Fashion: Yarn Style

Brighten Up a Rainy Day by Knitting Plaid!

 

 

I should be working today, but a giant wind and rainstorm hit California last night, and many of the roads are totally flooded. Mayor Jim Griffith sent out an awesome video with one solution to the flooding problem--it takes place in a Safeway parking lot in Healdsburg, California:

 

 

Sadly, I do not own a canoe myself, so I am housebound. Free days don't come along that often, so I am knitting as much plaid as I can! I mentioned previously in this blog that I am creating my own plaid design, using Rowan felted tweed aran and felted tweed dk doubled and Rowan kidsilk haze eclipse. 

 

The plaid is formed using a seed stitch fair isle pattern, so I am leaving the back of the jacket plain in dark grey tweed. This way I can do as much shaping as I want on the fronts without worrying about distorting a plaid pattern extending into the back piece.

 

I went out on a limb with color, inspired by the latest Color workshop Brandon Mably gave at Uncommon Threads, my local LYS. He encouraged us to make bold choices, and to incorporate a color or two that clashed a bit or created a pop of excitement in the fabrics we knit. Usually I stick to more muted tones, but this time I went for it and added a few rows of tangerine here and there (Rowan felted tweed Jaffa) to liven up the design.

 

 

I knitted the back of the jacket in Graphite felted tweed aran by Rowan.

 

To capitalize on the current metallic trend and add some sparkle to the sleeves, I combined Rowan felted tweed dk in Seafarer with Rowan kidsilk haze eclipse in Leo.

 

The tweed yarn held together with the metallic mohair creates a luxurious fabric with a subtle sheen. Somehow the tweed tones down the metallic, while the KSH eclipse sophisticates the look of the tweed. It is a match made in heaven! Unfortunately, sparkle doesn’t photograph well. You will see what look like white specs in the photo of the sleeve below—those are actually glints of gold.

 

For the back and sleeves of the jacket, I used Kim Hargreaves’ design, Steed.

#1: Steed by Kim Hargreaves:

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

I chose Hargeaves’ pattern because it is designed for felted tweed aran in seed stitch, so all I had to do was superimpose my fair isle plaid design on top of that. It is no joke trying to combine seed stitch with fair isle, but I hate the floppy look of plaid that's knitted in stockinette, so I feel it is worth the extra work. The peplum detail in the back of Kim Hargreaves' design is fabulous and allows it to stand out without any need for colorwork:

 

It is an excellent, well-written pattern. I knitted the back piece and sleeves first, and then built up the nerve to design the plaid pattern for the fronts. I have knitted one, and as you can see, I have just started on the second front.

 

 

Next time I will post progress photos with buttons and sewn-up sleeves. The sleeves of Steed are actually a clever variation on the three-piece sleeve of a traditional Chanel jacket. In fact, I highly recommend that knitting pattern for Chanel fans.

Teal by Kim Hargreaves

 

 

Do you remember the amazing yarn prize I won from Loveknitting in 2013? Ever since I received that exciting package of yarn, I’ve been looking for projects that were worthy of it, especially this gorgeous purple color of Kid Classic, Royal:

 

 

I decided to use Kim Hargreaves’ pattern, Teal, which is a versatile, modern cardigan, and here is the result:

Teal by Kim Hargreaves

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

 

Every time I got frustrated with my current complicated project, I pulled out my comforting project, Teal. And the next thing I knew, I had finished it! What I love about this pattern is the asymmetry between the back and fronts, and the modern drape of it.

 This cardigan can also be belted or pinned to cross over in front, so I am looking around for a suitable belt.

 

 

 I chose this smoky purple color because it matches a million things in my wardrobe, and I know I will get a lot of wear out of it. I did notice, however, that when I wore it over my spaghetti-strap maxi dress for these photos that it was a bit itchy against my bare skin. So I will probably use it just for winter wear with a blouse and patterned skirt.

 

For anyone who is thinking of knitting this pattern, be careful to ensure that the front pieces match the length of the back. There are a lot of wraps and turns, and if you follow the pattern blindly like I did, you may find that you front piece is too short and does not go all the way up to the armhole of the back. Perhaps I read the instructions wrong somewhere—anyway, next time I knit a pattern like this, I will make sure the front and back pieces line up perfectly before I start the armhole shaping rather than trusting that my reading of the pattern was correct. I fixed my error by picking up stitches at the bottom of the left front and knitting the extra rows I needed, and I don’t think you can tell.

Some of my readers have asked me to share a sample of the complex tweed jacket I am working on in the meantime. I will, I promise, as soon as I decide whether the color scheme I am experimenting with is viable. I started off inspired by a Chanel runway knit, but then I took Brandon Mably’s color class and I decided to use color more boldly on my own. We will see whether it turns out to be too bold, or just bold enough!