Chanel’s Couture Collection Fall/Winter 2014
Plaid is everywhere on the runways again! What a relief. It is easy to idly daydream about knitting a plaid garment, but the execution is so time-consuming that many of us put those projects off for another day, till another day becomes another year. Luckily, there is a huge variety of fabulous knitting patterns to choose from now that the trend has carried on into 2014/2015. One of my favorite patterns is featured on the left-side cover of Rowan’s Fall/Winter Magazine this year, #56:
Ailish by Brandon Mably:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ailish-2
Ailish is designed using Rowan felted tweed aran and it features the intarsia technique. As my readers know, intarsia is not my greatest skill, and I tend to avoid colorwork projects that are executed entirely in intarsia. Perhaps this explains why my favorite variations on plaid this year have been designed by Kim Hargreaves.
For those of us who fear elaborate intarsia projects, Hargreaves has found a genius way to simplify plaid down into a simple slip-stitch pattern:
Touch by Kim Hargreaves
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/touch
True, the horizontal and vertical black stripes in this plaid are understated, but they are elegant and easy to execute. The textured stitch pattern which uses moss stitch and slip stitch combined, creates a sturdy tweed fabric for a winter jacket. It is an enjoyable pattern, but I find it time-consuming to knit. I started this project last month, and so far I have only finished the back and the two fronts:
To give my plaid a more “Chanel”-inspired color scheme, I substituted the avocado felted tweed the pattern called for with a discontinued pink tweed. I also added in a few metallic stripes here and there, as metallics are a huge trend this year.
For those of you who love the look of the slip-stitch tweed but want a faster project, try this aran-weight jacket by Kim Hargreaves:
Sense by Kim Hargreaves
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sense
Just be aware that Sense is designed as an A-line jacket, so it is more boxy than Touch. Both patterns can be found in Hargreaves’ book, North, which is one of my favorites to date.
But by far the most sophisticated and challenging knitting pattern featuring plaid is found in Marie Wallin’s Windswept Collection:
Parsley by Marie Wallin
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/parsley-3
Parsley combines intarsia and fair isle in alternating bands of sophisticated color. This pattern is not for the faint hearted. If Sense, designed in felted tweed aran, is too easy or bulky for you, downsize to Touch knitted in dk weight felted tweed. Not challenged enough by the intricacy of the moss slip stitch, or want a plaid that is finer still? Knit Parsley in fine tweed, the fingering weight equivalent of the felted tweed. I am scared of the tiny panels of multi-hued intarsia plaid in this gorgeous jacket, but the fair isle panels would be a welcome relief in between. Some day I will probably dive into that project, but not until I have a large block of time on my hands!
In the meantime, I am working hard to finish my Touch in time for cold fall weather. It is a delightful pattern, it just requires patience to execute an entire jacket in moss stitch/slip stitch. As a result, my La Boheme has fallen by the wayside. It is too much to make two fine, time-consuming projects at once, but unlike La Boheme, Touch has the potential to be finished in a few months, so I have put the slower project aside until I am inspired again.
Happy plaid knitting to all now that fall has arrived! I will leave you with a snapshot of my source of ongoing happiness: