Fashion: Yarn Style

What I learned from Photographing my Hand Knit Clothes

 

 

When I was a little girl, I visited my grandmother for one happy week every summer. Back at home, life was hard and food and other resources were limited, so I enjoyed trips to the beauty parlor with Grandmom and late night card playing over coffee ice cream and as if I were living in another world. Grandmom always sent me home with a few pretty dresses, and ever since that time, beautiful clothes have symbolized more important things—safety, feeling treasured, and being able to afford to pursue beauty as a goal in itself.

 

 

I sometimes wonder if the reason I spend so much effort making clothing by hand is I am trying to keep my grandmother’s love and protective presence in my life. She died when I was eleven, and I felt I lost her all too soon. Then again, sometimes clothes are just clothes. I mean, we all have to get dressed every day wearing something and as long as we are decently covered we are okay, right? But then clothing says so much about who we are.

 

For a while, I researched what clothing choices say about us as people and I read and watched a lot of advice from style gurus such as Tim Gunn. Often I would hear the admonition to install a three-way mirror and dress in front of it every day. Frankly, the idea horrified me. Spending so much time and effort examining my reflection seemed vain, like the Jane Austen character, Lord Elliot, who surrounded himself with enormous mirrors on every wall of Kellynch Hall so he could preen himself.

 

Then I embarked on the 100 Day Challenge of Wearing my Handknits. As a side-effect of experimenting with integrating knits into my summer wardrobe, I had to look at photographs of myself almost every day. In effect, my blog became a bit of a three-way mirror in which everything, good and bad, was starkly displayed. Suddenly I understood why a mirror is a useful tool. Far from being a tool of vanity, I realized it is more vain to believe you can dress yourself well on a daily basis without having a reliable means of checking you haven’t made some horrible mistake.

 

 

The first thing I learned from the photographs was that I was wearing the wrong bra size. Basically, the support I was wearing underneath this white top was so ill-fitted that it looked as if one side of my chest was a different size than the other. During my October trip to Paris, I went into the Galeries Lafayette Lise Charmel department for a professional bra fitting. With the expertise of a wonderful Frenchwoman, I am now finally wearing the correct under-architecture to support my handknits. Given how handknits tend to mirror our shape, it is crucial that the shape underneath be fitted out properly, or disasters like the photo above will result. It is amazing the difference a really good bra can make to your overall look and confidence.

 

 

Another AHA moment I gained from photographing my knits was realizing that jeans have to look good from 360 degrees. Just because jeans look good from the front:

 

 

doesn’t mean they look good from the back:

 

 

Moving on quickly, because I’m scared by that last photo, I also discovered photographs help to make judgement on whether an outfit works. I mean, we are always experimenting by putting separates together, and sometimes those combinations work better than others.

 

Successful combination:

 

 

Unsuccessful combination:

 

 

Anyway, I hope these thoughts are helpful to someone besides myself! I certainly learned a lot! I mean, I love my handknits and I wear them all the time. But I’m starting to take a closer look at them before I run out the door to work! 

Adding Shaping to Boxy Stranded Knitting Patterns

Greenwood by Galina Carroll

 

 A few years ago, I had the great honor to spend a day with Rowan designer Martin Storey, and Kristenlynne, the author of the amazing Knitionary blog. Martin was not only a delightful person, but he loved to talk about his design process and Kristen and I drank in all the details about how he became inspired to design patterns. We also had a lovely time showing him the highlights of San Francisco.

 

Martin wanted to know what Kristen and I, longtime Rowan fans, were looking for in patterns. I explained that what I really wanted to see was for Rowan to continue to produce knitting designs with great colorwork and cables but alter the garment shapes so that they would flatter a curvier figure like mine. I had never really articulated this vision before quite so clearly, and it created a real AHA moment for me. The problem, I explained, is that many of the knitters who are able to execute advanced knitting designs in color work have achieved this through years of knitting trial and error. Going along with these years of experience, for some of us, are additional pounds and shifts of figure which makes us more sensitive to the importance of garment shaping.

 

In the photo above, you can see what I mean. I am wearing a sweater I knitted based on a pattern photo. The shapeless sweater looks great on the six foot, hundred pound model in the Rowan magazine but on shorter, curvier me, it looks like a potato sack!

 

Back in the 1990s, when I strode around a classroom all day long as a teacher and danced six hours a week in a dance troupe, I weighted about 106 pounds. But I was still only five foot seven. Sometimes, then, I could throw on a shapeless sweater with fancy cables or colorwork and pull it off. But not always!

 

 

Honey, it’s not the 1990s anymore and I weigh quite a bit more!  My stick figure days are gone and my height has not increased. Yet I still love clothing with fabulous colorwork. It makes me sad to think that I can’t wear a lot of the intricate designs knitting companies produce these days because they are intended for a small segment of the population, namely women with model bodies.

 

I understand that it is a real challenge to add waist and bust shaping to intricate stranded and cable designs, because when the fabric goes in and out, it will throw off the pattern. So over the years I have mostly knitting simple, single-color garments that I knew would flatter my figure, but I longed for more. Until I started watching the Fruity Knitting Podcast. 

 

 

The podcast host, Andrea, is much slimmer than I, but she shares my love of fitted garments. She is a skilled knitter and has been experimenting with how to subtly alter stranded garments. For example, she added waist shaping to her gorgeous version of Alice Starmore’s Henry VIII, above. She has also slimmed down some of Marie Wallin’s designs so they are more figure flattering. Seeing how fearless Andrea was in tampering with complex fair isle patterns inspired me, and resulted in my Lily.

 

I have a curvier body than Andrea’s and so I have to add and subtract a lot of stitches in the waist and bust area to make garments work. This is a huge challenge, but bolstered by my success with Lily, I have decided to persevere. I really like the pattern of Greenwood, by Galina Carroll, and I have decided to alter that huge, tent-like design to fit my figure.

 

 

It feels a bit like a Herculean task to cut down this huge tunic to a flattering shape, but I figure nothing ventured, nothing gained! My first step is to use Lily as a model, since it is knitted in the same yarn. Basically, I will take the stranded chart from Greenwood and superimpose it on the garment structure I used for my Lily. By subtracting a bunch of stitches from hips to waist and then adding them in again, I will inevitably throw the pattern off a bit at the join between back and front pieces. But I would rather have a little jog in the pattern and wear a cardigan that looks great on ME than keep the pattern perfect and look like I weigh an extra 30 pounds.

 

It has taken me about six weeks, but I have completed the back piece of Greenwood.  In case anyone else ever decides to tackle a project like this, I thought I would share some of my approach. I have a notebook in which I track my stitch gauge, desired garment measurements, and where I have plotted out the whole of the design. Then, in order to add the body shaping I want into the shapeless pattern, I photocopied the stranded chart, enlarged, and cut and pasted every repeat of the pattern onto posterboard so that every stitch of the entire back piece was captured. That being done, I hand drew the shaping lines onto the pattern:

 

 

I am only showing a little corner of my posterboard here, as this is a copyrighted pattern and I did not want to violate that. I hope this is enough to give a sense of what I am doing. I have plotted the design for the two fronts, mounted on posterboard, with every repeat of each whole front piece laid out, facing each other. This way I can see how the front pieces relate to each other in terms of symmetry and also ensure that the front chart sections I am using match the back chart sections I am using so there is no unnecessary overlap. I will add in an extra edge stitch if necessary to the side of each front for seaming to ensure that a black line on the back flows into a white line on the front once the sides are seamed. If that doesn’t work, I will troubleshoot it as I go along.

 

 

This is a wordy blog post, which is why I haven’t written it 'til now. Sorry for the break in-between posts, but I was really mulling over how to explain this to you in the hopes that it would be at least quasi-comprehensible? Please ask questions to clarify and I also recommend watching the fruity knitting podcast episodes where Andrea mentions her own unique approach to shaping stranded knits.

Jazz up your Knits with a Beaded Edging!

 

 

I was recently invited to join in a knit-a-long of Andrea,  by Sarah Hatton, a textured top designed in Rowan kidsilk haze or felted tweed.

 

The pattern is very versatile, including a long and short-sleeved version, as well as a choice between a lace or textured knit/purl stitch pattern for the fronts. Two of the French speakers in my knitting group had invited me to join their KAL, so it was a great opportunity for me to practice my French vocabulary of knitting, as well as to knit a great pattern with friends. Here is another photo of the pattern knitted in felted tweed, which shows off the design lines of the pattern with long sleeves:

 

This silhouette is really flattering for a tall, slender, flat-chested woman. This meant I needed to make a number of modifications for my middle-aged figure. Rather than let the lace pattern cut across my bust, I lowered the lace panels so that they started right after my waist:

 

 

Once I made this change, I realized that the seed-stitch pattern at the waist line could create a beautiful frame for my upper body, and I was inspired to adorn it with beads! I did this by threading 4mm Swarovski crystal Rowan beads onto my kidsilk haze yarn right after I knitted the waist, which completed the stockinette section of my cardigan.

 

Watch Jennie Atkinson, beading expert’s youtube tutorial on how to thread beads onto your yarn here:

 

 

 

For my edging, I created this seed stitch beading pattern:

Row 1: (knit, purl, knit, slip 1 w/bead) * repeat to end, knit

Row 2: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

Row 3: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

Row 4: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

Row 5: (knit, purl, knit, slip 1 w/bead) * repeat to end, knit

This “slip 1 w/ bead” stitch is usually described in patterns using the terminology “bead 1.” Jennie Atkinson and Martin Storey use this technique a lot in their beaded patterns, and you can watch Atkinson’s video tutorial on how to do it here:

 

 

 

My seed stitch/bead pattern created a line of beading every 3 stitches, separated by 4 rows. The beads line up with each other to create a lovely sparkle which separates the stockinette fabric from the lace fabric of my cardigan:

 

 

This beaded edging pattern was very easy to execute, as long as I pulled the slipped stitches that held the beads tightly across each knit stitch. As you can see, the beads really picked up the color of my yarn so they seem to match perfectly. The effect was so beautiful that I decided to also add beading to the neckline and edgings of my cardigan, which were executed in 7 rows of seed stitch. I used the following pattern for the beaded seed stitch of the neck and fronts:

 

Pick up stitches on right side.

WS Row 1: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

RS Row 2: (knit, slip 1 w/bead, knit, purl) * repeat to end, knit

WS Row 3: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

RS Row 4: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

WS Row 5: knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end RS Row 6  (knit, slip 1 w/bead, knit, purl) * repeat to end, knit

WS Row 7 knit, purl, knit purl (seed stitch pattern) * repeat to end

RS Row cast off

 

I did add one button and buttonhole in the center front, and I created a button by stringing several larger Swarovski crystal beads of the same color onto some thread so that the crystals of the button and trim would all match:

 

 

Note that if you are going to bead at the waist and neck and at the fronts of a cardigan, you have to plan your bead placement so that the beads of the edges match the beads at the waist and neck area. Here again is a close-up of the beading so you can see how these areas have to match:

 

 

The beads do draw in the edging and neckline a bit because of the slip-stitch pattern, but I liked that effect. I really feel that these little crystals added that je ne sais quoi this cardigan needed, and I just love it! I feel it is very versatile as well, and can be worn with jeans and a tank as well as the floral print skirt and top I put together for these photos. I think it is the dark teal color of the Peacock kidsilk haze yarn that prevents the cardigan from looking too fussy in spite of the beading and lace. I may make a short-sleeved version some day in charcoal-colored yarn as well.

 

 

Although the original design, with its empire waist, low neck, and button-up front is very charming, I feel that for those of us with more hour-glass figures, a V-neck shape is more flattering. To achieve a more hour-glass shape to the cardigan, I lowered all of the lace panels by several inches to sit just above my natural waist, raised the neckline by 1 ½ inches, and used just one large button at the waist to bring the cardigan in at my body’s narrowest point. Below the button, the cardigan flares out over the hips, as it is designed with an A-line shape. The V at the bust line above the waist also draws the eye up and down, de-emphasizing any bulk, and lengthening the torso.

 

 

This beading experiment has taught me a valuable lesson, which is that a beaded edging in seed stitch is both easy to execute and adds a fun touch of pizzazz! A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and I foresee beads popping up in many more knits in future.

How to Knit with Rowan's Swarovski Crystal Beads

 

 

 

 

I am a huge admirer of Rowan’s new line of Swarovski crystal beads, Shine. Their multi-facets reflect an enormous amount of light! It is unfortunate that my photos of Semillon, the beaded top I just finished, don’t really show how much the crystals sparkle.

 

 

I used the 6mm beads for this sweater, which are quite a large size. These beads can be purchased via WEBS (www.yarn.com), and Jannette’s Rare Yarns (http://www.jannettesrareyarns.co.uk/) as well as my local yarn store, Uncommon Threads of Los Altos. (http://www.uncommonthreadsyarn.com/)

 

 

The faceted crystals are also available in 4mm and 8mm, and there are pearls and other interesting shapes as well .

 

Before you jump in and start knitting with the crystals, here are some tips to keep in mind:

 

 1)  Calculate how many beads you will need per ball of yarn and string them on in advance. I know some knitters prefer to crochet beads on as they go, but I found it quite tricky to fit a size 14 crochet hook into the size 6mm beads. Although the beads look large, their holes are small which is why only Rowan finest and Kidsilk haze are used in Rowan's beaded patterns. Also, I found the larger beads were more difficult to get a crochet hook all the way into. If you do plan to hook your beads on, test this technique in advance and make sure your crochet hook fits comfortably.

 

 

To find a youtube tutorial by Jennie Atkinson on how to thread beads onto your yarn, click here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ1InknIHrQ

 

 

2)   2) Be wary of all-over beaded patterns. Any pattern that requires you to bead every six or eight rows all the way across in intervals will be extremely heavy and even small seed beads will significantly distort the garment’s shape. If you don’t mind your sweater becoming much longer and thinner than the pattern schematic, go ahead, but be aware that measuring as you go will not accurately predict the garment’s weight and shape.

 

Rowan yarns: "Elizabeth" 

3)   3) Avoid strongly contrasting bead colors if most of your fabric will be beaded. There is nothing worse than a sweater that looks like it has broken out in chicken pox! This is another reason why all-over beaded sweaters are tricky to make. You don’t want to spend hundreds of hours of work only to look as if you have just broken out into a rash when you put the sweater on.

 

 

 

 

4)  Modernize your beaded knits by using similar-colored crystals to your knitting yarn. The Swarovski crystals are so large and brilliant that they will show quite clearly on the fabric. In my opinion, the most important addition the crystals make is texture and sheen. By keeping to a similar color tone, you can add depth of color and sparkle without looking hopelessly out of date. Note that I paired my sweater with a faux leather skirt and high-tops. Keep your other clothes modern to balance a beaded top.

 

 

In my opinion, nothing can age a woman faster than a little lace unless the colors are modern or bold. For example, a cobalt-blue lace sweater will look much more modern than a cream-colored one. Adding beads with your lace can take the vintage reference way over the top unless you simplify. Another way to keep your look modern is to use “tougher” colors such as olive, drab, or navy and match your beads or use metallic ones.

 

 

Look how Lagerfeld modernized this Chanel jacket by making it in Navy accented with brass and pairing it with slim-lined trousers and red sport shoes. In spite of the presence of lace and embellishment, this is the jacket of a modern-working woman, not a time-warp victim.

 

5)  Do use contrasting beads in small areas of a garment, for example to emphasize a collar, cuffs or trim. Jennie Atkinson has designed some amazing patterns using the Swarovski crystals in this fashion which I will share below:

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fitted-peplum-jacket

 

This Fitted Peplum Jacket by Atkinson is subtly accented with charcoal 4mm Swarovski crystals. It is designed for Rowan’s Finest yarn, a 4ply blend of cashmere and merino. I love the clever details at the collar, cuffs and pockets where the beads are incorporated. This allows a subtle sheen without the beads dominating the garment.

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/beaded-ribbed-cardigan

 

Another fabulous design by Atkinson is the Beaded Ribbed Cardigan. Also designed using Rowan’s Finest yarn, this design uses 6mm crystal beads to form a flower detail that highlights the waist. There is a “sweater girl” vibe to this knit which reminds me of the best of 1950’s knitwear. Curve friendly, emphasizing the waist, and using bead embellishments sparingly as a clever feminine accent, this pattern has it all! There is a simplicity to this design which avoids the fussiness of many beaded sweaters from the past.

 

 

If you prefer knitting beaded shawls, the free Triangular Beaded Shawl pattern by Atkinson is available on the Rowan website, or at WEBS yarn.

 

http://www.yarn.com/product/rowan-swarovski-triangular-shawl-free-pattern/

 

I didn’t think much of this shawl until I saw it knit all in white, displayed in the window of my LYS. Trust me, it is spectacular! The beads are large crystals that serve as anchor points at the lace tips at the bottom of the shawl. This will make a real luxury gift for the glamour queens in your life! However, I would not venture to knit it in white except perhaps for a bride. Instead, I plan to knit it using charcoal kidsilk haze eclipse and accenting it with dark grey beads, or perhaps in gold eclipse with the topaz crystals instead.

 

Well, I’m off to cast on Jennie Atkinson’s Fitted Peplum Cardigan. Happy knitting everyone!

Semillon and How I Love Knitting with Swarovski Crystals

 

 

 

After three months of non-stop work, it took something spectacular to draw me out of knitting hibernation. It was the crystal beads that burst on the scene, resulting from Rowan yarns’ partnership with Swarovski!

 

 

These multi-faceted beads designed for knitting are spectacular! The 6mm beads are a particular favorite because they are light in spite of their size, and they really reflect the light. However, the beads come in many shapes and sizes.

 

For my first project,  I decided to knit Semillon by Martin Storey, from Rowan’s Parisian Nights collection. It is actually a beaded sweater althought the pattern photo makes it difficult to see the detail.

 

The reason that I chose the pattern Semillon is that the beads are strategically placed in small sections. I have learned the hard way that beads add weight to a garment, so all-over beads warp a garment’s shape, lengthening it significantly. When the garment becomes much longer, it becomes much thinner as well, so don't count on it buttoning across the front! Don't rely on the pattern specifications or yarn gauge either if  you are knitting all over beads. Even if the measurements are correct, the garment will wear much differently once it is on your body because of the beads' weight. I discovered this when I knitted Kim Hargreaves’ Glisten and I had to settle for a very open beaded vest instead of the closed one I had anticipated:

 

 

The remarkable thing is that, when laid flat, the garment matched my measurements perfectly. But when worn,  it was 3-4 inches longer and narrower because of how the beads changed the fabric. This vest is now the property of my svelte god-daughter and it fits her perfectly. Lesson learned!

 

 

With Semillon, the beads are strategically placed in small panels at the hips and on the sleeves of the sweater.  There is just enough beading to add sparkle without pulling the garment out of shape! Lacework is a wonderful technique for showing off crystals, and the lace is also strategically placed so that it does not fall over the bust or tummy or any other area that should not be sheer.

 

 

The designer, Martin Storey, recently taught a beaded cable workshop which I attended at my local LYS. There, he confirmed all my thoughts about beading and how it can distort the shape of a garment. Storey is a very experienced knitwear designer and has used beads in many clothing patterns over the years, so I knew I would be safe in his hands.

 

 

How I love my Semillon! I used Rowan’s discontinued kidsilk haze night for this project, along with the lavender Swarovski crystal beads and the discontinued Rowan shine metallic yarn to give the edges bling. I chose to match my beads to the color of my knitting because I was looking for depth of color and shine rather than a color contrast in this garment.

 

 

One of the best aspects of this pattern is that it includes generous waist shaping, producing a flattering hour-glass shape. I enhanced this effect a bit by adding additional waist shaping.

 

 

The sleeves are a bit puffed, which means that you have to ease them in to the body of the sweater. I like a mildly puffed sleeve. However, just keep in mind that the neckline cannot be loose, or the sleeve puffing will be exaggerated and fall oddly on the upper arm. The pattern is designed to bring the neck in tightly which then pulls the sleeves in to proportion with the body of the sweater, so  it is important to follow those instructions to the letter.

 

 

My one caveat about this pattern is that it requires advanced skill with lace. Every row of the twelve-row pattern is different, so there is no purl row to give you a rest. Sometimes one row took 30 minutes to complete, especially row 10, which involved purl 2 through the back loop on the edge of a bead. Addi lace tip needles helped, but I still found this row tricky. Each lace repeat consists of 8 stitches. The lace pattern moves one stitch to the left for each repeat on row 9 and then one stitch to the right for each repeat on row 11, so you have to watch out for that or the entire pattern will go out of synch. Whenever a lace pattern shifts like this, you can get fewer stitches on the right side of the garment and more stitches on the left side, so track that to ensure that your garment does not become asymmetrical. I find tracking easier when I separate each 8-stitch lace repeat with markers. That way, if you go off the pattern in one section, you can spot it right away! I always count my end stitches on the right and left sides of the piece to ensure they stay the same, adding or deleting extras if necessary.

 

 

Jennie Atkinson has created a wonderful set of designs for these Swarovski crystal beads, which I will be blogging about soon. I encourage anyone who loves a bit of sparkle to test these beads out, they are truly a spectacular addition to any knitting project!

Knitwear made fabulous with metallic trim!

 

 Chanel Paris Dallas Metier d'Arts Fashion Show 2013-2014

http://chanel-news.chanel.com/en/home/2013/12/metiers-d-art-show-paris-dallas-2013-14.html

 

Nothing is more fabulous than everyday American sportswear elevated to the sublime by a master like Karl Lagerfeld. The Chanel Paris Dallas fashion show is a true inspiration! The show featured denim, Native American jewelry and knitwear glamorized to the extreme! Take a look at this incredible denim jacket with metallic trim:

 

 

Behold an ordinary wardrobe staple transformed! I had never realized that I could pair a jean jacket with a Parisian ball gown until I saw this piece. it is the elevation of the simple things we wear every day to something sublime that draws me to making clothes. Naturally, I immediately set to work on creating a jacket like this for myself.

 

I often turn to Kim Hargreaves’ patterns because of their elegant simplicity. She designed a marvelous knitwear spin on the jean jacket a few years ago, called Wren.

Kim Hargreaves’ Wren

http://www.kimhargreaves.co.uk/view-books/smoulder/#jp-carousel-asg-hack

 

 The design grabbed me immediately, and I bought the Rowan Felted Tweed Aran yarn the pattern required for my birthday. But then something held me back. Something was missing to make the jacket complete. And now I know what was lacking—metallic trim!

 

 

Rowan has an extensive palette of metallic yarns called Anchor Artiste Metallic, and I chose color 326, a dirty silver that perfectly compliments the light flecks in my Felted Tweed Aran yarn.

 

It is really rather uncanny how closely Kim Hargreaves' Wren resembles the Chanel jean jacket I have been yearning for. If you look closely at the Chanel jacket, the fabric is cut into little denim pailletes that ornament the surface and give it extra oomph:

The Kim Hargreaves jacket has a similar textural interest, achieved through the use of a double moss-stitch pattern:

The biggest challenge to creating a tribute to the Chanel jacket, however, is in finding a way to use metallic trim and blend it seamlessly into the knitwear. After some experimenting, I decided to crochet a silver line on top of my knitted fabric to create style lines similar to those on the Chanel jacket in the Paris Dallas show.

 

As you can see, that strategy was rather successful on the fronts of the jacket:

 

The (slightly wavy) silver lines to the right or left of my pin line, depending on which piece you are looking at, are made by crocheting a chain in silver on the surface of the knitted piece. A line of purl stitches was my guide. The actual silver edges of the jacket were created by picking up stitches along the edge in the anchor metallic yarn, knitting one row in double moss stitch, and casting off. I will show this more clearly in my next post. Right now the line of pins rather obscures my beautiful silver edge. Although the crocheted lines are not as perfectly straight as I would like, they compliment the wavy movement of the cable panel and the curves of the piece itself, so I don't mind. After all, couture pieces are supposed to look hand-detailed.

 

However, the back piece is another matter. For some odd reason, only two out of the four lines I crocheted onto the fabric in silver thread stand out:

 

Although I crocheted a line on either side of my cable panels, only the left lines of silver stand out. There is a band of two knit stitches that flanks each side of the cable panels, and for some reason those knit stitches seem to lean to the right, obscuring my crocheted trim. It is a bizarre effect. This faux pas only makes me more grateful that I completed my knitted piece and added the silver embellishment to the surface of the knitting afterwards, because now it is easy to remove. My next step will be to crochet the surface again,  and this time I will crochet directly on top of the outermost knit stitch of the border bands to ensure the lines of silver all standout. If that result also looks uneven, I will have to embroider the lines using a fly stitch. But it is easier for me to achieve an even tension with a crochet hook than a needle, so I will give the crochet embellishment one more try.

 

For anyone who is interested in experimenting with crocheting on top of their knitting for embellishment, I describe the technique in this blog post:

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/01/plaiducation-i-the-crochet-technique.html

 

Re-blocking and re-inforcing hand knits

 

 

This week, Manju and Miro were consumed with curiosity as I took hundreds of pins and reblocked my old sweater, Wisdom. They were particularly intrigued by the metal perpendicular ruler I used to ensure that each edge of my cardigan was pinned in a perfect straight line.

 

 

“Why bother doing this?” their curious eyes seemed to ask. And part of me agreed with them. After all, I made Wisdom years ago, and shouldn’t I be putting all my efforts into finishing my latest, greatest cardigan, Touch? Then again, I have been wearing Wisdom constantly since I knitted it in 2011, and as tough as the felted tweed yarn is, I couldn’t help noticing the edges of the cardigan need a tuneup.

 

 

Do you see how the top collar corner sags down, like a dog-eared page in a book? That curling corner drives me crazy! Not to mention that the stress of wearing it buttoned over the years has led the edge to be as bumpy and wiggly as all get out. In the past, I have ignored issues like this with my hand knits because I had this wacky idea that once I put all the effort into knitting and assembling my garments they should take care of themselves. But when I embroiled myself in the 100 day challenge where I wore a garment I’d hand-knitted every day for 100 days, I discovered that knits don’t just exist in a time vacuum, endlessly preserved in mint condition. They wear and stretch and change over time. Considering that Wisdom is my favorite cardigan, I decided I should invest time and care into refurbishing it, instead of tossing it aside for the exciting, fresh knit of the day. So below you will find the steps I am taking to make it good as new, possibly better!

 

1. Wash the cardigan and lay it on a blocking surface, still damp. 

 

2. Using a perpendicular level, line up the bottom of the cardigan to the bottom of the perpendicular level. The straight edge of the side of the level will become your guide for pinning the edges of your cardigan so they are straight all the way down on both sides. To ensure the evenness of both sides of the cardigan in relation to each other, I blocked it onto an old pillow and secured it with a ton of quilting pins. 

3. Be patient, and wait for it to air dry:

 

 

4. Remove the pins. See how straight the edges have become:

 

 

I was very satisfied with the improved appearance of Wisdom, but I knew the turned-down collar edge would return unless I reinforced it somehow. Felted tweed knitted on size 3 needles is a very light fabric, and I didn’t want to burden it with a heavy reinforcement sewed behind the button and buttonhole bands. My sewing teacher suggested that I use the yarn itself to create some kind of braided trim which I could then sew to the back of the button and buttonhole bands, and that is what I did:

 

 

Using a small crochet hook and one strand of leftover felted tweed from my original project (I save my leftovers for future sweater repairs) I created a simple crocheted chain. I pinned the chain ¼ inch away from the edge of each side of the cardigan front, and invisibly hand-stitched it on both sides. Voilà!

 

We will see how well the crocheted chain reinforces the edge over time. For now, I have a beautiful straight edge to my cardigan fronts which I am really enjoying.

 

 

As part of my heirloom approach to creating quality knitwear, I am going to be experimenting with a variety of edge reinforcers for cardigans, and my next one will be a ribbon which I’ll hand-sew behind the button and button-hole bands of Touch.  But what I learned from this first experiment is that blocking is easy enough that everyone should consider doing it periodically to maintain well-loved knits, even if you don't have feline assistants on hand.

 

 

 

Silla: Adventures in Cutting a Sleeve Cap

 

 

My Silla is finished at last. What a relief it is to finish that eight month-long project! I made many changes to the pattern to achieve the look I wanted, which is the real advantage of slow knitting. I love the modern look of the sleeves, and the way the lace panel at the sleeve cap matches the body of the sweater.

 

The sleeve is a bit wider than I would like at the top, but I felt it was important to keep the original amount of stitches the pattern required for the sleeve cap so that it would match the body of the sweater. It is tricky experimenting with sleeves, especially when there is a lace section knitted in kidsilk haze. Good luck unraveling it!

 

 

 

I used the sleeves on Madame Butterfly as a rough guide for my sleeve cap for Silla, as there is an opaque kidsilk haze section on the sleeve cap of Madame Butterfly that is meant to match the opaque body of the sweater:

 

Madame Butterfly by Marie Wallin

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarnstylist/madame-butterfly

 

The minute I start modifying a knitting pattern substantially, I change my focus to that of construction rather than knitting. Before making the sleeves, I sewed the completed front and back pieces together, so that once I finished my first attempt at the sleeve, I could baste it into the body of the sweater and ensure that everything lined up. Not surprisingly, when joining two disparate patterns together, the lace panels were off by 1.75 inches—the lace portion on my sleeve cap extended down farther than the lace panel of the front. I realized I would have to lengthen the cotton portion of my sleeve cap by 1.75 inches before I switched to the lace panel of kidsilk haze to make the sleeve match the body of the sweater. Empowered by the cutting technique I learned from Sarah Hatton (you can read the details here:

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/08/madeline-by-kim-hargreaves.html) I decided that instead of unraveling my entire sleeve, I would cut off the lace portion!

 

 

It turns out there is a big advantage to kidsilk haze lace sticking together and being impossible to unravel. Because it sticks together so much, it is easy to remove a panel of it from a project without worrying about a bunch of loose ends waving about. It is especially easy to remove a panel of kidsilk haze when it is knitted one row up from a sturdy yarn like 4ply cotton. All I did was to find the join where my first kidsilk haze row loops connected with my loops of 4ply cotton:

I inserted my scissor there and cut through those loops of kidsilk haze, leaving the cotton knitted stitches intact! As you see, as I cut every few stitches, I picked up the cotton loops and put them on my needle, so that none of the cotton section unraveled.

 

Once I had picked up my cotton stitches again, I proceeded to knit up 1.75 inches and then switched into the lace pattern in kidsilk haze. Now it all matches up perfectly!

 

 

I modified the back of Silla to make it look more modern as well. Instead of creating a long button placket along the two back edges, I sewed the two back edges together, leaving only a tiny keyhole at the top with one button closure that I could fasten myself.

 

 

I think the unbroken back lace panel shows off the beauty of the lace as a feature, and let’s face it, who has the time to do up a bunch of tiny buttons in back when getting ready for work in the morning?

 

I framed every section of my lace with a slip-stitch panel of K2, slip 2 in 4ply cotton. I like the effect overall very much, but I am wondering if it works at the keyhole. Now that I look at the below photo, I am wondering if the keyhole is slightly too big?

 

 

 

What do you think, readers?

For those of you who are familiar with the original design, Silla is supposed to have a high neck:

 

However, I opted for a low, round neck opening instead:

 

 

It is a good thing I had originally preferred a lower neckline, as I struggled with the instructions for shaping a high neck. The idea of the design is to build the “turtleneck” by picking up stitches for the collar from the base of a round neck opening, so the pattern tells you to put the center 17 stitches of the neck opening on a holder and then successively cast off the rest of the stitches, a few over every row, to create the circle shape. Then the pattern tells you to pick up all of these stitches again and start up the lace pattern on top of all the successive stair steps of lace that have been cast off. Frankly, I found this a frustrating approach that was destined to create a weird and wiggly portion of lace where the new lace rows are superimposed over uneven stair steps of different areas of the old lace pattern. But perhaps I am missing something?

 

 

 

I have been knitting intricate lace patterns for over 15 years, and consider myself a fairly advanced lace knitter. Additionally, I am a highly detail-oriented obsessive, picky finisher. But the task of picking up new lace stitches directly on top of the old ones and making it look seamless was impossible for me.

 

 

 

Challenge #1: Reading the lace:

In order to pick up new lace stitches exactly on top and in synch with the previous repeats of the lace pattern, you have to be able to examine the old part that you knitted and “read it” by figuring out the boundaries of the 10 stitch repeat and the through lines. This is challenging in any completed lace pattern once the markers have been removed, but in lace knitted in fuzzy kidsilk haze, the difficulty is increased. Then you consider this is a GARTER stitch lace pattern of raised bumps which further obscure the lace pattern which in itself has lace changes on every row from 1-10 and you can see the difficulty level is magnified by 1,000. Then, on top of that, the lace is not all cast off at once. To shape the round neck, little bits of the 10 stitch lace pattern are knitted then cast off in a stair step pattern up the shoulder so it is actually impossible to start your new picked up stitches from row 1 and correspond to row 10 of the last section. Instead, you are making your new lace row 1 on top of various bits of rows 1-10! Here is the side of the neckline as it stair steps up to the top of the shoulder:

 

 

Challenge #2: Vague cast-on instructions

The pattern tells you to pick up a set number of stitches starting from the center back, which means that you are randomly picking up stitches across the back, side neck and front without any regard to the progression of the lace pattern below, and believe me, this DID NOT WORK for me. What happened when I picked up stitches randomly is that the below lace panel became distorted, and the holes created by yarn-overs below become huge,  unsightly gaps right at the center neck front where the eye goes first. This means that, as difficult as it is to read the lace and try to match your new lace stitches to line up exactly with the old, I felt I needed to do this. Another reason for reading the lace is that a through-line extends upwards from center points of the lace pattern no matter how many repeats of 10 rows that you knit up, and if you distort this vertial line when you start up the lace pattern anew, it shows. So I had to take out my first attempt, pictured below, which was based on the pattern instructions. The safety pins hanging off the fabric were put in to mark all the areas where gaping holes had appeared:

 

 

Challenge #3: The cast off area for the neck is extremely low. Even if you decide to forego the high neck like I did, I still had to pick up stitches and do something to finish the neckafter I had the misfortune to cast off my lace in the first place, because the neckline is very low. My advice is, DON’T CAST OFF! Ignore the pattern and keep knitting up in the lace until the neckline is high enough for you. Then just pick up stitches and do a plain-stitch finish or the K2, slip 2 pattern I used!

However, I was stuck with my cast off. This resulted in a long period of poring over my lace, identifying the boundaries of the 10 stitch lace pattern (separated by safety pins) and finding the central plumb line that extends up constantly throughout, which I marked with stick pins:

 

 

 

 After I read the lace, I started my pick ups not at the back edge but at the center front. I did this by picking up the 17 stitches that were on a holder for the center front neck, and then picking up stitches in sets of 10 (1 lace pattern repeat) on either side of those central 17 stitches to ensure that all the lace stitches lined up according to the pattern below. This meant I had to pick up stitches from both the right and left side simultaneously, which I did using a tapestry needle as a tool:

 

 

Once I had picked up the stitches working out in sets of 10 from the center front, I was able to synchronize the above and below panels of the lace panels, as I had deliberately picked up center plumb lines to match the ones in the rows below which I had marked with stick pins. However it was still impossible to avoid a line where I had picked up the lace stitches on either side of the 17 stitches of the center front. I think that may be unavoidable. That is why I say, DON’T CAST OFF! Ignore the pattern and just knit up into a boatneck or turtleneck shape. Since I had to pick up stitches, I disguised the line I created where I had picked the stitches up by using the following ruse:

I knitted up only two rows in the lace pattern in kidsilk haze and then switched to 4ply cotton, which is lighter in color, and so draws the eye automatically upward. I executed 4 rows in my K2slip 2 pattern, and then cast off in K2 P2 rib. This trick works because of the way the eye simplifies the contrast between light and dark yarns. The eye travels up to the lighter shade of the 4ply cotton, and so the darker lace rows are blurred together and the line between two of the lace rows is not perceptible to the eye.

 

 

It is a good thing the slip stitch edging in 4ply cotton worked out so well, I will definitely use this again in future to create a finished edge for my lace knits. Here is the pattern, for anyone who wants to try it:

Row 1: K2, *slip 2 with yarn in front, K2* repeat to end.

Row 2: P2, *slip 2 with yarn in back, P2* repeat to end

Row 3: K1, slip 1 with yarn in front, *K2, slip 2 with yarn in front* repeat to end

Row 4: P1, slip 1 with yarn in back, *P2, slip 2 with yarn in back* repeat to end.

 

Adventures with Heirloom Knitting: The Dior Jacket

 

 

My Dior jacket is inspired by Paris architecture. I wrote about this recently in my post about the beauty of the doors of Paris.

http://yarnstylist.com/2014/05/the-doors-of-paris-an-inspiration-for-knitted-texture.html

I love the way that the door to the Parisian building is an art piece in itself, created to beckon the viewer, “if you think this is beautiful, wait till you see what is inside.” What a wonderful idea to apply to one’s clothing! I would like to enfold myself in a jacket that beckons the viewer, like the door above, with an image of subtle elegance. So I have been experimenting with slip stitch patterns in order to create a similar effect.

 

 

 

I am enraptured by this slip stitch pattern, which I created through experimentation, using the Rowan yarns Frost and Kidsilk Eclipse and Debbie Bliss’ Rialto 4ply. Figuring out how to create a couture-style suit using this fabric has been a challenge, but it does have wonderful drape. The fabric is beautiful from the wrong-side also, as you can see from this photo, where the right side and wrong side are both exposed:

 

 

One of my favorite aspects of couture is the visually layered effect that is often created by combining several woven fabrics in the same shades, so I am taking advantage of the right side/wrong side of my slip stitch fabric in the construction of my Dior Jacket. I am using the wrong side to create the collar, accent cuff and belt, and the right side for everything else. Depending on how ambitious I am, I may attempt a skirt out of the wrong-side fabric as well. Here is my work in progress so far:

 

 

The jacket is edged with a double thread of Rowan kidsilk haze eclipse

Then the cast off row is knitted using Anny Blatt muguet.

 

 

http://www.annyblatt.com/boutique/fils/24-muguet/592-muguet-noir/

 

I have mentioned the Muguet yarn several times in my posts about Chanel-style knits. Anny Blatt has a stable of designs that emulate Chanel jackets, and so they offer more yarns than any other company I have found that can be used effectively for trims for couture-style jackets.

 

 

The Muguet has a metallic sheen and eyelash structure which both emulate the style of trim that some designers are using currently in couture, and so it can be a great choice AS LONG AS IT IS NOT OVERUSED! By casting off in the Muguet only, I limit its use to only one row of the edging, which allows it to pop without dominating the piece. Since the other yarns in my textile are also fuzzy mohair yarns, and both have a sheen, the eyelash texture and metallic shine of the Muguet blends with them, simply adding an extra level of intensity. However, I would never recommend using it as a trim for a smooth fabric, such as a cotton or silk. The contrast between the two textures would be too extreme and it would make the piece look cheap.

 

 

 

I don’t have much time for knitting these days, because our Santa Rosa plums have all ripened at once! Every year we get a huge crop, with all of them ripening simultaneously, and then I’m hard put to find a use for them all. So far, I have made two batches of plum caramel sauce and two batches of plum icecream:

 

 

The egg whites left over from the icecream custard have been made into meringues:

 

 

And I have a disk of paté sucre in the fridge ready to be rolled out for the bottom crust of a plum tart. Next will be the batches of strawberry plum pies, which I make at least half a dozen of and freeze every year so I can bake them on demand.

 

 

The most challenging thing about cooking with my Santa Rosa plums is that they are tart as a general rule, but some are much more so than others. So, whereas my first batch of plum icecream turned out perfectly, my second batch is a bit on the sour side. I will have to serve it swirled together with vanilla icecream to take the edge off of the tannic fruit flavor. This is why I mix them with strawberries in my pies as well. Ah, the sweets of summer.

 

 

 

Tame your Stash by Making Kits!

 

 

 

How many years have we been knitting? I’m not going to admit my

number. And as the years go by, the balls of yarn keep piling up! I

don’t feel guilty about stray remnants, as they’re leftover from

successful projects. What weighs on my conscience are the five- or

ten-ball packs that were meant for some garment  I can’t remember

any more. And then there are the sale buys—those irresistible 30 or

40% off yarns that you knew were going to come in handy for....

well…something.

 

 

 

As you can see, these skeins aren’t knitting themselves…And I know

I’m not alone with this problem!

 

Kristen, who is the author of the blog, Knitionary, is a

wonderful knitting friend. She and I often meet at the patisserie near

our local yarn store and share knitting projects and challenges.

Her blog is filled with gorgeous knits, scrumptious recipes, and her

adventures as a Rowan Ambassador, and you can read all about it

here:

http://knitionary.blogspot.com/

 

Out of all the visually stunning blogs out there, Knitionary is by far

the prettiest. So I was honored when Kristen consulted with me

about her stash. I am sure it took courage for her to show me her

hoard—I have not quite gotten up the nerve yet to show mine to

anyone. But there is nothing more fun than going through someone

else’s yarn treasures, so next I will have to return the favor. At

Kristen's, we spent a delightful morning poring through the yarns

she had accumulated from sales over the years, and then we

happened on the delicious idea of organizing her stash into

kits. You can see photos of the kits we made on her blog 

today---we timed both our posts to come on at the same time.

 

Kristen's kit project took us two days, but it was so much fun that I

went straight home and did the same with my own stash. Gone are

all my yarn doldrums now--my skeins are neatly organized into

future projects that have all my creative juices flowing, and I can’t

wait to dive in!

 

Edina from Rowan Classic Tweed

 

  

 The kit I am most excited about is based on a pattern called 

Edina from the Rowan Classic Tweed Book #21. It was Kristen who

had the brilliant idea of substituting my Rowan Felted Tweed

Aran yarn for the discontinued Cashmere Tweed in the design. 

I have pined over the pattern for years, admiring the classic styling

and clever cabled belt that make it so unique. 

 

  

 

I think the cost to make this design in the original cashmere yarn

would have been about $350, so needless to say, I gave it a pass, 

and then the yarn was discontinued. But it turns out I have 

enough Felted Tweed Aran, which I bought in a 40% off sale, to  

make this coveted top.  Squeal! It just goes to show that often 

the greatest treasure is under our nose. But familiarity breeds 

contempt. The great fun of making kits is that a friend can 

show you the wonderful possibilities of the yarn you tired of 

years ago!

 

My Kit of Cotton Glace for Eldora

 

Designed by Marie Wallin, Rowan Magazine 55

 

Here is another one of my kits, based on the cover design from the

Spring Summer Rowan Magazine 55.

 

 

You see how easy it is to make kits of your own. In fact, I challenge

you to make a few kits from stash after reading this post! All you

need to do is write up a list of questions or get a friend to help you

make up your mind, and then assemble the things you already have

on hand.  Okay, I admit, it is a time-consuming process. But think of

all the money you will be saving by shopping your own stash. 

Not only will you escape the burden of your past mistakes, but you’ll

feel so virtuous!

 

List of Questions:

     1.    What garments do you currently need most for your

wardrobe? A cardigan to match a dress you just bought? A summer

camisole? What is a garment type you always need duplicates of?

And is there some mad gorgeous piece you are dying to have? Write

them down.

 

      2.    What five designers do you knit from again and again

because they match your style and their patterns are so much fun?

Pull out their books/designs and mark all the ones that match your

wardrobe needs. When in doubt, consult your Ravelry queue.

 

    3.    What are the colors and weights of the yarns you currently

have project quantities of in your stash?

Example:

   a.    Bulky: 1 lot of cream, 400 yds. 1 lot of grey, 800 yds.

   b.    Aran: 2 sweaters worth: navy 1300 yds. Mauve 1140 yds.

   c.    DK: 5 long-sleeve sweater worth: cashmerino, tweed, silk,

        cotton, merino.

   d.    Fingering: 8 lots of merino, 1200 yards each: jewel tones, grey,

        brown.

 

Once you have gone through all of the patterns and yarn you need,

start making up kits!

 

My Kit of Kidsilk Haze Glamour to make Aislin

 

From Kim Hargreaves' book, Heartfelt

 

For storage, there are 1.5 gallon ziplock bags, or if you don’t like

plastic, you might try a decorative box.

 

 

 

My favorite kit bags to use are the sheer bags that I received

from Loveknitting when I won my yarn prize. Their opacity allows

the true colors of the yarn to show through, and the mesh fabric

gives the yarn a chance to breathe.

  

 

Above is my project bag for La Boheme, a fabulous design by

Marie Wallin from Rowan Magazine 54. I can’t wait to get started on

this kit, as soon as my neck injury is healed enough that I can do

fiddly work like this fair isle design on size 2 needles. Look--through 

the delicate lace netting of the bag, this design has the unworldy

beauty of an impressionist painting in pastels:

 

 

 

When I make up each kit, I print out the design photo of the pattern

and secure it within a plastic page protector just to separate the

inked paper from my yarns.

 

Maybelline by Louisa Harding

 

 from Rowan Magazine 18

 

Kristen and I decided that these design photos would act as the

“titles” of our kits, and allow us to identify them at a glance. Using

my photos, I quickly ranked my kits in order of priority on a series of

hanging shelves. There are currently 15 kits hanging there plus three

other projects stored in decorative boxes on my desk. 

 

My next step was to organize my Ravelry queue so that it matched

the order of the kits on the shelves. Now I can simply proceed down

the line any time I wish to start another project. All the thinking has

been done!

 

 

It is amazing how much this simple project has changed my outlook

on my stash. Gone are my frustrations with my old buying whims.

 

??????????????

 

 

By looking at my yarns through this new perspective, I am glad I was

planning ahead for the wonderful treats in store!

 

Edina by Martin Storey

 

 

Let’s face it, our yarn stash is a real treasure that we should

celebrate. I’d love to hear if any of you have made kits, and

what your process is?