Unexpected Little Knits!

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

I was just about ready to do a little reveal of a new project today, but a little something has just arrived on my desk that deserves its spotlight. If you haven't already seen a copy of Expectant Little Knits (ed. Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott; new from Lark Books), it's definitely worth checking out.



Just on the first flip-through I found several patterns that I'm putting on my must-have list, including a chic pucker-stitch tunic dress and a truly elegant houndstooth jacket, cropped to create a younger modern edge to a great classic. My needles are burning for these pieces. And I'm not even pregnant! But you don't have to be to enjoy most of the great patterns in the book.

Amongst the designs is also this, which I've had to be mum about for nearly a year now. Keeping this little secret has nearly killed me, but finally she's out!

Introducing the Deauville Car Coat in Pippin (100% aran weight cashmere):



The coat, which has a shawl collar that wraps around the cutaway front and curved tail back, is designed to worn open or closed with a brooch, and is a piece that can be worn both during and after pregnancy.





So that's my surprise for today. Stay tuned this week (that's right, you haven't read wrong, I mean this week) for YET ANOTHER reveal!

A tres bientot!

New Pattern: Aoife

The new Winter 07 Knitty is up with lots of lovely projects. I'm honored to have a new pattern of mine included in such great company.

Presenting Aoife (pronounced EE-feh). (Named after an angelic little girl I once met long, long ago. When I asked her what her name meant, this little five-year-old gave me a shy smile and, in that cheerful breathy whisper five-year-olds have, said, 'radiant'. And in that moment it didn't seem possible for her to have had a more appropriate name.)







You can find the pattern on knitty here: Aoife

Something Snuggly for a Sunday

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

The Midnight Knitting project this week is finally finished, just in time to wear outside on this chilly morning. Here it is, a little cashmere heathered baseball tee - great for lounging in on any day ending in "-day"!





For this size (bust size 36), I used 4 skeins of Mont Blanc in Rosamund, and 3 skeins of Mont Blanc in Tobacco.

In the end it turned out to be only a very little bit this-season's-Balenciaga, about 2.6% (the single arm stripes), and 97.4% Lorelai Gilmore. Props to the costume designer for that show, because apart from the general wit of the writing, I want - no, NEED - to have a closet full of Lorelai's clothes. Simple and very everyday, but with a little twist in either color, shaping, texture, or print. Is anyone here a fan? Remember the Knit or Die! t-shirt?

Kitschy!Me has decided that I really really need one of these.

Capuchine

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

Boy, B.B. King is right: time really is a thief!. When I was young, I barely took notice of time passing. In fact, in retrospect, time seemed to move along at the same speed as me (if not slower - like those last few nervous minutes waiting for the bell to end the last school day before summer - excruciatingly i n t e r m i n a b l e). But now it seems that I wake up on most days and schlepp through a never-ending to-do-list, only to get up the next day and do it all over again. And in the back of my mind there's an echo that always seems to be wondering: where's all the time gone?

Like this morning, it's actually dawned on me that it's already the end of summer. And I've barely broken the seal on my sunscreen bottle! So here it is... me saying a last goodbye to the summer...



Of course, before this post gets too melancholy, there's always an upside to the start of fall, and that's the chance to break out all the glorious fall clothing we've had tucked away for months. As much as I love the spring and summer, my favourite clothing season is by far autumn/winter. And my favourite piece of the moment is... the sweater dress! I love love love the sweater dress.



And this year it seems to have made an even bigger comeback than usual, on the runways and your local neighbourhood pavements. They're shorter, hipper, and not at all like the wrap-yourself-in-a-shapeless-rug sort of seasons past. Paired with boots (or booties, which, though not my thing, look great on some people), chunky heels or wedges, the sweater dress is a go-everywhere item. It's wrinkle-free, it's warm, and it's stylish. The holy trinity of fall/winter travel dressing, as far as I'm concerned. And so much the better when it suits more than one mood...

Having said that, now I can finally tell you what became of this little pile of pieces:



Introducing... the sweater dress, Capuchine (in Estelle, 100% cashmere; colourway - Orion):



The hood, or capuche, is easily removable, allowing for the quick transition between dressy and a sportier look.







The pattern is in the finishing stages now, but since it's so chilly in the mornings now, I couldn't wait to do the little show and tell! :)

Lucky Number 14

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

Happy Mother's Day!

Thank you, everyone, for all your kind words about the Provence pics. I love looking at them, too. And yes, Kristen, it's probably just as beautiful as you imagine it -- I can tell you it always exceeds my expectations. Those of you who have been lucky enough to spend more than a week there, how I envy you!

The only thing keeping me from being too nostalgic has been to finish the #14 lace v-neck pullover from VK by Kim Kotary.



I didn't use the recommended yarn, but instead substituted with 6 skeins of Mont Blanc (100% cashmere) in Young Fawn, US 6 / 4mm needles, and a size E crochet hook. The Mont Blanc was right on gauge and there was no need to double up the yarn. Thanks to my friend V and the gals at Woolplay, I learned how to crochet properly specifically for this project -- and it is so worth the effort. And best of all, in cashmere it is fabulously soft and warm, like a hug that stays with you all day!

With 5 skeins, I got this far...



... and was tempted to stop there because it looked lovely as it was. But I decided to press on with an extra skein and I'm glad I did. The result is even better than I had imagined!

And just because I can, here are a few extra detail shots.

Jackie's Clapotis in Orion

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

Jackie from North Carolina sent some terrific photos of her Clapotis for which she used 3 skeins of Estelle (100% cashmere) in Orion.







Read her entertaining play-by-play Clapotis adventure during the Knitting Olympics here and the Flickr photoset from start to finish.

She writes:

This yarn was an absolute dream to knit with--I love love love how patternless it was and the consistency of the color. Not to mention the softness!!! I followed your suggestion and threw the finished product into the dryer for a few minutes after I ironed it (no blocking needed!)--the fluffing made all the difference, too.

Jackie, thank you! And thanks for sharing your photos!

"Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder"

[x-posted at Two Pointy Sticks]

That's Swedish for "there is no bad weather, only bad clothes".**

Not a bad aphorism for today's forecast. And after weeks and weeks of 60 degree weather we're finally having a proper winter. From every window here, the world looks like this:





New Sweater: VERONIKA

If I wasn't in such a lazy-Sunday mood, I'd be outside wearing this recently-finished fitted cashmere deep V-neck pullover. It insists on being called Veronika.



I know. A clothes horse with no shoulders doesn't carry it off quite as well as a real person, but that's the best I can do for now.

Veronika was knit in a size 38, using 8 skeins of Mont Blanc in six colourways: Grape, Tender is the Night, Etro Shirt, Hill of Tara, Paddock Brown and Perry Winkel. There was even enough left over for a matching ribbed long skinny scarf. Here are a couple of close-ups:

Sleeve detail:



Companion scarf detail:




Break-Up SOX II

Thanks to all of you who left compliments on the Break-Up Sox! I'm wearing them now, in fact, and it's amazing how much cozier they feel while lounging here at the window where we can see the neighbourhood kids, hooting and hollering, as they slide down the snow-covered street on sleds.

Some of you expressed an interest in the deviation from Cat Bordhi's Simple Sock pattern. The modification is really simple. I substituted the 2x2 rib for the following stitch pattern:

Round 1: [K2, sl1, k1, yo, psso (by this I mean: pass slipped st over both the knitted st and the yo)] to end.
Round 2: Knit
Repeat these two rounds.

And to begin the heel flap, I worked the stitches on the first needle and worked the heel flap using the stitches on the second needle. Whether you start the heel flap on the first or second set of needles doesn't really matter; all I wanted was to resume knitting the front of the leg with a "K2..." rather than the "sl1, k1, yo" portion of the rib. But it's up to you to do what you prefer. I also made the leg 7" (as opposed to 6"), so it sits better on and hugs a wee bit more between ankle and calf -- believe me when I say that that one inch can make a huge difference under jeans on blustery days.

Now, my dears, off screen, there is an entire colourworks studio filled with fiber processing, and beside me there is some piping hot cocoa, knitting, and a shiny new novel to sink into.

Speaking of which: Veronika knit up in just a little over a week while I was reading Isabel Allende's Zorro. If you can manage to knit without looking, in a position where it's easy for you to page-turn without much trouble, I recommend Zorro as excellent, highly entertaining white noise for your knitting. Somewhere amid all the banditos, pirates, and swashbuckling adventure and romance, you'll find that your garment has pretty much knit itself!

Do any of you read while you knit? And if so, can you recommend any well-written page-turners? (So far I have lined up: Brokeback Mountain, which shouldn't last longer than even half a skein as it's 64 pages, Donna Tartt's The Little Friend and The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova.)

____________________________
** This, according to this web page, where, incidentally, there are also listed a few phrases you might not find in the run-of-the-mill Swedish phrase book, such as...

-- morgonpigg - (expression used to describe early-morning-shiny-happy-people)
-- ...och det spelar ingen roll ändå om hon ser ganska tjock ut, eller hur? - and it doesn't matter anyway if she looks fat, does it?
-- och vilket språk använder ni i sängkammaren? - and what language do you use in bed?

(Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me what sorts of information one can find on the internet.)