One of the biggest fashion trends of the 2014-2015 season has been metallics. And no one creates fabrics interwoven with silver, bronze and gold like Chanel!
These garments are from the Fall/Winter 2014 2015 Couture fashion show of Chanel.
If only I lived in a chateau and went to the opera every day, perhaps it would make sense for me to pine over these clothes:
But are metallics really wearable in every day life? Karl Lagerfeld, with his usual genius, uses a supermarket as the setting for his Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2014 2015 runway show, to suggest that glamour thrives anywhere!
I agree! As you know, my obsession with designer-inspired knitwear has led me to dabble with many different types of metallic threads in knitwear.
Rowan shimmer yarn, kidsilk haze
Rowan anchor artiste metallic yarn, kidsilk haze
Rowan frost & Rowan kidsilk haze eclipse, Leo
Rowan felted tweed & Rowan kidsilk haze eclipse, Libra & Acquarius
I have leaned towards silver-toned metallic knitwear in the past, and I have never knitted an entire garment in gold. Still, this is clearly the year to do it—full-on metallic looks are all over the runways:
Chanel Fall/Winter Couture Show 2014-2015
However, given how bright an all-over gold sweater could be, I decided to tone it down with a very simple shape, the Henley. The pattern I am using is “Light”, from Kim Hargreaves new book, Still.
http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/view-books/still/
It is usually very difficult to find a gold yarn that looks expensive rather than cheap. However, Rowan surpassed themselves with Kidsilk Haze eclipse yarn. The gold shimmers subtly in a silky mohair haze that is as soft to the touch as it is exquisite.
I am pairing the Kidsilk Haze Eclipse with a very thin gold thread, Rowan Anchor Artiste Metallic fine, which seems to have become discontinued almost as soon as it was released. The dk weight version of the anchor artiste metallic is still available, though.
I am very happy with the resulting fabric. Kim Hargreaves’ pattern calls for kidsilk haze to be combined with fine lace yarn, so my gauge is working perfectly.
So far, I have finished the back and the front. The buttons I am using are gold-toned Chanel buttons I purchased over the internet. At least, I hope they are really Chanel. They were pretty inexpensive for designer remnant buttons.
This project has been taking forever! I started it in December, but then became obsessed with my plaid jacket
Then I came down with the terrible flu that has been going around, and was too tired to knit for 2 & ½ weeks. But now I hope to make some real progress!
Is anyone else planning to knit a metallic sweater this season? If so, what knitting pattern would you use?