Fashion: Yarn Style

Crocheted Jewelry inspired by Chanel

 

 

Jennie Atkinson’s Crocheted Choker

 

Lagerfeld keeps Chanel clothing modern is by pairing knits and woven clothes with fabulous accessories.

 

 www.chanel.com

As a knitter, I used to focus on just garments until I started watching Chanel fashion shows. It soon became plain to me that the fabulous boots, belts, bags, bracelets and baseball caps elevated the clothing and linked it to current fashion trends. This opened my eyes to the fact that creating fashion isn’t just the clothes. It’s the art of assembling clothes, accessories, makeup and hairstyle together into an overall “look”.

 

http://www.chanel.com

 

The Chanel Paris Soeul accessory collection was particularly notable for the gorgeous choker necklaces worn piled on top of each other. I pined to create the look of a stacked choker, knowing that even if I ever had the money to pay several thousand dollars for each Chanel piece, I wouldn’t! I mean it is awesome the way Chanel costume jewelry is painstakingly made by hand, using a variety of interesting materials such as resin, pearls, lace and enamel, but the prices are SO high. Besides, as a handcrafter, I feel I should be able to find a way to make my own interesting accessories. It took me several years to find a pattern I really liked that created a stacked choker-like effect—the Crocheted Choker by Jennie Atkinson [http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-choker].

 

I used Rowan’s 4mm Swarovski crystal beads in white and topaz, and then green glass seed beads for this necklace. As a crochet neophyte, I did have to take several lessons in order to complete the necklace, but I am very content with it!

 

 

Jennie Atkinson is a teacher of fashion history and her choker pattern has a wonderful Victorian feel, doesn’t it? I do love this piece but I still pined for the pink gorgeousness of the Paris Soeul bracelets for summer.

 www.chanel.com

 

So I used some variegated pink Berroco ribbon yarn to make two Crochet Braid Bracelets  by June Gilbank.[http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-braid-bracelet]

 

 

I paired the two bracelts with a metal/enamel piece I owned that is a museum reproduction to give the same effect I saw in the Paris Soeul show, in which multiple bracelets or chokers were piled on top of each other. I used a small amount of one ball of Berroco Zen colors yarn to make the two bracelets.

 

 

I strongly recommend using ribbon yarn to make bracelets like this. It is stiff enough to create the bulk you need for a firm accessory. The pattern requires a spiral pattern of crochet stitches and when I tried to make the bracelets again using Rowan kidsilk haze yarn with beads, the resulting fabric was so fuzzy that I couldn’t see any of my stitches and I gave up in despair. The Berroco Zen, on the other hand was a dream to work with, and I would definitely use it again to make jewelry!  The pattern is very simple and each bracelet only took me, a beginning crocheter, half an hour to make.

 

 

Easy, Two-Color Chanel-Style Cardigan

 

 

One of the classic Chanel pieces that I adore is the two-color cardigan. Lagerfeld has designed infinite variations on this theme, all of them gorgeous:

 

My favorite uses a grey and black color scheme—simple, understated and elegant:

 

 

I saw one like this, except without the extra long cuffs and hem, on ebay last year, which was selling on consignment for $700. It was such a simple design, that I thought I could probably knit one like it for one-eighth of the cost. Then I discovered Sarah Hatton’s design, Victoria:

 

Ravelry link to Victoria

 

This pattern can be purchased on Ravelry as a single design, although it is part of a wonderful book, Rowan Loves Handknit Cotton and Softknit Cotton. The design can be knitted in Handknit Cotton as well, and the pattern specifications include detailed instructions for using that yarn. It also includes alternate V-neck and round-neck versions, as well as a one-color version, which is a fantastic extra bonus.

 

 

Sarah Hatton’s patterns are so modern and elegant, and I think this design really embodies those qualities. I have been really enjoying knitting the V-neck version using black with grey trim, just like that sweater I had eyed on ebay last year. Here are my front and back pieces, unblocked:

 

 

I mentioned recently that knitting Temperate by Kim Hargreaves has been quite a slog due to the painstaking efforts I have been taking not to split the yarn.

 

 

So I try to alternate every half hour between that project and Victoria to give my hands a break. I often find it really helps to reduce arm and neck strain if I alternate between a project in fine yarn and a project in worsted weight, so this has been working well. Softknit Cotton has a lovely, bouncy soft quality in the hand due to its cabled construction and I do feel it is a terrible pity Rowan has decided to discontinue that yarn.

 

 

Then again, I have been hearing rave reviews about Rowan’s Softyak dk, so perhaps I will try knitting a project with that next!

 

Anya is Beaded Fairisle Magic

Asilomar, in Pacific Grove, California

 

Life has been an exciting whirl of late, between family visits, the Amy Herzog Make Wear Love Retreat in Pacific Grove, and a trip to San Francisco. Somehow, in the midst of all that, I finished my Anya.

 

 

Now that it is finished, I will say without hesitation that if I had it to do over again, I would knit it in the round. I don’t mind executing fair isle on the purl side of the piece, but beading by slipping stitches in front from the purl side where I can’t see anything is asking a lot! However, it is finished and I am very pleased with it.

 

 

I followed the original pattern colors very closely, substituting the recently discontinued Rowan Kidsilk haze eclipse for the Rowan kidsilk night the pattern called for. However, I changed the neckline to a V neck, bringing the cable pattern from the bottom of the sweater into the neck edging. I really like the V neck very much and am glad to have avoided a big slab of black moss stitch knitting sitting right under my chin.

 

It was cool enough to wear my newly finished sweater on the California coast, and I received many lovely compliments when all of us retreat attendees marched down the aisles during our fashion show wearing our latest knits. What a delightful experience!

 

 

Beaded Fair Isle Patterns

 

 

What could be more fascinating than stranded knitting? Beaded stranded knitting! Usually, I would shy away from combining two intricate techniques together in one garment. But that was before I saw Chanel’s Paris Rome fashion show:

 

www.chanel.com

 

To me, this fabric is spectacular. Actually, most of the stranded motifs in this collection were “inspired” by British knitwear designers, but that’s another story. Getting back to the gorgeous textiles, in particular, I was struck by this sweater:

 

 

Determined to replicate the effect of beading over stranded knitting, I hunted through my old Rowan magazines. And Marie Wallin’s Anya pattern leapt out at me!

 

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

  

This is a free pattern available on Ravelry, appropriate for an advanced knitter. Why advanced? The design is made up of one pattern repeat of a huge stranded block, with moss stitch above forming the upper body and neck. So in order for your color work to reach the beginning of the armhole shaping, your row gauge and that of the pattern need to match. I tested my row gauge by knitting the different stripe and moss stitch panels all the way to the top, and measured the whole piece’s length. This was a great practice run for the real pattern:

 

 

 

My swatch was considerably smaller in row gauge than the pattern until I washed it. Then it lengthened quite a bit and pulled in on the Fair Isle sections. So I am REALLY glad I created such a big swatch! This is part of my new resolution to prepare thoroughly before casting on patterns. If I had not prepared, after washing, my sweater would have become much thinner and longer than I wanted.

 

However, the more I looked at the funnel-necked section at the top of the pullover, the less I liked it. The black rectangular frame for the neck created by the design seems particularly harsh. I am not really sure it even looks great on the giraffe-like lady wearing it, because the style  emphasizes the angularity of her thin body. Imagine this style on a shorter woman with broad shoulders and a square chin!

 

 

So I have decided to continue the stranded pattern up on either side of a V-neck collar. I used the cable pattern from the hem for the neck edging. This extended line of cabling will fold round the back neck piece. Of course, it is risky to alter the pattern, but I believe I will wear it more often if the neckline is flattering and the waist is shaped as I have done.

 

Now that I have finished one piece, I am taking a little rest. it is challenge to strand AND bead a seamed garment because you have to work both techniques from the wrong side of the fabric, where you can’t see anything. Also, the beading against the fair isle background is not as visible as in the striped sections.

 

However, I am strangely obsessed. Does anyone know of any other great beaded stranded designs? I may need to knit more...

Retro Knitted Skirt Suit

 

 

 

My principle goal for 2016 was to knit a vintage-inspired skirt suit for myself. I chose Kim Hargreaves pattern, “River”, for the skirt, as the textured rib pattern and Rowan Lima yarn seem to have held up very well according to the women who have knitted it over the past few years.

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/river-2

 

There is nothing worse than a skirt that develops a bumpy shape in back so I knitted the skirt quite tightly and followed the pattern directions for gauge even though it meant going down several needle sizes.

 

 

Rather than crocheting a row inside the skirt to hold an elastic band, as the pattern instructed, I decided to finish the skirt properly. I cut out a piece of interfacing from a scrap of silk, pressed the edges down 1/8 of an inch, and finished them on my sewing machine. Then I hand-sewed this casing inside the skirt waistband and threaded in two ¾ inch pieces of elastic with hand-stitching in between. This was a detailed process which I will describe in another blog post later.

 

 

 

The tunic pattern I used for the top of my retro knitted suit is Leah by Kim Hargreaves:

 

 

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leah-9

 

My readers voted for this top, and I am so glad that I followed their advice because I really love the way it turned out! My additional incentive for knitting this project is that my name is the same as the pattern’s. J I did add some additional waist shaping, to enhance the hour-glass retro style I was aiming for:

 

 

I also modified the boatneck. With my square jaw, a boat neck collar is not flattering, so I added nine rows of short row shaping to the shoulders on each side. By thus building up the shoulders, the neck was lowered into a rounder shape, and I like it very much. This was a total experiment, as the garment is knitted in one piece, which I have never done before.

 

 

 

Since the garment is knitted from the bottom edge of the front to the bottom edge of the back, with a slit in the neck in the middle, I created a mirror image of wraps and turns on the shoulders on each side of the neck opening. The resulting neckline still has a stylish, modern look but does not reveal my bra straps or create a harsh neckline. Do you see the way the collar seems to dip down at the neck because of the short rows I knitted on either side?

 

 

Well, it took me most of 2016 to complete my goal of knitting a retro-inspired suit, but I finished it just under the wire! I love the simplicity of this ensemble, and the way it is so fun and easy to accessorize. I believe this will become a favorite wardrobe staple in years to come!

 

 

Long-Awaited Chanel Inspiration: Honoured!

 

 

 

After eight long months of work, I have completed my jacket, which is based on Kim Hargreaves’ pattern Honoured

 

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

 

I altered the neckline of the pattern, changing it from a crew neck to a V neck, and shortening the sleeves. I plan for this to be a summer jacket that I can wear comfortably in 80 degree weather to work.

 

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

 

One of the reasons I was bold enough to make extensive modifications to this pattern is that I have already knitted Kim Hargreaves’ Touch, a similar pattern without the peplum that makes Honoured so special:

 

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

 

Since my Touch used a winter color scheme, I wanted to find a light color scheme for my summer jacket, and Chanel’s Paris Soeul collection was my inspiration:

 

www.chanel.com

 

The fabric I created uses dark and light shades of lilac and silver instead of lilac and pink:

 

 

I really have to credit Kim Hargreaves for her genius in imposing a slip-stitch color pattern ON TOP OF a moss stitch pattern in order to create a textile that is stiff enough for a jacket. Only a designer with her depth of experience and skill could pull it off!

 

I would rank Honoured  in the advanced category of knitting patterns. In order to keep both front edges of the jacket perfectly straight (the jacket is fully fashioned, with no edgings added on later), you have to knit the second front piece backwards. This means reversing everything you did on the first front, and slipping the yarn in front of the slipped stitches on this piece only. However, the resulting edges are so perfect that I do feel no additional edging is needed, and that keeps the integrity of the stripe pattern which is very important

 

 

 

I think this is probably the most difficult piece I have ever knitted. Between tracking slip stitches on top of moss stitches, shaping the peplum and waist and bust vertical darts, and knitting one of the fronts backwards, the challenge bar was already high. Add to that the neckline change and the necessity of matching the front, back and sleeve stripes perfectly, and it was a real humdinger.  One piece of advice I would give is to knit the back piece a size smaller than the front to ensure a really good fit there:

 

 

The waist I kept a little loose so the peplum would not look too exaggerated, thus avoiding a Dynasty moment. I would say that the biggest challenge is matching the sleeve stripes exactly to the body of the jacket. When I made Touch, I had to reknit the sleeves several times to make this work, so for Honoured,  I started both sleeves with a provisional cast on right underneath the sleeve cap. Then I knitted the sleeve cap up 'til it was done and basted that part into the jacket to ensure a perfect match. Then I undid the basting and knitted the sleeves down to the length I wanted.

 

 

This is such a thrilling moment, wearing my lilac jacket at last. It feels like there should be a celebration party, with a little cake or something. What do you think, readers? Is it too silly for me to bake a little cake to welcome this jacket into the world?

Modern take on Retro Knitted Suit

www.chanel.com

 

The Chanel 2016/2017 Ready to Wear Fall/Winter show featured a 

lot of fabulous monochromatic suits, including matching scarves.

What a fun concept! There have been a lot of 1960's inspired knitted

suits out there on the runways in the past year, and one of my New

Year's resolutions was to knit a skirt and matching jacket or top.

http://yarnstylist.com/2016/01/tempting-list-of-knitting-patterns-for-the-new-year.html

 

This Chanel design was my original inspiration:

 

However, I am a bit daunted by the task of making a corset

by hand. I think a monochromatic suit with a matching scarf

is a much easier task to handle. I have started first with the skirt:

 

 

And Kim Hargreaves' pattern, River:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/river-2

 

The pattern uses an interesting twisted rib stitch which gives a lot of

texture and stability to the fabric. I added six inches of length to the

skirt, because I wanted the luxury of sitting down without worrying.

I will be adding a silk casing for several rows of elastic bands at the

waist. I don't really love the pattern directions of embroidering a

few stitches over an elastic band to hold it in place, and I have

noticed other knitters using a draw string ribbon instead, 

which does not seem very finished,  in my opinion.

 

My River skirt is knitted using Rowan Lima yarn:

 

 

As well as Kim Hargreaves' pattern, which you can find here:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/river-2

 

The next step will be for me to knit the top. I have two contenders:

 

1)  This design is actually named "Leah", and it uses 10 balls of 

Rowan lima to match the skirt, which is the exactly # I have in stash:

 

 

If my friend's theory that Kim has started naming some of her

patterns after her biggest fans is true, then I should definitely 

knit "Leah" as the top of my knitted suit. Likely, however, the

designer is totally oblivious of my existence and I shouldn't take

her sweater names so much to heart. However, it is still a really

fun idea to wear a sweater with the same name as oneself, and 

the design is really gorgeous, don't you think?

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leah-9

 

2) My other choice is to knit a little retro-inspired jacket to

match the skirt, such as Karen, which I have knitted already

in softknit cotton:

 

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/karen-cardigan

Currently, I am leaning towards the pattern, "Leah", especially

because it is designed for Rowan Lima, but I am wondering

if it might be too heavy to layer a top like that over a knit 

skirt. Does anyone has any advice or votes, one way or the other, 

about which of these tops would go better with my knitted skirt?

Please comment, dear readers!!!!!

 

The pattern for the matching scarf comes from the new Rowan Magazine 60:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hartwist-scarf

 

It is called "Hartwist Scarf", and it is designed by Lisa Richardson

using Rowan felted tweed aran. I have managed to find some more

Rowan Lima to match my blue skirt and top, which is a huge

relief, as the yarn has been discontinued now.  I will 

embroider flowers on the scarf in pink or red.

 

Several of my readers had commented at the beginning of the year

that they were considering knitting a suit as well. I was wondering

has anyone cast on for theirs yet?

Tweed Riding Jacket with a Chanel Twist

 

Do you remember the Chanel Cruise Collection in Soeul? Two pieces

in that collection made me itch to grab my knitting needles and start 

designing my own version immediately! There was a pale blue/red/

jacket that to me shone above all the other suiting:

 

 

And then the lavender tweed dress appeared and blew the blue suit 

out of the water with its textile gorgeousness!!!!!

 

 

Ever since, I've been obsessed with the idea of somehow creating a 

lavender tweed jacket, shaped like the first one, but with the lilac

brilliance of the second! But how to create a knitted fabric that

looked woven enough, and also how to knit a shape sturdy enough

for a riding jacket? Voilà, Kim Hargreaves came to the rescue again!

 

Honoured by Kim Hargreaves

http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/view-books/still/#5346-still/1080

 

I am always astounded by Kim Hargreaves' ingenuity. To create a knitted

fabric that is simultaneously slip stitch and moss stitch would have

seemed impossible to me, but she pulled it off! The slip stitch

allows you to weave 3 colors together into a Chanel-like tweed pattern. 

Because I wanted to create a designer-inspired fabric, I used only one

color of felted tweed, Horizon, 179, and combined it with a hand-dyed

lilac yarn and a combination of silver thread and Japanese silk thread

for my third "yarn" to create a depth of color and texture.

 

 

Unfortunately, pictures of the fabric tend to go dark or too light,

obscuring  the true colors of the threads, so here is a closeup of

the yarns themselves:

 

 

 

 

Clockwise, from top to bottom, you see Rowan Felted Tweed,

Ito Kinu in pale grey silk, Rowan kidsilk haze eclipse in pale

silver (these two grey strands are combined as one) and Swan's 

Island hand-dyed Swansport in Lavender. If you have ever 

inspected Chanel fabrics close up, their beauty derives from artistic

irregularities of texture and fiber, and their daring and

unexpected color combinations. Many of the fabrics have little

flashes of metallic threads that do not overpower the overall

color scheme, which is why I combined my silver thread (KSH

eclipse) with a dull grey silk tweed (Ito Kinu) in order to

moderate the metallic shine to glimpses here and there. Have

you noticed that fabrics with a lot of silver and gold in them

often look cheap whereas the really expensive ones feature

metallic threads much more sparingly?

 

 

To give the riding jacket its stiff tailored shape, Kim Hargreaves uses moss

stitch in combination with the slip stitch fabric. I have knitted several

designs of Kim's in moss stitch and tweed yarn, and the fabric really

 endures! Additionally,  Kim adds a deep row of pleats along the

bottom of the riding jacket to give it that quintessentially British look.

 

 

The pleats are one of the most beautiful features of this jacket. Although I

have just completed one piece over a period of months (this project is not

for the impatient, let me tell you!) I can't wait to wear it already. And it

seems I am not alone:

 

 

See, my cat Manju is trying  it on!

 

By the way, in case you were wondering about my complete radio silence

the past few months, I finished a kitchen and bath in a remodel project

that almost finished ME off! Three months later, I have succeeded in

transforming a space that looked like this:

 

into this:

 

And that was only one room out of four, plus a relandscape design.

Apparently, this remodel sucked up every ounce of my creative energy, as

my last blog post seems to almost coincide with the start of this remodel.

Thank heavens that project is over now! And the weather will be getting 

colder soon, bringing fabulous new knitting patterns for the fall and

winter season. Can't wait!!!

A Visit to the Chanel Boutique in Paris

 

 

 

 

At Rue Cambon, the Chanel boutique is the original showroom where Gabrielle Chanel lived and worked. A family reunion in Paris a few months ago gave me the opportunity to visit this exquisite atelier.

 

 L'Hôtel de Ville, Paris

While my husband and father-in-law visited famous monuments such as the Hôtel de Ville, and his siblings and my father explored museums, my mother-in-law and I made our pilgrimage to that couture museum, La Maison Chanel.

 

 

We started by enjoying a leisurely cup of hot chocolate and a pastry at Angelina, Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite restaurant. Apparently, she lunched there almost daily. Then Maxi and I started to walk towards Rue Cambon. It was a chilly evening and we clutched our hand-knitted scarves as we strolled past the Place Vendôme, peeking into the windows of famous jewelry shops on the way. Cartier, Piaget, Lalique, Van Cleef and Arpels, Bulgari--every window sparkled with diamonds and giant pearls, including that of the Chanel jewelry boutique:

 

 

The Vendôme column celebrating Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz is under construction at the moment, and across the square, the Ritz is boarded up for repairs. The square used to consist of boutiques of high-end designer clothing, but extravagant jewelry has taken over completely!

 

 

We plunged into a warren of narrow streets in pursuit of our hearts’ desire, passing lit windows of boutique after boutique displaying tantalizing sweaters by unknown designers.

 

 

Window dressing is elevated to a fine art in Paris, which explains why window-shopping is such a past-time there. The Parisians call it “window licking” (leche-vitrines) because the displays are so luminous and tempting they seem almost edible!

 

 

Turning towards the windows also gave us respite from the clouds of cigarette smoke blown into our faces by the advancing mass of pedestrians. Smoking is everywhere and I was not surprised when my father explained that Paris is now considered the most polluted city in Europe as it was sometimes difficult for me to breathe. I don't know if this is because the city is shaped like a bowl, collecting smog, but my father takes allergy medicine just to get through his frequent sojourns with friends here, and many of us followed his example.

 

At last, the doors of Chanel beckoned us out of the smoggy twilight and we rushed inside!

 

 

We had chosen a good moment to visit, an hour before closing time. The swarm of tourists which floods the boutiques had noticeably thinned, and concentrated in the accessory rooms. This meant we had the clothing boutique almost to ourselves. On display were the models from the Ready to Wear 2015/2016 Fall Winter Collection. The fashion show for this collection was set in a Paris restaurant, which is why the window display shows a mannequin dressed as an upscale diner next to the sign, "Brasserie Gabrielle." He is so inventive, that Karl Lagerfeld!

 

Although I had pored over the models from this collection on my computer and television screens, it was completely different examining the garments closely myself!!

 

 

Although I faithfully watch all of Lagerfeld’s fashion shows on youtube, in person, the colors are unimaginably richer, the details sparkling and bold. For example, this vest which looks like nothing special via image is actually a gorgeous metallic purple interwoven with gold and jade green. I would have loved to purchase it, but even a vest at Chanel is beyond my means! As we walked from model to model, dogged by a determined salesperson to protect the clothes, I couldn’t suppress squeals of delight. This is what we saw:

 

 

Naturally, photos are not allowed in the store, so I am using photos from Chanel to give you a sense of some of the gorgeousness we saw. As a textile enthusiast, I am always the most interested in the fabrics themselves. You simply cannot find knit wear anywhere else in the world with that complexity of color, texture and depth, in my opinion.

Look at this humble Chanel scarf displayed in the window, which I photographed on the way out for you!

 

 

And here is a fascinating crocheted beaded belt, displayed in the window as well.

 

 

No matter how much he steals from vintage shapes and looks, Lagerfeld always manages to keep the clothes modern and with a bit of an edge:

 

 

Our photos were limited to the display windows. But how rich they were! It is the artistry of the way the clothing is combined that to me is almost as fascinating as the clothing itself. As captivated as I had been by the collection when I saw it in movie form on my television screen, the colors of the fabrics and trims were so much more beautiful and lustrous in person, that I was really moved.

 

I did not have the opportunity to see this piece which I love in person:

 

 

But I am determined to knit something vaguely inspired by this color scheme some day. I would also love to knit a fair isle sweater in purple, green and gold, although I could never even imagine how to create such an intricate design. But my interest in Chanel is more that of an inspiration that will fuel my imagination and make me dream of things I never considered possible in knitwear! Just composing this blog reminds me of the happy hour we spent at the Rue Cambon!

 

Tempting List of Knitting Patterns for the New Year!

http://cdn.funcheap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nye_yerbabuena.png

 

What is more inspiring than a new year, filled with endless creative possibilities? There are so many wonderful projects just waiting for us, and a whole year of time to make them in! Now that my health is back on track, I am thrilled to be knitting regularly again, and I can hardly wait to get my hands on all the fabulous projects that have been beckoning me!

 

http://cdn.styleheritage.com/

 

In 2016, I would really like to knit a sweater inspired by Karl Lagerfeld’s spectacular Paris Salzburg collection from last December. Yes, I know, I have fallen way behind the curve, but what really inspired me about this collection was the use of buttons as a main design element in the knitwear. The use of a long, vertical row of buttons or even a double row of them to make a woman’s figure appear longer and leaner is genius! And it is a trick even a beginning knitter can use! All you have to do is knit a simple shape and sew the buttons on in a straight line. I will be visiting my favorite antique button seller at Stitches West this year with a special eye out for a large set of brass or gold buttons I can use for this! I think a little navy cardi arrayed with a double row of gold buttons could be fabulous for spring!

 

 

Another approach to using buttons as a central element is the pattern, Riding to Avalon by Connie Chang Chinchio. There is some gorgeous blue Kidsilk Haze Eclipse in my stash that would make this a glamorous hoodie.

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/riding-to-avalon

 

Another pattern that really beckons me with its clever use of buttons is Holburn by Martin Storey:

 

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

 

What an ingenious way to highlight the waist and ease for the hips at the same time!!!! Plus, this top is super modern and wearable.

 

 

My other main knitting inspiration for 2016 is my stash. Let’s face it, folks, the yarn purchases didn’t stop when my knitting did. So I have a slight problem of overstock. My resolve this coming year is to only buy new yarn after I have completed three projects from stash. This means I will be knitting several projects with kidsilk haze. The contenders are:

 

Sauvignon by Martin Storey:

 

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

 

 

Champagne by Marie Wallin:

 

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

 

Galen by Kim Hargreaves:

 

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

 

and Rossini by Sarah Hatton:

 

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

 

Another benefit of knitting from stash as much as possible is that I will then be able to afford to buy Rowan’s Swarovski crystal beads. Because they are not cheap! So it will have to use stash yarn on those projects to keep them on budget.

 

Every knitting plan should contain one extravagant, absurdly impractical goal. So here is mine: a knitted skirt suit complete with corset!

 

In 2014, Lagerfeld introduced the corset into winter knitwear with amazing results. Here is my favorite, three-piece suit:

 

 

How fabulous is this? I have always wanted to challenge myself to knit a matching skirt and top anyway, so the addition of a third piece as a knitted corset would really take this over the top! Here are the patterns I am contemplating for this mad venture:

 

River by Kim Hargreaves, perhaps lengthened another 6 inches so I can sit down?

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/river-2

I like the textured pattern of this, which keeps it modern. Plus I hear that Rowan lima is great for skirts and that they don’t easily sag or lose their shape.

 

The Tulip Sleeve Pullover by Coralie Meslin would be knitted in matching Rowan lima:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tulip-sleeve-pullover

 

 

And finally, the element of the absurd--the corset itself. The Prim Reaper’s Corset by Nicki Lohr:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-prim-reapers-corset

 

In 2016, I also plan to knit more gifts. In 2015, I gifted a third of my projects and found that very satisfying. So look out for some rugged men’s knits in my blog!

 

Finally, I plan to eat more healthily so I can get back to my fighting weight. This will mean experimenting with recipes that make vegetables as enticing and fun to eat as the pastries, pies and homemade ice creams I love, which will be a tall order. If I find any really delicious recipes that fit the bill, I will share them here with you.

 

What are your New Years resolutions, knitting and otherwise? Please share! And Happy New Year, everyone!