Original designs
That’s just what happens when you start working on a piece before you know you’re expecting.
I am sucking in my tummy as far as I possibly can, but nevertheless have expanded quite a bit, in all sorts of places. So if you’re thinking of making this please note that, if you make the correct size to fit your actual body, the sweater will be an inch or two longer in the body, and slightly less strained all over.
At least my expansion doesn’t affect the neck. I love how the neckline turned out.
Category : Original designs
Sorry for the absence – we’ve been at the beach for a week, enjoying mixed weather but a very restful time. I have photos of the finished Marc/Koigu hybrid to show soon, followed by a pattern – it turned out quite well, but this was definitely the last time I’ll be able to model my own designs for a while.
If you’ve been waiting and waiting for the Bridie pattern, you’ll be pleased to know it’s available here.
Category : Original designs
I don’t think I’m alone in this: I love to look at variegated yarn in the skein, but balk at making much other with it than socks, or perhaps the occasional scarf. I refer of course specifically to the multi-colour variegation that we see in Koigu KPPPM, for example, rather than the subtle variations in a hand-dyed semi-solid shade.
Now I know that variegated yarn has many many devotees, and while I would not hesitate to lay down some dictats about what does and does not fall under the definition of ‘style’, this is not one of them. Just that for me personally, the variegated garment, unless it is very monochrome, the stitch pattern exactly right, and the yarn particularly appropriate, has often, to my eye, a touch of the tie-dye about it. A valid stylistic choice in and of itself, but not one I myself often make.
(Although as an aside, one of my favourite items of clothing ever owned was a soft cotton t-shirt, orange, with a large yellow sun tie-dyed onto the front. My uncle Ben made two, matching, one each for me and my cousin Chloe. We wore them with crowns made of tin-foil and our underpants, one hot summer at Granny’s house. We held hands, scampered around the garden, ate apples. It was 1975 and we were three.)
Browsing in Liberty’s, first floor ladies’ fashion, this past spring (a recommended way to kill an hour in the West End, department of your choosing), my eye was caught by a neat summer jumper by Marc Jacobs. Narrow, textured stripes to body and sleeves – I believe his were in shades of red, green, khaki, sand, brown – were sharpened beautifully by natural cotton rib.
So the Marc Jacobs inspiration, some Koigu and some Rowan 4-ply cotton led to this. The colours are not particularly true – it’s terribly gloomy this weekend. I’ll withhold judgement for as long as it takes me to work out an envelope neckline treatment, and report back.
I know, you’re on tenterhooks.
Category : Original designs
