Fashion: Yarn Style

Walking Paris in Handknitted Socks

 

Indigo Leaves by Joji Locatelli

 

Many visitors think of Paris as a city of major monuments—the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe. But we walkers know that it’s the small moments discovered by chance that are the most beautiful. The incentive to lose yourself in Paris is huge because you never know what you will find when you turn a corner—a neighborhood arch? 

 

 

A twelfth century tower around the corner from your favorite bistro?

 

Or a statue, like La Flamme de la Liberté, that you discover when emerging from a metro stop

 

 

It is not just the buildings that tempt one to range through the city, but the architectural details like antique door knobs.

 

 

Spying a grinning face or animal peering from a doorknob, I imagine the hands that have touched them over hundreds of years. And the doors themselves, from all different eras, which have opened and closed on generations of Parisians.

 

 

Is it any wonder that Paris is so tempting to walk through? The narrow alleys, flanked with antique buildings on all sides, enclose you in an intimate atmosphere:

 

 

And the light, ever changing, beckons. Imagine opening a door into a cathedral to find light rays piercing an arched hallway:

 

 

Or illuminating a stained glass window during a quiet afternoon...

 

 

And, finally, glittering through rain-drenched streets at night:

 

 

Then there are the Parisians crowded everywhere, smoking, bicycling, laughing, talking with dramatic hand gestures--the men outfitted in tight brightly colored pants, the women discreet and trendy, and the children prancing through the streets as if they owned the town.

 

 

It is the fault of Paris' siren call that I have become a sock knitter. The hours of walking through narrow cobblestone streets, up and down flights and flights of stairs take their toll. Halfway through my Paris visits, I have to ice my feet and by the end, I can barely hobble onto the plane. So this year, I arrived with a strategy. Courtesy of the Bakery Bears Podcast, I learned that well-fitted hand knitted socks can reduce walking and running fatigue so I was determined to make some of my own.

 

 

 

As a beginning sock knitter suffering from a concussion, I decided to start as simply as possible. I purchased Very Pink’s Learn to Knit Socks pattern which uses worsted weight yarn and is illustrated by a step-by-step video. I found it quite easy to follow and I just added in a little Peerie flooer from Kate Davies hat pattern which I had knitted recently. However, I did not like the shaping instructions which led to a really pointy-looking toe. It's also pretty obvious I was kitchnering to join my toe stitches for the first time. The toes of those socks look rough!

 

 

My next time using the pattern, I was able to adapt the toe shaping somewhat. I did find the socks extremely comfortable to wear, and they truly did reduce my walking fatigue during the Paris visit. So I knitted myself a third pair:

 

 

My only issue with this pattern is that it calls for Cascade 220 yarn, which is 100% wool, and I am already finding my green toe in the pair above showing signs of wear. Then again, I have been rotating these three pairs of socks continuously since the Paris trip and so clearly the only solution is for me to take my courage in both hands and knit fingering-weight socks. That will allow me to use an appropriate nylon blend sock yarn so that they will last. I will definitely be knitting one of Kay Jones's sock patterns like the Prairie Socks once I get up my courage! In the meantime, I've started with Joji Locatelli's Indigo Leaves pattern which uses work sock, a plump sportweight yarn, which feels like DK in the hands. That has allowed me to change down from a size 5 to 2.5 needle rather than a size 1 or 0 I know I will need to knit a bakery bears sock. Eek!

 

 

Next time I visit Paris, I will be fully armed with a wardrobe of socks that will cushion my feet against the concrete. As I slide my toes into their warm, cushy protective shields, I’ll sigh in anticipation of the next walking adventure!

Inara by Ambah O’Brian

 

Two color gradients on the opposite side of the spectrum! What a genius idea to combine them in one shawl! Because of the way the two gradients overlap each other, this became the most fascinating shawl pattern I have knitted to date. The designer, who I believe was an artist before delving into knitwear, was clearly inspired when she created Inara!

 

 

I used two gradient sets of Miss Bab’s 2ply Toes yarn in grey and red focused colorways:

 

I must say that the instructions to this shawl are a bit bare-bones and I was stumped by how to overlap the gradients at first because there is no verbal explanation of the color sequence, only a very brief diagram consisting of paired letters. It took me some time examining finished objects on ravelry and unraveling my first section before I understood how to sequence the two spectrums  as the designer intended. That is the one flaw I found in the pattern, otherwise it was straightforward. The lace pattern was both fun and easy to knit and I think it adds delicacy to the shawl which really enhances its beauty.

 

 

The springy merino by Miss Babs creates a wonderful, cushy fabric to snuggle into and I’m sure I will wear this shawl often. I’ve been looking forward to knitting this pattern for a long time and I’m not sure of what shawl to cast on next. Does anyone have any favorites to recommend?

 

The Emma Tee by Sarah Hatton

 

My obsession with the discontinued Rowan yarn, Calmer, has not diminished. When I decided to knit a simple tee for summer, it was the first yarn I reached for. I used Sarah Hatton’s pattern, Emma Tee because I feel Sarah Hatton is really at the top of her game right now in designing wearable garments with fun designs. The skirt it's paired with is my funsie from Paris, a skirt and top set with lace/metal grommet trim I bought at Maje.

 

Although there is no waist shaping written into the pattern for this tee, I did add in a bit. But since the pattern is ribbed, the fabric does draw in and create a flattering drape on the body with or without waist shaping even when it is knitted in a cotton blend.

 

 

This will be my go-to knitted tee for summer, because the fabric of Calmer has such a lovely drape and feel against the skin. The only yarn I have found in recent years that remotely comes close to its perfection is Rowan Softyak dk.

 

 

Softyak is a mostly cotton yarn but somehow the addition of a bit of yak gives it a lovely drape and hand feel. I knitted a fun lace top out of the softyak last summer, called Tatsu.

 

Tatsu was designed by Marie Wallin and is really wearable and light even in the heat. I suggest trying out softyak yarn if you are interested in knitting a tee for summer. Since I still have a considerable stash of Calmer, however, some of my summer tops may be knitted out of it for years to come.

 

Gabrielle Vest: Review of Cocoknits pattern

 

 

A year ago, my friend Charlotte of Knot and Knit and I went to the Cocoknits booth at Stitches West and tried on a bunch of Julie Weisenberg’s designs. We both fell in love with the V-neck tunic, Gabrielle. The Cocoknits booth was fitted up like a chic clothing boutique with samples to try on and a full-length mirror. Once Charlotte and I had both tried on the tunic and realized how flattering it was, we were sold. The problem was, the pattern hadn’t been published yet.

 

 

I photographed the tunic to remember it, and then the stalking began. Every month Charlotte and I checked in about our obsessive pattern watch: not yet, not yet! Finally, the pattern was published and with squeals of excitement, we dove in.

 

I have admired Weisenberger from afar for some time and think this garment is very clever—the split hem and v neck create a flattering shape on the body. However, the pattern itself was problematic, in my opinion. Let me say immediately that I have not tried the top-down/worksheet fill-in method of Cocoknits before. But Charlotte and I REALLY wanted this tunic, and since the pattern was sold individually on ravelry for $10, we assumed it was complete. Anyway, we filled out the Cocoknits worksheets based on our size, paid the hefty price tag for the yarn, and cast on.

 

Shibui Knits Twig Yarn

 

Challenge 1: The yarn

 

The pattern requires you to double the yarn Shibui Knits Twig, which is made of 46% linen, 42% recycled silk and 12% wool. The knitted fabric drapes beautifully and has a wonderful sheen.

 

Closeup of Gabrielle tunic fabric

 

However, I found knitting with Twig similar to knotting a rope. It’s rough on the hands and so I found myself knitting more loosely to avoid finger pain. This meant I couldn’t get gauge and my fabric resembled a holey mesh. My LYS feels Twig can only be controlled through hand winding and keeping it in a bag to prevent horrid tangles. Charlotte and I still seemed to spend a fair amount of time untangling our yarn. Eventually, Charlotte persevered with the Twig,while I unraveled my work and switched to Rowan Hemp Tweed [75% wool, 25% hemp] in order to get gauge.

 

 

 

 

 As you can see, this yarn substitution worked well, as the hemp was similar enough to the linen in the original yarn to give the drape this garment needs. The 75% wool was also easier on my fingers than recycled silk.

 

 

Challenge 2: The pattern

This was a top down, knit in-the-round construction that started from a middle section of the back and then instructed you to pick up stitches in different sections to build the rest of that piece. Charlotte and I puzzled over the instructions for a long time--pages of sentences unbroken by any visuals. This was not user friendly, but worse, the back section asked us to pick up the stitches for the sides of the upper back without clearly indicating where. I skimmed Weisenberger's Cocoknits Sweater workshop book but was unable to find any help there either. This led to another two unravelings of the back piece.

 

 designer pattern photo, view from the back

 

 The back instructions had mystified us for weeks, as two areas seemed equally likely for picking up stitches and we only had a pattern photograph of the whole back to help us try to puzzle it out. After we resolved this difficulty, we found the directions for the front were explicit for one side of the neck only and then two single sentences hinted at the shaping on the other side. I felt this was inadequate explanation for such an important part of the garment.  After knitting the back piece four times, though, this directions gap only led me to reknit the front piece once. At this point, I was really beginning to wonder if anyone had test knitted this $10 pattern, as the gaps in explanation seemed rather formidable. Really, I feel that for $10, a few drawings or a schematic indicating the front and back shaping is not unreasonable to expect. Instead, the directions inform you to "fill out the blank worksheet according to your size" and follow it as if the knitter, already confused by the pattern, would not just transfer any understanding gaps to the blank worksheet. Almost all the patterns I purchase include drawings, and there is an important reason for that as it reinforces the instructions as well as accomodating different learning styles. 

 

Luckily, Charlotte and I met in a wonderful LYS where we could get help from very experienced knitters. If it had not been for Charlotte’s superior deductive skills as well as Clementine’s instruction at our shop, I would never have been able to pick up my stitches in the right place. [I completed this project before I recieved a concussion at Easter, so I can't blame the difficulty I experienced with the pattern on that.] What bothers me is that I have been knitting garments for over 25 years and I have completed about 100 on my own, leading me to wonder how less inexperienced knitters would feel about the way this pattern relies on vague verbal instruction in crucial areas.

 

 

I really love my finished tunic and I have already worn it several times. However, I would rate this pattern at an advanced level of skill and recommend making at least one garment in Julie Weisenberger’s Cocoknits Sweater Workshop before casting on Gabrielle. This is not because you need to improve your skills before knitting it but because Weisenberger’s instructions in the Gabrielle pattern seem quixotic, assuming that you understand the writer’s approach without necessarily putting it into words in a cohesive or straightforward manner. More illustrations would be an enormous help! Now that I’ve invested the time and energy, I feel I could probably knit another Cocoknits pattern successfully but I’m not sure if every one of my readers would want to invest that much time. I would hope patterns from the Cocoknits Sweater Worshop book received more technical editing/test knitting and as they seem simpler in construction, they are probably a better value.

 

 

Here Charlotte and I are at our LYS, wearing our knits side by side! You can see from our expressions how proud we are to have finished our projects and I feel given the challenges, that we had a right to be!

 

By the way, I just got back from Paris. So I'll be posting more about that fun trip soon!

 

Marie Wallin’s "Vintage" Norbu Cardigan (Including Errata)

 

The past few weeks have been a sort of waking dream as I have tutored my students into finals week in spite of my head injury. Perhaps that’s because when I haven’t been tutoring I have been sleeping? Somehow, in between, I managed to finish my Norbu by Marie Wallin! 

 

Given the tricky challenge of navigating hours of tutoring & driving through dizziness, nausea and mental blanks, I’m sure it’s the knitting that has kept me going. Luckily, this vintage-inspired cardigan features large swathes of stockinette I could knit with eyes closed. Speaking of which, I do apologize for the typos in my posts recently. I still can't see very well.

 

 

However, Norbu features a cable design executed with twisted stitches, rather than a cable needle and I did have to stay fully alert to knit it. This cable design is notable because the chart for the sleeves contains an error. Here it is: On lines 8 and 16 of the cable chart, the first twisted stitch in each repeat should be a Tw2R. However, it is drawn on the chart as a Tw2L. Andrea of Fruityknitting alerted viewers of her podcast to an error, and said the cables were correct in the yoke section for the neck. By dint of much comparing of the two sections, one being chart-based and one only language-based, I figured out which lines contained an error. However, later, I discovered you can go to the Rowan website and download a corrected version of the cable chart for Norbu, which would have saved me a lot of time!

 

 

 

As you can see, in my version, these two cable patterns match because of the kind help I received from others. I am hoping now that I've posted this, it will be even easier to knit Wallin's lovely cardigan. I find I most often wear it open, as that creates a flattering line on my body, but it can be worn closed as well. There is a bit of waist shaping but overall the fit is loose. I used Rowan softknit cotton as the pattern requires because I still LOVE that yarn!

 

Sorry it’s been so long in between posts, I’ll be back with another once I survive this last finals week--only ten more days to go!

 

 

Dreaming of Peerie Flooers

 

 

I had the priveledge of attending Kate Davies’ book reading for her new book, Handywoman at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. During this inspiring talk, she described the way she used her creativity and resourcefulness to overcome her brain injury, and how this in turn led her to success in the knitting world. I was really moved by her talk and wanted to knit one of her designs afterwards. It seemed especially appropriate, after I fell and hit my head last month, to make myself a healing hat with Peerie Flooers from Kate Davies’ designs.

 

I used some Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift and Cascade 220 yarn from my stash to knit the hat, and I adore the cheerful colors!

I have never knitted a hat from Shetland Spindrift yarn before, and I feared it might feel a bit scratchy, but I didn’t find the fabric uncomfortable at all to wear. More importantly, the motif of lovely flowers to me symbolizes healing and hope.

 

 

I am now back at work almost full time, but I am still finding that dizzy spells come and go and nausea is almost constant as I am recovering from my concussion. I do apologize for any typos or blurry photos on my blog these days, but I still can't see very well as my healing brain finds focusing a challenge. So I have been knitting small projects--comforting accessories with a healing message. This week, I knitted my first ever pair of socks, a beginner’s pattern by Very Pink  that uses worsted weight yarn and provides a helpful video tutorial for each step of the sock knitting process. Here is the result:

 

 

I feel the toes look rather odd and would not duplicate the kitchener stitch technique from the pattern, but otherwise I liked it. After I knitted my little ankle socks using Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted yarn, I duplicate stitched a Peerie Flooer onto each one, using Kate Davies’ schematic as a guide. I really love the effect! I am going to knit another pair, this time using the kitchener stitch method I know from classes I've attended in the hopes the toes will be less oddly pointy. But I do love the idea of flowers near my toes! We're rather surrounded by flowers at the moment, as the rose garden has finally bloomed, almost a month late this year

 

I feel that when we encounter difficulties, it is helpful to dwell on happy times, and Scotland-inspired knits right remind me of the wonderful adventure in the UK right before my fall. I am already eyeing some more stranded hats and a few designs I am tempted to embroider on the next house socks I knit. Speaking of which, if any of my readers feel passionately about a beginner’s sock pattern they really like, please let me know! It is all new to me, and I am excited about diving in but am not ready for size two needles yet!!!!

 

My Ninilchik Swoncho!

 

Everywhere in New York at Vogue Knitting Live, my friend Stephanie and I saw designs by Caitlin Hunter of Boyland Knitworks. Swonchos! Hot pink and black, lime green, scarlet and gold Swonchos and Sunset Highways were absolutely everywhere!!!! All in all, the marketplace was absolutely glowing with hot pink and lime green:

 

 Vogue Knitting Live

 

However, what Stephanie and I noticed and you may as well after staring at the photo above for a moment is how tiring to the eyes hot pink, lime green and other florescents can become when you stare at them for a long time. Unlike the versions we saw in the wild, Caitlin Hunter had devised a subtle, faded southwestern color scheme for her geometric pattern on the Swoncho. When I saw the blocky design translated into shocking pink, black and lime green it looked so stark. Color is entirely a matter of taste and I do not want to take away from anyone else’s palette or choices. But what Stephanie and I took away from our time at VKL is that it was our preference to use natural subtle colors with blocky geometric designs. So when we returned from New York, Stephanie and I both searched for natural color palettes for inspiration. I chose a green forest color scheme with sunlight shining through leaves.

 

I chose a locally hand-dyed yarn, Handwerks Silky Yak dk, to knit this swoncho because I felt the design looked better when it had a lot of drape. I had a chance to try on a few stiff Swoncho samples in the marketplace that had been knitted in pure wool and I felt they looked a bit like paperdoll clothes. Rather, the width of the design, which calls for fourteen inches of positive ease, seemed to call for a silk blend that would drape well on the body. I used 3 balls of Handwerks silky yak dk in Wisp, and one ball each of Flax, Winged Teal, and Forest. I believe this yarn is only available online or at my local yarn store, Uncommon Threads, in Los Altos, CA as it is a new yarn made by a local hand-dyer, Handwerks. Her ravelry group is here:

 

My ravelry page for the swoncho

I am really pleased with the result of the modifications I made to the  pattern. I divided for the sleeves on row 10 of  Chart F rather than waiting to form the sleeves a few inches lower down when the stranded pattern was complete. I did this because I wanted real mobility in my arms as I plan to wear this as a work/hiking sweater in cold weather. It was really the gorgeous colorwork of the Ninilchik Swoncho thatdrew me strongly to the design, and soI pretty much made up the rest of the steps as I went along, knitting down from the sleeve separation.

 

I was also motivated to change the garment shape because my gauge was tighter than expected on the upper body. This is the first time in years I haven't swatched before making a sweater and it came back to bite me. I figured it wasn't necessary because the pattern just came in small and large sizes, and with 14 inches of positive ease, I thought, no problem, why bother? Hahahaha! Guess what? I ended up with a gauge of 26 sts = 4 “ with my stranded knitting instead of the 20 sts= 4” the pattern called for, in spite of the fact that I am quite a loose knitter and I used dk weight yarn and size 6 needles as the pattern required. This meant I ended up with about 4 -6 inches of positive ease instead of fourteen, which meant that it was more like a sweater than a poncho. Could I have unraveled it and started over? yes. I tried it on about twelve times as I knitted the garment and could have changed course anytime, but I loved the effect so much with the fit I was getting that I decided to keep it as is!

 

 

What do you think? Do you like the color work panels I added to the sleeve cuffs and hip sections? I thought it was prettier that way. Sorry this isn’t a very detailed blog post, but I am having some severe vision problems as a result of my concussion and can only do a little bit of computer work still. Each post takes about 3 days to put together. However, it’s spring break right now for all my students so I have much more time than usual to write and don't want to waste it! Every moment here and there that I am bright and frisky enough to work with a few photos I will so I can get out another blog post I hope before this week ends!

 

 

Ambah’s "Marya Wrap" in La Bien Aimee Yarn

  

 As some of you know, I am a bit obsessed with Paris. In particular, the patisseries of Paris. Due to the fact that I have a wonderful friend who rents her apartment to me for a song, my family who are both European and American tend to meet there as a halfway point once a year. If I am lucky, when I get off the plane, I go directly to Laduree Tearoom on the Champs Elysees to have lunch before my family starts our Paris adventures.

 

 

Patisseries in Paris are palaces of beautiful confectionery. Once the doors close around me, I breathe in scents of butter, chocolate and coffee. Tartlets, cakes and meringues are displayed like jewels in delicate pastels. Walls painted in pistachio, cherry and cream with gold moldings enfold me. Is it any wonder I have longed to make a shawl inspired by the colors of French pastries?

 

 

My opportunity came at Vogue Knitting Live in New York last month. La Bien Aimée yarn was on sale at the yarn market, and I dove into the throng of fans reaching for skeins before the supply ran out. I chose four colors that reminded me of my favorite flavors: pistachio, chocolate, raspberry and apricot:

 

La Bien Aimee Merino Singles

What do you think of the color match?

 

For the design of my Laduree shawl, I chose Marya, by Ambah O’Brian. I feel the choice of pattern is vital when knitting with a single ply yarn like La Bien Aimee Merino Single, because without another ply to balance it,  single ply makes a fabric that slants on a bias in simple stockinette. Also, you can see from the blurry halo surrounding the ball below that the fiber is quite fragile.

 

 

So I stayed away from stockinette shawl patterns and instead chose one with a base of garter stitch to keep that single ply contained and disciplined. The slip stitch panels in the shawl are particularly gorgeous with the luminous single-ply yarn which conveys color rather like a stained-glass window with the light behind it. Those little slip stitch “windows” are breathtaking when you see them up close. 

 

 

The delicate lace between each garter section lightens it and mirrors the slip stitch. Now that is true harmony of design.

 

 

I find wraps far more wearable than triangular shawls, because you can wear them open as a shawl over a dress, or bundle them into a scarf shape for a cold, rainy day. I am really in love with my Marya shawl and plan to wear it whenever I am missing Paris!

 

 

A Kim Hargreaves Classic in Rowan’s Cashmere Tweed!

 

 

I am deeply enamored of this yarn. Rowan’s new Cashmere Tweed may be my soul mate. 

 

 

Over the years, I have knitted many garments using Rowan’s Felted Tweed. It is an amazingly durable yarn, with a great color selection, and is perfect for knitting cardigans and jackets.

It is also pleasant to the touch and easy on the hands, which cannot be said of many tweed yarns. I believe it is the merino (50%), alpaca (25%) and rayon blend. (25%)

 

Touch, knitted in Rowan felted tweed

 Wisdom, knitted in Rowan Felted Tweed

I love my felted tweed cardigans, but there are pullovers I'm longing to knit. And felted tweed is not soft enough for me to wear against the skin. That is probably because of the alpaca fiber. Enter the new Cashmere Tweed, soft and scrumptious with all the tweedy definition and speckles you could desire! Cashmere Tweed is 80% wool and 20% cashmere but it is the cashmere that I really feel when I knit this yarn. The granite color is particularly beautiful, a dark grey with pink, yellow and turquoise overtones. Ah, how I love this yarn!

 

 

Oh, yes, the pullover I knitted. This is Salina by Kim Hargreaves. I knitted this as a beginner, some 20 odd years ago. Knowing nothing about gauge, I made the pullover oversized, and my mother-in-law unraveled it and re-knitted it. I am still so impressed by her generosity! Anyway, the felted tweed wore like iron for about 22 years, but in 2016, some moths  nested in it and there were too many holes to repair. I have felted the pullover and plan to use the felted fabric for a little hat or bag someday. I tell you, once I have a hand-knitted fabric in my hands, I will never throw it away.

 

My first Salina

Also, I knew how versatile this pullover is--a vintage-inspired top that pairs with skirts, trousers and jeans--so I chose the pattern to test out the new cashmere tweed yarn. I was dismayed by the price tag, of course: $13.95 for 96 yards, but I was haunted by the review my friend Kristen gave, when she said it felt like heaven in the hands and was worth it. So I waited and schemed until I found a lot of 13 balls at half price during the Christmas sales. And voilà, the result:

 

Let me tell you, I have not enjoyed knitting in plain stockinette so much in years. This yarn is scrumptious. In fact, holding the yarn just felt SO good that I bought another project’s worth of it when another sale popped up.

 

Salina is quite a straightforward knit, apart from the seed-stitch cuffs, which are knitted separately and then seamed to the cast on edge of the sleeves. I have to admit, I knitted the sleeves both at the same time to avoid getting bored of the oceans of stockinette. However, the fabric felt so wonderful as it took shape that I spent much more time knitting the pullover each day than I expected. I did add extra waist shaping to the pattern, and I knitted about an inch right around the waist on needles two sizes smaller to create more definition. Otherwise, I just followed the pattern.

 

 

I was lucky enough to receive two balls of the Cashmere Tweed in this beautiful oat color as a gift for participating in the Rowan on the Runway fashion show at Vogue Knitting live. Here is a group photo of all the amateur knitters who walked the runway:

 

Who knows, perhaps I will knit a stranded hat to match this pullover, as I still have one ball of the granite left, and can mix it with the oat shade. Anyway, for anyone who is looking for a luxurious new tweed that is soft enough to wear right next to the skin, I highly recommend this yarn!

 

Rowan S/S Preview and Amateur Fashion Show: VKLNYC2018

Crochet Piece from Rowan Magazine 63, Spring/Summer 2018

 

This year, I attended Vogue Knitting Live in New York City with my

friend Stephanie, owner of my local yarn store,

Uncommon Threads Yarns. One of the huge advantages of attending 

this knitting convention was the opportunity to see Rowan's fashion

show previewing designs from Rowan Magazine 63,

Spring/Summer 2018, which will be released later this month.

 

I photographed my favorite pieces, including several striped

cotton tops:

 

 

 

 

You may notice that I took photos of the backs of all the

knitwear. The unique opportunity that a fashion show

provides is the ability to see a garment from ALL angles.

Most pattern photos don't really provide this, and it's

really important. For example, look at this poncho:

 

Isn't it gorgeous from the front? Now look at it from the back:

 

The statuesque woman wearing this cape looks enormous

because of all the fabric in the back of the cape. Imagine a

normal-sized, curvy woman in this! Nope, not for me.

 

By contrast, the Urchin Wrap from Rowan Magazine 61

looks great from the front AND the back:

 

So I added this shawl to my "must knit" queue.

 

Most of us don't have the opportunity to see new knitted

designs up close, which is why I took so many photos for you.

I am also adding more Rowan patterns to my "to do" list

than usual because I watched them in action, and I could

tell they would be right for me. Here are my top two picks:

 

This top is a crochet design by Marie Wallin made in Rowan softyak dk.

 

My second favorite for summer is this lace panel cardigan:

 

 

It is knitted in Rowan Creative Linen Yarn

 

I am sorry I don't have pattern names for you, but the magazine

has not been released yet in US yarn stores, so I don't have it.

I was really surprised by how much prettier these summer

lace garments looked up close. Usually when I see garments

like this in a magazine, I am intrigued but not captivated.

Then, I turn to ravelry photos, seeking women of my

shape wearing the garments to imagine how I would

look. But some of those photos are not great either and

do not really capture how the garment would look with seams

straight on the shoulders, etc. 

 

Rowan design by Kaffee Fassett Magazine 63

However, I have one complaint of the fashion shows at

Vogue Knitting Live: Why did they use such unrealistic

models? For heavens sake, look at the model in the

photo above and then look at the women in the

audience below. Tell me this, do they look at all 

the same? Please, please, please, yarn companies, I 

implore you: Put normal-sized women in your fashion

shows as models! New York Fashion designers like

Christian Siriano and Lane Bryant are clearly

ahead of the knitting industry in this area,

and it is time for everyone to catch up!

 

Some final designs I loved from the preview, all inspired

by porcelain:

 

Martin Storey, "Wedgewood"

 

 

Lisa Richardson skirt suit

 

I had the great privilege to participate in a different fashion show,

Rowan on the Runway, which was probably designed to address

the issue with unrealistic models by inviting amateur knitters to

walk the runway. I think it is really a wonderful idea and I was

honored to participate. My friend Stephanie joined me and

we had a delightful time:

 

Me in Madame Butterfly by Marie Wallin

 

Twisted Cable Pullover by Sarah Hatton

 

Stephanie appeared a second time in the show, wearing a 

fabulous stranded cape in Rowan felted tweed aran:

 

Dhurrie by Lisa Richardson

 

Stephanie won third place in the fashion show!!!!!! {Applause}

I have no other photos for you of our fashion show, because

I was IN it, which meant I couldn't take any photographs as

I spent almost all my time backstage, behind a black curtain.

But I will say that all the participants were all shapes and

sizes, and had found a way to adapt some really beautiful

Rowan designs to flatter them. And they truly had a real

passion for knitting and great designs. It was truly a

joyful experience to meet them and hear their stories about

their favorite projects!!! Also, I received two balls of Rowan

cashmere tweed yarn as a thank you gift, which I was really

excited about. That yarn is really scrumptious, I'll be posting

a review of it soon here on my blog.