that relate to the crime? Strangely enough, all evidence points to Paris!!!

 

 

Paris was the reason I knitted the Opal shawl. The French knitting group, Tricot Opera, invited me to join their shawl knitting challenge and fashion show. Tima had the brilliant idea of asking everyone in the group to knit a shawl, and then we created our own knitting parade which was photographed in the garden of Le Palais Royal in Paris.

 

 

It was so lucky that my trip to Paris coincided with the fashion show that I could not resist joining in the fun, and I had a truly wonderful time meeting that charming group of Parisian knitters. As you can see, multiple witnesses can vouch for the presence of my shawl in the garden of the Palais Royal.

 

 

However, that fashion show was the last time my shawl was ever seen again. But perhaps this is just an isolated incident. What about the other missing knit, Aimée?

 

 

Egads, Aimee also disappeared when it accompanied me to Paris on the following year. A pattern has emerged! Paris is the mystery spot!

 Unfortunately, the pattern does not make any sense. As enthralled as I am by the romance of Paris, I do not run streaking through the streets, tossing off my knits onto random passersby. What else could this French connection possibly reveal? Have the customs officials taken to employing wool-eating hounds in addition to bomb-sniffing dogs? Or did the chambermaids at my hotel develop a craving for shawls? These possibilities are absurd. No, as a good detective must, I have crossed all the suspects off the list until only one remains: myself.

 

Day 25: Fitted Sweater by Louisa Harding

 

 

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fitted-sweater

 

Day 26: Coat by Lana Grossa

 

 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/lana-grossa-coat

 

 

What made me do it? And where did the shawls go? Did I succumb to a moment of madness or sheer absence of mind? I am afraid, my dear reader, I will never know. The shawls have gone with the wind, leaving me bereft.

 

Day 27: Raine by Kim Hargreaves

 

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/raine

 

The greatest probability is that I wore the shawls on the plane and they fell under my seat while I slept. I would hardly have remembered them as I sleepily exited 13 hours later. I suppose, if I am guilty, I must find a way to pay restitution for my crime. Here is a first attempt:

 

Day 28: The Salvaged Olso Cowl 

 

A life for a life—behold the reincarnation of my Oslo! Out of the ashes of a failed  jacket emerges this humble cowl. Although my shawl Opal is dead,  Oslo lives to take its place. 

As you can see, Oslo was once a jacket which was dismembered and left for dead. The Oslo jacket was a spectacular failure I experienced early on in my knitting career, when I thought I was supposed to follow a knitting pattern to the letter. As a beginner, it did not bother me that the pattern had no waist shaping, I did not even scan the pattern schematic. The jacket fit the waist of the model who was wearing the design in the pattern photo, so the pattern must fit me! As naïve as I was back then, it did not even occur to me that a six foot two model weighing 100 pounds would look significantly thinner wearing the jacket than I would. Yet the difference was great indeed!

 

 

I had fallen in love with the cable detail at the bottom of the jacket and spent my entire birthday money on the yarn for the project. It was my first knitted jacket and I worked on it for months, only to be crushed when I put it on and discovered I looked like a sausage stuffed into a casing. But when I unraveled Oslo, I saved the cable panel because I could not bear to accept total defeat.

 

 

For years, that cable panel and all those expensive yards of cocoon yarn I had unraveled haunted me, much like the ghosts of my departed shawls. But at last I have redeemed myself by turning the cable panel into a useful garment!

 

 

I saved the piece by picking up stitches on either side of the cable panel. I worked two garter rows and four rows of a slip stitch pattern as follows: *slip 2 with yarn in front, knit 2* to the end. Then I worked one row of K2P2 ribbing  so that the purls were on top of to the two slipped stitches and the knits were on top of the two knitted stitches, and I bound off.

 

The cowl has a celtic look, which was exactly what I wanted. When I wore it today, I enjoyed the warm softness of the cocoon yarn around my neck. It is a wonderful relief to have resuscitated  a knit that meant so much to me, but I still have to atone for the crime of disappearing another shawl. Stay tuned to the next installment of The Vanishing Shawls Mystery…..

 

and to read the next episode in the 100 Day Challenge, click on the link below:

 

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/02/use-accessories-to-fix-your-knits-the-100-day-challenge-continues.html