purlsandmurmers

Warmth and Dreams

I am apparently not really a multi-focused knitter even though I have two projects on the needles at the moment and another that is not yet finished.  I can blame this, at least partially,  on the fickleness of the knitter's mind, but this would not really be accurate.  The simple truth is that on any given day the mind, the heart, the body even, are geared in a particular direction, and this knitter must go with the flow.

In terms of the Stephen West shawl, I am ready to begin clue 3, the brioche section, but the truth is that there were several evenings when I was simply too exhausted for anything more complicated than simple garter stitch.  And so the blanket has been progressing and the shawl languishing.  

 

I am in no rush to finish the blanket; I knew that this would be a long-term project.  Even on large needles, a queen-sized blanket is an endeavor.  At the moment however, I am fascinated with blanket knitting and the colors of this blanket.  I can commit to the idea that I will not start the fourth block before picking up the shawl again.  Perhaps that will be the state of blanket progress, one block at a time.  Ten blocks or sections, ten sessions of blanket knitting, each probably longer than the previous, as the size of the blocks seems to grow with the size of the blanket.  

 

Last night I was actually alert and focused enough to begin the shawl, but I wanted to knit the blanket. Garter stitch felt like a reward for a day well-done, a soothing path at the end of a busy day in the midst of a busy time of year.  I have intentionally spent the last several years pulling back from holiday madness, even more so this year, yet my attention remains pulled in many directions.  This is also partially because I am still in the process of rebuilding energy, as well as repairing and rebuilding the underlying structure of routines that make life flow smoothly, especially in times of increased distraction and stress, but which partially collapsed during my cancer treatment.  The process of rebuilding is always exhausting, hence the need for structures and maintenance in the first place, but only a fool would believe she could build a structure that could completely block chaos from entering her life.

 

Hence also the need for Advent.  Advent is a time for reflection, and the need for reflection in the midst of social gaiety seems particularly apt this year. For this knitter, garter stitch provides a meditative process, an invitation to reflection, that suits this particular moment.

 

 

In terms of other distractions, Aimée Gille's book Worsted has arrived and is residing with my knitting on the sofa in the television room.  When I feel restless, or my fingers need a break, I pick it up and peruse the pages.  I could happily knit and wear every single project in this book with few modifications, with the exception of fitting issues, and that is a rare thing in my experience.  At the moment it is all stuff of dreams, reminding me of my younger self:  poring over the Sears Christmas Book as a child while dreaming up whole worlds and lives with each page of merchandise.  So too these sweaters.  

 

I am not about to abandon my current projects, and quite frankly, as I sit, the blanket square now large enough to just barely cover my lap with my feet tucked under me, I look forward to the day that I snuggle under a beautiful warm blanket made all the more beautiful because I knit it myself, just as I look forward to a warm woolen shawl wrapped around my shoulders on a chill evening, and I imagine all the things I could still knit: from sweaters to shawls, to linen tanks and tea towels.

 

Tis the season of hope and dreams.

Dream List and Variousn Odd Musings Inspired by Rowan 70

I've been knitting.  But I have also been dreaming of projects and the newest Rowan Magazine, # 70, has contributed to those knitting dreams.

 

 

Admittedly I am distracted by this book at least partially because I want to knit the two cover items, staring with this scarf.  The pattern is named Dolomite and it is knitted in the round using wonderfully soft Felted Tweed with DMC Diamant.  The question is whether or not I will actually wear it, or perhaps whether I want the scarf as much as I want to be the woman in the suit with the scarf.    I do love the pattern, and the idea and I know I will love knitting it.  I am pausing over two things primarily:  Do I have fall/winter clothes I can wear with this item?  Does it fit into my current life? As you might surmise, the questions are related, and both are somewhat up in the air at the moment.  First of all because I am once again sussing out what is important to me in my post cancer life, and  because I don't really know what winter clothes I own that will fit.  But the nice thing about knitting, is that it can wait, and I can knit this anytime, if and when the need arises and there are no fit issues with a scarf, other than how it fits into a life.  Sometimes I do think it is the knitting itself that makes the need arise. 

 

I am also quite enamored of this sweater shown on the back cover.  The pattern named Sardonyx, and it is  knit in Kid Classic and DMC Diamant.  Let me just say how interesting and exciting I find Rowan's use of Diamant in their knitting patterns this fall.  It is an embroidery thread I have in my embroidery stash, a thread I was playing with at least partially because it looks like a metallic thread but is far easier to use.  Alas that all came to a stop with neuropathy, but I do hope that not only will my knitting perk back up, but my embroidery will also.  Eventually perhaps I will be able to share a little of both.

 

But back to the sweater.  This is something I know I would wear even though kid classic is a heavier, aran weight yarn.  But although it is heavier than Felted Tweed, it is also a yarn I think of as soft and cuddly.  The sweater fits more smoothly into my life and perhaps my style than the the idea of a polished and besuited me.   I can accept that this sweater may only get a couple of outings a year, rather than heavy wear, at least in the Tennessee climate, but this only means that I will not wear it out quickly after knitting. My main question at the moment is one of sizing as I am currently between two sizes.  This, and many of the patterns in this volume are oversized, and although I think this sweater needs to have the positive ease to look good, I am still on the fence.  I do not look good if there is too much volume in a dolman-style sleeve and I tend to be narrow between the bust points, which I also think is critical to how this sweater will look.  I do tend to think that if I get the shoulders and the center front panel right, the dolman sleeves will be more manageable.

 

 

But there is more.  This cropped sweater, Chromium by Lisa Richardson,  is knit in Alpaca classic and, once again, DMC Diamant.  The alpaca is a fiber I struggle with more here in Tennessee, as the winters are often more damp than cold, and alpaca and I are not always friends in that situation.  It is also both lighter and warmer than wool, which becomes problematic in heated interiors.  But I think I can also layer this over a shirt or a long turtleneck.  Or not.  This may simply be a dream sweater more than a sweater I actually knit and wear. 

 

However, this cardigan, Lazurite by Martin Story, has "knit me" and "wear me" all over it.  It is knit in Kid Classic, the same as my cuddly oversized pink cozy cowl cardigan, which I knit in the winter of 2019/20, but in a more versatile length.   This pattern is written with substantial positive ease, more perhaps than I think I want.  But sizing down will depend substantially on the resulting hand of my knitted fabric. This may well be worth buying a few extra skeins of yarn first, and knitting a substantial swatch to determine the qualities of the fabric before committing to, and starting the actual sweater.  In many ways this illustrated the classic, and  ongoing problem of imagination versus reality.  There is the sweater I imagine from the picture,  and there is the actual sweater, as designed, conceived, and executed by the designer.  Of course, I as knitter do not have to create the same sweater, or use the same yarns.  Once again, a commitment to some playing with yarn may well be the answer.  Very often the very act of swatching and playing with fiber clarifies my thought process, occasionally cures the itch to knit a specific design, or turns my attentions in a very different direction.

 

 

No issues with oversized sweaters here.  This vest is named Carbon and it is knit in lightweight cuddly Felted Tweed and Diamant.  The Diamant could be a problem in all this color work, especially if one is inclined to be a tight knitter, as I suspect, based on my embroidery practice, that it could break.  

 

Luckily I am not a tight knitter, or will not be once my neuropathy wears off.  If it wears off.  That is one of those wishy washy things about the way cancer treatments are described.  Most women on Taxol get some degree of neuropathy (more of them get severe neuropathy than minor neuropathy) and most women recover fully within a few months.  The actual statistics are a little more worrisome.  80% (give or take a percentage point here and there) get neuropathy.  Of those, 40%, or only a little less than half, are left with some degree of permanent neuropathy. Yes it is true that most of those who get neuropathy recover (60%) but sometimes all this optimistic rosy speak hides some still disturbing news.  Anyway, I have done my research, and am doing my best to do everything in my power to manage my treatments and my neuropathy, in the hopes that I will be in the lucky 60%.  This sweater is one I would wear, if I can knit it.  I haven't really worn fitted vests in a few decades now, but I have tried on a few more fitted sweaters lately in stores, although not purchased them, and this would be a very happy addition to my wardrobe.

 

 

As would this vest, named Mica.   This vest somehow looks boxy in the photo, but is only designed with a couple of inches of positive ease.  Knit in Felted Tweed, I like the drape of the fabric.   I also like that the pattern is offset. The actual design is a rectangle.  I like the deep neck, although I would add in a little waist shaping, without making the garment exactly fitted.  This one is pretty high on my list right now, and it is also probably the most immediately wearable of all the garments in this magazine. It would be an easy knit to boot.

 

 

Similarly, this pullover, named Tungsten, is also eminently wearable in my life.  Also knit in Felted tweed with an off-center argyle motif, this appeals to me in much the same way the vest above appeals.  And I think it would be a sweater I would live in.  The design and the softness of the felted tweed, it seems to have that cuddly sweatshirt appeal, at least in my imagination, does call for positive ease, but I am not convinced I would knit this with the 10" of positive ease called for in the pattern.  Or perhaps I am just being difficult.  Anyway, although I would knit the vest in a neutral, this sweater is crying out to me for color.

 

 

Last but far from least is this slightly more polished sweater, also knit in Felted Tweed, called Topaz.  Again wearable, and versatile.  Although perhaps more versatile if I lived in a colder climate.  The soft oversized sweater above looks cozy, and looks like something I could wear.  This sweater looks like it would want to be worn as more of a polished indoor outfit.  In the past I have found Knoxville overheated in winter time, more so than New York.  But I may have changed, and adapted, or not.  I love this sweater, and of course, I do not need to knit it in this yarn.  Still, this design remains well entrenched in the realm of possibility.

 

And there you have it, actually far more knitting than I need or will finish in a year, especially given that I have. a large stash of queue waiting in the wings.  But it never hurts to dream, nor is there any point in being niggling with one's dreams.  Embrace all the possibilities, and then just see how they evolve.

 

 

 

Reading about Knitting

 Two new books.

Mostly these are books for reading, and learning; they are books to use, more than books to knit from.  At least that is how I see them so far.

The Knitters Book of Wool was a Valentine's day gift from my sweetie, and I've dipped into it here and there with intentions of sitting down and actually reading it.  It does seem to clarify some things for me and I am sure it will be useful.  It does have patterns, some of which I will probably knit, but I'm not really interested in the book for the patterns.

I had been waiting for Knitwear Design Workshop and eagerly ripped the package open the day it arrived.  I have spent a little time with this book, and have started reading it, and flipping ahead here and there.  It looks very useful.  It also looks like it will be a great deal of help with pattern rewriting and reconfiguring of the sort I am doing with the ruby  bubbles cardigan I am currently knitting.  I'd really like to sit down and spend some time with this book, just getting all the information down pat.  It has patterns too, but only a few.

As for Ruby Bubbles, I finally finished the long stretch of stockinette between the waist and the underarm and began the underarm shaping tonight.  I don't really know if the slowdown was due to the fact that I was distracted with a spring cleaning and resorting of house, closets and internal cobwebs, or if it was just a long stretch of boring stockinette and I grew bored.  Probably a little of each.

Knitscene

I hadn't looked at Knitscene for a while but when a friend brought the winter/spring 2010 issue to knitting group/class a couple of weeks ago I found several patterns I was interested in knitting.

All three patterns by Connie Chang Chinchio caught my eye:

 A lovely hoodie, although I never use the hood for more than decoration.

 A nice casual knock-around sweater with great wrist detail.

 An interesting cardigan out of Malabrigo lace.  This attracts me even though I don't usually like cardigans or jackets without fixed closures.

Then there is more.  

 A lovely lacy top by Teva Durham in cotton and silk.

 A cute little vest with a lovely multicolor cowl -- a dash of color at the face without the dangling ends and shifting folds of a scarf.

 And another cardigan, this one with a lovely cabled yoke. 

Two winter collections from Rowan

While I am occupied with adding a crocheted border to a "Warm Up America" blanket, I thought I would update my pattern database and share a few recent additions to the pattern library.

Both of these books are from the fall/winter collections for Rowan, although I just got around to purchasing them in January.

 Both books feature classic, somewhat rustic, what I would call, "country" sweaters, although there are certainly sweaters in both books that could be at home almost anywhere, city or country, depending on one's style.  Or am I completely out of date in thinking that t here is such a thing as "city style" and "country style" anymore?

The Purelife Winter Collection features sweaters for men and women designed by Marie Wallin.  Since G doesn't want sweaters, I am mostly interested in the women's patterns.   The designs use Rowans British Sheep breeds Chunky and DK wools or Organic Wool DK. There are three patterns in this book which I like, all in DK weight. 

 Windemere is a lovely, classic, cabled turtleneck sweater that I think is somewhat elegant, but which I will never knit.  I have, somewhat reluctantly,  come to accept that for the most part I should avoid high turtlenecks sweaters unless they are being worn as layering pieces with other shapes and necklines to add interest.  A simple turtleneck sweater like this is simply not my friend.

Luckily there are two other sweaters that I am itching to make and wear.

 Ulveston is a lovely tunic with a lace and cables pattern that would be perfect for layering, worn with a shirt as shown here, or with that turtleneck and perhaps a scarf or long necklace.  

 The third pattern, Kendall, is not a layering sweater, and although it does have a cowl, the drape makes it much more wearable and flattering.  The illustrated sweater is knitted from bluefaced leicester, one of the natural wools in the British Sheep Breeds collection, which is fitting as bluefaced leicester is a soft  with a nice drape and a bit of luster as well, features to remember when choosing a yarn for this project as it is meant to be worn against the skin.  Softness and the soft luster of the wool add elegance to the sweater.

 The second winter book I purchased was Rowan's Classic Heartland which features designs by Martin Storey, using Rowan's aran weight wool-silk blend, Silky Tweed.

Continuing with my recent fascination with colorwork patterns, two of my choices in this book use stranded colorwork using the fairisle technique.  This means, of course that with the aran weight yarn, they will be toasty warm sweaters, much like the much striped cardigan I am currently working on, although slightly less bulky as I am using an aran weight yarn and a bulky yarn in that sweater.

 Considering that I am constantly cold this winter, it is no surprise thought that I am attracted to cozy warm sweaters.

Lowri fits the bill for warm and cozy, and pretty too.  I love the pattern and the subtle colors as much as I love the deep ribbing.  This pullover is knit to what would be called "mid length" in the Sally Melville book Mother-Daughter knits, and the deep ribbing can be knit to the perfect length so that the colorwork begins at one's "short sweater length" which would give an attractive silhouette and increase the styling and wearing options.  

I don't know anything about the yarn, although I did see at least one comment on Ravelry that it might work best at a tighter gauge than recommended on the label (19 stitches = 4").  The stranding might help this, but at 20.5 stitches to 4" this is not much tighter.  I might sub a different yarn or a different weight yarn.  Since Rowan's charts tend to be tiny and difficult for my middle-aged eyes to see, I always end up recharting the patter anyway, so it probably wouldn't be that difficult to convert it to DK.

 The other colorwork sweater, Dilys, is knit more tightly, at 22 stitches to 4 inches.  I am sure this is because this sweater is meant for layering and the designer wants a stiffer hand with less drape.   I certainly am attracted to just these qualities in this sweater:  the shape, the layering possibilities.  This sweater combines my love of color, but in a rather sophisticated way, with the short cropped silhouette that I have learned works so well with my long torso.

This is definitely a must-knit, although I don't see how it will get on the needles before next season.

 The last sweater is a lovely cardigan with a tailored appeal, Braith. There is nothing fancy here stitch-wise, it is just a classic, simple, wearable cardigan, and probably just what my wardrobe is waiting for.

Haiku Knits

I pre-ordered Haiku Knits from Amazon which means it has been sitting around here for a few weeks now.  I keep looking at it.

I finally cataloged the patterns I am interested in to my database today and I ended up with 10 patterns out of the 25 in the book.  Many patterns are ones I would make up as shown, others are more inspiration pieces in that I love the shape or the combination of the yarns or the ideas that the design inspires.  These patterns make me want to play with yarn, to master texture and drape and the nature of the knitted fabric, to make the final garment something that is exactly what I want.

So I suppose the book is in part a book of dreams, because my knitting impulse is more in keeping with blind following of directions than blazing a trail and designing my own.  But it is also a book of patterns.  Patterns I would love to knit.

Tonight, because I am tired and have been standing at the cutting/drafting/marking table for hours and I am not feeling particularly eloquent or long winded, I shall share only my three favorites.

Two are made exclusively from Habu yarns, one is a combination of Kidsilk Haze and Habu yarn.  Not all the sweaters in the book call for Habu, but many do.

Most of the sweaters in the book are not this traditional.  And yet it is the traditional models I share.  Perhaps it is a reflection of my state of mind, of this wanting to create garments that are just right in and of themselves but which also get along well as bit players in a wardrobe.

Perhaps I am just tired.

Anny Blatt Fall 2009

I'm far enough along in my current sweater that it is time to consider what's next, so I knitted a swatch this morning and blocked it.  I wasn't particularly fond of the swatch unblocked, but the wet it shows more promise. The decision will turn on the hand of the dry swatch. More information will be forthcoming.

I had originally thought I would start this Anny Blatt sweater next, but perhaps I was a little over-ambitious in how far I would have progressed in my general fitness and weight-loss goals.  I have decided that I would like to wait until I am a little closer to where I want to be before I actually start this project, even though it will not be the fastest knit.  Because it is on tiny needles it will also be a knit that I will not be happy to have rip out and reknit just because it is too big.

Instead today I will show you a few favorites from the new, Fall 2009 Anny Blatt books, sweaters I would love to knit even though I am well aware that I currently have a backlog of several Anny Blatt sweaters including one that was started and then turned into a tangled mess by the blessed baby cat, Moisés.

From Anny Blatt Book 206 there are three sweaters that caught my eye.  The first is this one, Valliere, done in intarsia in three different yarns, all in the same shade.  I adore this; I love the subtlety of the change in texture and color afforded by the different yarns, I love the simple elegant shape (and yes there is shaping in this sweater) and the modified bell sleeves which are not to big.  This sweater falls into the "must knit" category for me.

My second favorite sweater in this book is another intarsia sweater, Mazarin, which is very reminiscent of the lovely intarsia sweaters that I associate with Anny Blatt in the 90s.  I'm just going with what I love here.  I love the deep v-neckline and the fitted shape.  I love the asymmetrical color work.  What I don't particularly love are the pearls and beads sewn on this sweater, not that I have anything against pearls on sweaters (see Mine) just that I don't like the pearls on this particular sweater.  Luckily, they are not required.  I would leave off the pearls and the little intarsia dots running up the front of the sweater and otherwise leave the rest of the pattern alone.

I am also rather fond of this sweater, named Achery.  I have been wearing more stripes, and horizontal ones at that lately, which is not such a bad look, especially as my torso above the hipline is my slimmest part.  I like the stripes but mostly I like the hem and sleeve finish combined with the stripes, although generally this sweater seems more like "summer" to me but perhaps that is because I see it more in "summer" colors. 

Certainly the colors shown are not for me, which is a shame in one sense as I would love to use the yarn, Lady Blatt, which is a combination of camel, silk, and cashmere.  Alas Lady Blatt does not come in 4 colors flattering enough to my complexion to make this sweater; there are three colors I would use, but I haven't convinced myself that there is a 4th color that fits my vision of the thing.  Not to worry, there are many other yarns in the universe and my lusting after Lady Blatt is probably best confined to a smaller project than an entire sweater.

I'm still fretting over the whole turtleneck issue, and whether I should invest in more turtlenecks from a style-perspective.  From a practical perspective they are fabulous as they keep the neck and chest warm and look a little more sleek than a scarf.  I suppose now that I think about it, I am never giving up turtlenecks, unless perhaps, my neck collapses and my chin rests on my collar bones and I don't see that happening. 

Which brings me to the lovely Myrica from Book 207. I love the cables that increase in width as they move up the torso, bringing the eyes upward, the godets that flare over the hips, the lovely lattice at the neck and cuffs.  When I was first looking at this book I also happened to be trying on sweaters and I was convinced I wanted to unravel a favorite, now too large, cashmere sweater to make this.  But I have come to my senses.  Not about unravelling the cashmere, that will be done as it is a lovely sport to DK weight yarn, but in terms of using it for this sweater.  The cashmere is too soft and fluffy, and this sweater will look better with a yarn that shows the cables more crisply.

Last, there is the lovey Melonie.  I suppose this is a more standard, classic, ladylike sweater in a fairly popular stitch pattern, but that doesn't make it less lovely.  Certainly it is the perfect shape, with a lovely V-neckline that always looks good on me.  It is a sweater that would be perfectly at home over skirts or pants either casual or more tailored and therefore fits my idea of a perfect wardrobe basic.

Norah Gaughan 5

I am still sewing the beads on Mine; it is a slow and meticulous process, at least for me.  The fall knitting magazines are really starting to come  in now though, so of course I am looking and dreaming.

I ordered the Norah Gaughan fall book because I  have loved every previous book (except perhaps volume 4, in which there is only one sweater I want to knit).  I am glad I did because I could really happily knit almost everything in this book.

When I look at this book, and go back and look through the previous volumes as well, I wonder why I even bother knitting anything else.  

Well, that resolve only holds up until I look in my closet or look at the next knitting book.  But I do know that I really need to knit some of these sweaters. 

The book is divided into two segments.  The first segment, Fly Away, emphasizes draping and interesting shapes. 

The first three sweaters have particularly caught my attention.  Cormorant, shown above, and Heron (left) are fabulous cardigans and I can so easily see myself wearing these although Heron, knit with Peruvia Quick, is knit with an awfully bulky yarn and I am inclined to think that although it would knit up quickly, it would get far less wear than Cormorant,  which is a much more versatile weight.  

If I am going to knit only one of them, it would be Cormorant.

I also love this pullover, called Anhinga and think this would be a sweater that I would just pull on again and again.

The second segment of the book is called "Bright Women" and shows much more traditional structured garments which have been knit in bright colors.

I actually think most of these patterns are versatile and wearable, but of course there are a few which I am particularly attracted to.

I like the cardigan, Potter, with its double-breasted ribbed front that is so reminiscent of a pea coat.  

I also really like the pattern called Curie with its interesting patterning and sport-weight yarn (shown in red). I think the different patterns, and the band dividing it will also give me some fitting options, allowing for a little bust shaping, and taking a little length out of the mid back.

Goodall is just a classically nice cabled sweater  that looks like it would be fun and fairly fast to knit as well as a great sweater just to wear.

 

Fall Rowan

I've been looking at Rowan 46 for a few days now, and it is not surprising that there are several patterns I quite like. I am always attracted to thick warm woolly sweaters which is slowly becoming problematic as the winters lately seem increasingly mild.  I always said that I would be one of those old ladies rattling about a drafty old house in Maine; my choice in sweaters, at least, seems to confirm this predilection.

I think I have learned not to say "these are the patterns I am going to make" although I may or may not make all of them at some point or another.  I haven't even started the sweaters I intended to make from Book 45 as I am still finishing up sweaters from last summer.  These are simply the designs I love without regard to where I would wear them now, whether they fit in my life now or at some undetermined future time, under some as yet unknown future conditions.  

They are all sweaters I love, that fit my style, and that I can imagine myself wearing in spirit.  

The first sweater pictured, Stockport, should not be surprising.  I love the shape.  I love the yarn, Cocoon, so soft and cuddly and light.  Of course I love the way they've styled it here which gives me ideas, but I can see wearing this little sweater layered in several ways. If I do manage to make it soon, I can see myself wearing it for one of our late September or early October Sunday afternoons in the Berkshires.

And this sweater, Rona,  may seem a bit out of character to some, it does to G anyway, but I adored it the instant I opened the magazine as it is the second sweater shown, in a glorious two page spread.

Again I admit to being attracted by the styling, as well as the color choices on this one, soft muted colors that I could wear well.  

Although my initial reaction was something along the lines of "I love that" followed by "Granny Squares, I would never have thought" that too is some disingenuous  as I have a summer cardigan made from granny squares that I have had, and adored, for years.  It was purchased a long time ago, back when it still took me nearly a year to finish a sweater, and it may or may not survive the cuts when my ongoing closet clean-out finally gets to the sweater closet.

But this sweater would definitely survive were it already knitted and I can already imagine it with certain wardrobe basics.

I always have a weakness for those thick warm, country weekend sweaters which is not at all surprising as I live a kind of country-weekend life.  This pattern, called Benbecula, reminds me of crisp autumn days and chilly winter afternoons by the fire.  I see it with jeans and boots, perfect for all those days that are cool enough to need something but not cool enough for a heavy sweater or jacket, open and with short sleeves the layering options are fabulous. 

Burghley is another thick, fall sweater that I can imagine just living in.  This has a little more presence, with the feel of a jacket as well as a cardigan.  It is knit from wool cotton, much more versatile than a thick wool, which may be more appropriate for autumn days or late/winter early spring, and perhaps even for cool indoor environments as well.  I may not live in a drafty old castle, but modern houses with walls of glass have their own insulation issues.

I am also wildly attracted to  Stronsay.  Granted it is a men's sweater and even the smallest size would be pretty loose and bulky.  I know that what I am attracted to here is the idea of this sweater, and of course the colors used in the original which are so perfect with the soft grays and greens and that pop of autumnal rust.

This I can see wearing, at least I can see some ideal of this sweater on me, although I am as yet undecided as to whether I would just go for the straight "boyfriend sweater" sweatshirt effect,  which would be great to wear out raking leaves or shoveling snow, or traipsing around mucky country paths in sturdy boots and jeans, or if I would modify the pattern to employ that luscious plaid in a sweater that was perhaps a little more fitted.  When I do decide what is perfect, this looks like a sweater that could rival Rogue as one of my favorite winter hoodies.

Cheadle jumped right out as a sweater that is perfectly "me".  I love the unusual cables which run from side to side, and I love the cropped length as well.  This sweater is also much more adaptable, at least to me.  I can see it dressed up a bit or down, moving beyond fields and barns and country estates.    My only question is whether it is suitable for my  more busty, middle aged shape, but I am inclined to think that the sweater can be tweaked to fit, and the appropriateness is all in the details of fit and how it is worn.  I have been very happy lately with these short, waist to high hip length sweaters with shorter sleeves, worn as layering pieces with something longer underneath.  They seem to add interest and break up the expanse of the long torso, pulling the eye up to my long neck and away from my short legs.  

Perhaps I am just deluding myself.

Since I live in sweaters 9 to 10 months of the year, I do also need some indoor sweaters and it is always nice to find hand knit patterns that are light enough, simple enough, and interesting to knit enough that I might actually make them.

Claremont is one example here.  The shape is good for me with its short length and waist emphasis, as well as the face framing color.  This is a shape I wear well, and I love the argyle pattern.  The soft full sleeves are lovely and feminine, and best of all, for those of us who are seem unable to avoid dragging our sleeves through everything, are the nice long narrow cuffs.  I have always been attracted to the idea of a leg of mutton sleeve done well, a stye also hinted at by the current popularity of short sleeve sweaters layered over turtlenecks or long sleeve tees, such as Cheadle, above.

Last but not least,  I love the simple stripes of Thorington.   It seems I will never outgrow my love of turtlenecks and how can I resist a turtleneck of kidsilk haze and kidsilk shimmer.

Yummy to knit. Yummy to wear. Dressy enough to wear to dinner. Soft enough that I might never want to take it off.

French Girl Knits

Aack!

The posts keep piling up in my head but I am having a certain amount of difficulty (pure laziness) making that transition from thought to actual post.

I received the new book, French Girl Knits, last Tuesday, a week ago now.  And actually I suppose I am glad that I waited before writing anything about it.

I suppose my first impression was that it was interesting but much of it was not my cup of tea, which is actually my opinion of several of the French Girl patterns.  There are a few that I love and more that are lovely but just not my style. The sweaters are beautiful but I feel they tend to be a little too frilly and feminine for me.  There were several sweaters I loved but was not convinced I would wear, I have changed my mind about some of those.  And there are a couple I adore but would never wear out in public, but that doesn't mean I would never wear them.  I am rather fond of soft feminine things to wear in the evening at home, as long as they are feminine but not frilly.

But the more I looked, the more enamored I became of this book.  To begin with there are a couple of patterns which I outright loved on first sight, one of them being the cover sweater, shown above and this wonderful cropped cotton sweater with the buckle closure.

There are other sweaters of course, sweaters that are lovely and are growing on me more slowly. They are classically beautiful and wearable.

But even more appealing is the attention to technique. There is much to learn from this book.   Most of the sweaters employ seamless construction and there is all kinds of useful information in the book about knitting and construction techniques as well as fitting and how to get a sweater that is perfect. 

Now both of these sweaters are just lovely and would look attractive on me or many other people.  I am particularly drawn to the one shown in beige, but the lacy dark one is slowly worming its way into my heart as well.  They are both knitted without seams.  

The beige sweater, called Paloma, is knitted from the top down.  In the other sweater, Niobe, the sleeves and body are worked separately from the bottom up (in the round) where they are joined at the armholes.  

And there are others that I also love, two that I mentioned earlier that struck me as perfect lounge-wear and another that has a very strong 20's feel.  I have always had a weakness for the 20's, although I probably can't wear the styles anymore.  

The book is definitely a keeper.