hanna birke

miura cowl finished

last week i finished the Miura Cowl.

i cast on 133 stitches for 7 pattern repeats.  i like a longer, narrower cowl so could have cast on for 6 pattern repeats instead.

it's been a long time since i've posted a modeled shot - honestly these modeled shots are not my favorite.  i miss the younger, more rested, less stressed me ... but then most of us probably feel this way.  so here's the modeled shot.

happy as i am with this cowl i'm rethinking fiber choices in this milder, damp climate.  i find the merino that i loved in Alberta feels itchy here.  cashmere seems to handle the moisture better.  i'm also looking at cotton, rami, linen and hemp with renewed interest.  

but before i cast on for anything else i must finish the Sound of Waves shawl for my mother.  

will leave you with 2 inspiration links - this one for a great cowl and this one for some endearing sweater mending.  

 

 

 

noticed

It's been a long time since I've done a noticed post.  Partly because I haven't seen many inspiring runway knits lately. 

But Tanya Alpert (author of  Haiku Knits) did a post on Nanette Lapore's most recent collection and there's a sweater in this collection I quite like.  You can see more of the knits in this collection at Tanya's blog.  I think they're an interesting mix of tough and feminine, lacy and chunky.  

 

Of course a sweater with holes in it is totally impractical for a Canadian winter.  Today I have on a tank top, a long sleeved t-shirt, a densely knit alpaca sweater, a sheepskin coat, jeans, wool socks, boots, a cowl, and mittens and I'm still cold.  Babies it's cold out:  -34C this morning with a wind chill of - 46C. 

Anyway, weather and practicality aside I adore this Nanette Lapore sweater and I'd love to knit something like it in a cream colored alpaca.   Not that I will be casting on anything new for me for a few months yet. 

There is knitting happening but the main knitting at the moment is on a secret project (no not a  design submission). 

I also continue to work on the Ardent Jacket.  This one has been on my needles for over a year now - that's a long time for me - so I would dearly like to see this project done.  It is coming.

In other noticed news I've seen a cowl on Ravelry that is perfect for our winters.  You've probably already seen or even knit the Inspira Cowl - but if you haven't go take a look at it and all the test knits.  It's amazing the variety that's come from different color choices with this pattern.

And lastly in the clothing but not necessarily knit inspiration department I've been devouring all the posts at the wonderful blog Closet Visit.  It's by Jeana Sohn in LA.  She photographs the closets and wardrobes of cool girls.  Great fun.   My favorite closet visit so far is the one with Momo Suzuki.

 

kindness

A few days ago Gay did a post on teaching her grandson the joy of giving at Christmas.  If you haven't already read it I think you'll find it very tender.  

As someone else who was a recipient of Gay's kindness this week I can say she's the perfect person to teach giving.

A while back Gay mentioned she wanted to knit something with black yarn but she didn't have any on hand.  I happened to have a dozen or so balls of vintage Jaeger black boucle - 100% wool - never used - a little dusty but other than this in good shape.  The whole lot must have cost me $10.00.  As I'm weeding black out of my closet sending the boucle off to Gay seemed a good idea.  If she could use the yarn I wanted her to have it and had no thought of receiving anything in return other than a bit more closet space.  

Gay being who she is though said she would send me something in return.  You can see where this is leading ... 

Invernal, Jaeger and Malibrigo.  Plus a sweet silk bag.  All from Gay.  All way more than I expected.  

The Aslan Trends Invernal will make a great cowl.  I really like the Derek Lam one in the top photo.  Even though I have two things on needles now this cowl would be good to have immediately.  This morning I got my stitch books out to look for textured knit stitches.  I found one that calls for a lot of purl 5 stitches together - but it might produce texture similar to the Derek Lam cowl.

The Jaeger cotton tape is perfect also.  I've been wishing I had some cotton tape.  Problem now solved.

And the Malibrigo lace weight in Cognac goes really well with some Habu I've had in the closet for a while.  I'm thinking shrug.  

I also think I'm pretty lucky.  

Sophie has a series of Best of 2009 posts going.  She lives in my area and her most recent post has a great series of photographs of the landscape here.  I'm not organized enough to do a recap of the best stuff in 2009 but I did finally get around to finishing Kingsley Amis's classic Lucky Jim - something about the humor and abandon in it really appealed this year.  Other best's of the year?  Receiving yarn from Luisa, meeting Kat and Felix, and hearing that Jane is expecting.  

 
 

meeting Kat and Felix

I was almost as nervous as I would be going on a blind date.  

But I was in southern California for two weeks and asked Kat Coyle if she would like to meet.  She drove down from LA to see me and we went for lunch and then to The Black Sheep yarn store in Encinitas.  

There was nothing to be nervous about - it was so easy and joyful to be with Kat.  We talked about knitting and hard decisions we'd made and how blessed we feel in our lives.  Kat gave me a small jewelry piece she crocheted with Habu cotton - I love it and wear it wrapped around my wrist.  If you check Kat's latest post she has a similar piece on her wrist - it's the pale yellow one without the beads.  

A week after Kat drove down to see me I caught the train up to LA where Kat and her son Felix picked me up at the train station.  Felix has been sending me little cards and I've been watching him grow so it was wonderful to meet him.  

We went for sushi lunch and to the japanese bookstore to look at japanese knitting books.  Felix was so patient while Kat and I talked and looked at books.  Kat showed me her design sketch book and our idea sketches didn't look all that different except hers were neater and more detailed and in color. Well maybe the only similarity is that we both sketch our knitting ideas in books.  I can't say enough though how much fun it was to see how Kat works and to show her some of her designs that I've knit like the Lacy Bowed Skirt and the second Gossamer Stars Scarf that I've started.  Kat was so warm and open and encouraging.  

I'm sorry the party wasn't bigger.  There are other fabulous knitbloggers in LA who would have been great to meet but meeting Kat and Felix was a big enough first step for me.  Next time I'm in the area I hope to meet more of you.  And then there are so many of you in other parts of the world that would be fun to meet as well.  We are too far away.  But in our enthusiasm for knitting, in the things we love, the things we worry about, the things that inspire us we are really just around the corner from each other.  

On the knitting front I'm still knitting - there are a bunch of things I'm trying to finish up - yes the yoked cardigan is still not finished.  But I hope very soon to post a bunch of finished knitting.  

noticed

I've been mentally collecting a list of 'noticed' items for weeks now but haven't had time to put up a post.

This Salvatore Ferragamo crocheted silk tunic appeared in the Feb 08 W magazine.  Olga noticed it too and put an image of it up on her flickr photostream.  W said the tunic is made of silk and chain mesh and I thought the chain mesh part could not be accurate but Olga says in Italy they sell chain mesh like they sell ribbon.   (Note added:  I should have also mentioned that Olga has a new top pattern (the Petal Halter) with an  innovative shape.   Nice work Olga. )

At first I approached the Ferragamo piece as pure fantasy but then I started thinking you know over skinny jeans and a little tank it would look great and it would bring down the louche element emphasized here.  

Although in my eyes mygod wouldn't I be glad to see a little louche in the knitting magazine styling world.  

Opps perhaps I shouldn't open that door, if I got started on how I really feel about the styling in knitting magazines ... 

I know we live in conservative times now but the 1940's was a long, long time ago.  And even my mother never wore an apron.  

Okay moving on. 

Everyone knows I love Kat Coyle's work.  She puts a lot of thought and heart into patterns for wonderful, feminine and very workable sweaters and skirts that are elegant and completely wearable.  And then for fun she creates accessories chocked full of delicious fantasy.  Kat recently got out some Noro and used it for crocheted collars/neckpieces and some wrist pieces.  You can see them here and here. Or on Kat's blog here.  To me these pieces look so romantic and would look lovely with dark full skirts and either little corset-type tops or ruffly blouses.  Think Stevie Nicks walking the moors with Heathcliff.  

The fall 09 Ready to Wear shows have started.  I've been popping over to the Style site to look at a few of them and if you've been knitting loose berets, cowls or mobius's, and long wrist warmers or gloves you'll be happy to know these items appear again and again on the fall runways.  Missoni has also done some really interesting and I think pretty loosely knit dresses.  Similar to the ones Rodarte did last year but in pale colors and with more traditional lace stitches (although knit on very large needles).  I think these dresses look slightly more lady-like than the Rodarte ones (which I also liked).  

One last noticed - it's a Norah Gaughan sweater from her Knitting Nature book knit by a young woman with the flickr id Muskten.  She's either decided purposely to play with color on this sweater or had the age-old issue of bits of yarn and not enough for the whole sweater.  I think she's done an amazing job with both the sweater and the styling of it.  Here. 

 

Sorry I tried to post these images to this blog but I haven't got the knitting blog in the right spot on my flickr profile and I don't have time to sort that out this morning.

My knitting?  Still on the Moorish Diamonds wrap - squeezing in little bits of knitting time as I can.  

noticed

First a big thank you to every one who left a comment here saying they appreciate the personal factor in knitting blogs.  This made me feel good and gave me another reason to continue here.

I have a few things for a 'noticed' post.  The top photograph is from the July 08 issue of Elle Canada.  It's Stella McCartney in a gigantic and - I think - whimsical sweater.  No information is given about the sweater but I assume it's one of her designs.  I find the puffed sleeves and the scale of the sweater both amusing and encouraging.  Will I be knitting anything like this soon?  Not likely - but it's fun to see Stella wearing it.  Especially because she's a really tiny woman but she's not letting that stop her from taking on this sweater. 

If you've been reading this blog since the beginning you might remember some variegated mohair in purples and magentas I was attempting to knit a DROPS shawl with.  The knitting wasn't going well so I offered the yarn to anyone who wanted it.  Lucette volunteered and I'm happy to say she turned the yarn into a beautiful shawl with a huge ruffle. I'm impressed with what Lucette did with the yarn and I hope she has a lot of fun with her shawl.  

June and July are not my favorite month for fashion magazines.  I don't know any Canadian girl who hangs around waiting for the latest word in swimwear fashion.  So this time of year I dig out fall issues from a few years ago and page through them again looking for ideas and inspiration that I've missed before.  The image below is a Chanel dress from the October 06 issue of W.

I'm not completely wild about the skirt part of the dress but I love the motif on the yoke-style top, the randomness of the stripes on the sleeves and the length of the sleeves.

After the recent crisis of confidence I've buckled down to finishing the lavender cardi.  The first sleeve has been knit and sewn in and I've spent most of today on the second sleeve.  If I work on the sleeve all day tomorrow as well it should be ready to be sewn in.  Then I just have the small collar to do.  Non-knitters say it's looking better than I think it does.  With any luck you'll soon be able to judge as well.  

One other thing - if anyone has been wondering about whether I still think about clothing and why we wear what we do and if I will write about it again - I still think about it and I hope to write on this topic again.  I haven't had much to say about clothing lately but the topic hasn't dropped off my radar.  When I have words to add on the topic they will appear here.  

'fashion's most charming medium'

I haven't been posting as much recently and I've been thinking about whether to continue knit blogging or not.  It looks like many have made the migration to the Ravelry forums.  I've thought about following too and certainly Ravelry adds to my life but I've come to the conclusion that for now anyway I'd like to continue adding posts here.  

On Sunday I ran in to a small bookstore called Laughing Oyster expecting to find I don't know what but not a great knitting book and out I came with a bright red bag and the book Knit Couture by Gail Downey and Henry Conway.

Gail Downey is of the London-based knitwear design company Weardowney and was a knitwear designer for John Galliano for six years.  Some of you might remember this winter I considered knitting a vest designed by Weardowney and featured in Rowan #42.  I even started said vest and then concluded the yarn I was using was far too puffy for the pattern.  But that's another story - back to the Knit Couture book.

The book contains 20 patterns and some of them are cute but it's real interest for me are the chapters covering knitting history and the place of knitwear in the collections of John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Sonia Rykiel and Vivienne Westwood.  And the photos of the designer knitwear ... they are the treasure in this book.  

I can't find any information about the knit below but it's an example of one of the knits I like.  There's something about it's unconventional shape and mixture of stockinette and textured stitches I find appealing.  It looks like something to throw on without a second thought and yet it doesn't look frumpy. 

Here's a quote from the Introduction "With it's practicability, decorative potential, and the unhurried pace at which it must be executed, hand knitting must be fashions most charming medium."

I should write this out on a small piece of paper and keep it in my pocket right now - fashion's most charming medium ...

As we speak things are less than charming with me and the lavender cardigan.  Actually on a stretch of Highway 30 we almost parted ways today.  The fault is mine of course - what was I thinking using 'no memory silk' for a sweater.  This yarn has use-only-for-a-wrap-or-shawl written all over it.  It would have made a gorgeous wrap.  Instead I'm 75% of the way to a baggy shapeless sweater.  Sigh.  One and a third more sleeves to go.  I'll finish it and hopefully move on the something wiser.  But I'll also not weave in the ends too tightly.  This stuff will frog well and ta da perhaps in a future year you will see it reborn as a wrap.  

This book has come at the right time for me as I've been thinking a lot about my knitting since January 08 and frankly most of it's far less than stellar.  The only piece I'm really happy with is that striped wrap with the indigo ruffle.  The rest feels pretty much like lessons learned hard.  

unhurried pace ... fashion's most charming medium ... 

more about sleeves

In the midst of my looking around this week I came across a modified Placed Cable Aran by Skein Sparrow on Flickr here.

Below is a photo of the original sweater featured in the Fall 07 IK.  I had hoped to put a photo of Skein Sparrow's sweater here too but I can't figure out how to do this quickly and I have a mountain of other work waiting for me.  

If you follow the link to Skein Sparrow's version you'll see she's made some figure flattering modifications to a this lovely sweater designed by Cathy Payson.  Skein Sparrow changed the dropped shoulder sleeve to a set in sleeve.  She also added waist shaping and lengthened the sleeves and body of the sweater.  

In an e-mail Skein Sparrow said she used the Knitty Ravellings instructions on sleeves to help her change the sleeve style.  I wasn't aware of these instructions but you can be sure once I get myself unburied from all the work I'll be hurrying on over to read this article.  

I'm really glad I found this example because after my last post on sleeves I worried I'd given the impression dropped sleeve sweaters should be avoided by all narrow shouldered women.  What I mean to say was if you have narrow shoulders and find a pattern you love but it has dropped shoulders you might want to consider changing the sleeve to a set in sleeve.  That's all. 

noticed

You know the problem. 900 yards of yarn you really want to be a sweater. An easy solution is a bolero or cropped sweater but these don't work for me so I've always got my eyes open for successful color block sweaters. This one on the right is by Pringle of Scotland and is from the April issue of Vogue (American). It's not a hand knit and I'm not so sure about the cream section on the left side but I think the right side works well. Key here is the color blocked button band and the yellow buttons. This sweater looks very lady-like but careful yarn choice could make it less so. Other less conservative Pringle of Scotland clothes can be seen here.

The next item is a Proenza Schouler vest seen in the Spring 08 issue of Tokion. I love this vest and it wouldn't be hard to design a pattern for something like this. Note that while it has horizontal stripes they don't go all the way around.

Last up is not a knit at all just a yummy Jeremy Scott dress. Again from Spring 08 Tokion. Photographer for the last two pieces is Xevi Muntane.

noticed

I have a few things for you in this week's noticed. Amy mentioned last week's outfit looked cold so here's something cosy.  No information is given about the sweater in the photo on the right below but the woman is Yasmina Alaoui, a French-Moroccan artist who places traditional Islamic drawings on images of nude women. 

Yasmina's art work can be seen on her website.

The photo of Yasmina and her sweater is from the March 2008 issue of Zink magazine.

Also in the March issue of Zink is this little knit vest by Tankus in the photo below.  After looking at it for a while I realized Tehri is making herself a similar vest that I think will look very stylish.  Although I doubt Tehri plans on wearing it with a feather headdress.  She does have the knit stockings to go with it though.

If you would like to see the images bigger just click on them.

Finally Kamicha recently posted a photo of the most adorable summer sweater she designed.  I love that her summer top avoids a close fitting line under the bust and thus leaves the question of size underneath the sweater a little unanswered. 

Next post I will talk about what I'm knitting now and also post a non-modeled shot of the Habu tunic.  I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to attempt some sort of creative yarn incorporation and size rescue with the Habu tunic or if I shall take Mr. Lennon's advice and Let It Be.

Apr 8, 2008 5:56:53 PM | inspiration