Monday, October 17, 2005

Lois: Cropped Cashmere Cardi

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

At our local fall festival this weekend, that stranger to these parts, the sun, finally showed his face -- just in time for me to wander giddily about in the fresh air, grab a pumpkin spice latte, hang about listening to live street music, and... wear this. If you read the fashion press, you already know that the cropped jacket is IN this season. Though there are dozens of knitting patterns out there, I didn't find one sufficiently appealing, so I came up with this one. Everyone, meet Lois (cropped cashmere jacket with 3/4 set-in sleeves):





I started this on Stitches weekend and finished it in just 4 days using:

-- 6 skeins of Pippin in colourway Hotel California
-- 1 hank of Louisa Harding's Sari Ribbon colour #1 for the crocheted border (you'll need only about 1/3)
-- 1 crochet hook
-- 1 pair US 9 needles, and
-- a glass button from my stash that had found its true calling

The version above fits bust sizes 36-38 and is the perfect TV/radio/cooking/laundry/otherwise multitasking knit. And off the needles it's instant cozy, casual chic.

The pattern for Lois accommodates bust sizes 32-34 [36-38; and 40-42] and would require 6 [6; and 7] skeins of Pippin (100% aran weight cashmere) and is available at no extra charge with purchase of Pippin for the project. Available colourways can be found at the List of Colourways; pricing and ordering information can also be found at the very bottom of that rather long page.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Let's talk samples...

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

Thanks again to all of you who left good wishes for Stitches in comments and emails. And just for those of you who couldn't make it, here are a couple of lovely projects that had been kindly loaned to us for display at the convention (seen here modelled by my new and shapely dress form, Angelina).

The first is a Clapotis in Estelle (colourway: Orion) knit by the astonishingly prolific and talented Lauren:



And I absolutely fell in love with this cashmere scoopneck tee by Brooke. She used 3 skeins of Estelle in Cranberries and 3 skeins of Estelle in Last of the Summer Berries, striped randomly to achieve this Missoni-like effect. And the feel of it on -- heaven!