ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

The cape is the fall winter season’s biggest story according to Gill Hart Women’s Fashion Feature Writer on Suite 101. The Cape Coat Trend
I knew that already.

Knitted or crocheted Capes are part of that fashion trend and there is time to create your own, or to create one or two as gifts for the season ahead.

Your cape can be anything from a standard cape or caplet, to a cape jacket with frills or ruffles and fur detailing or anything shawl like that will sit nicely like the Danish Shawl or ……

The cape looks like it will be one of the biggest trends of the 2010/11 autumn / winter season.

Your cape can be of a superhero type to dramatically wrap and conceal, or a sexy sultry piece. What about a cape with hood included, it doesn’t have to be a Red Riding Hood, it could be the Snow Princess with lots of white or silver fur fibre. Your cape could be an intarsia knit design with faux fur edging. In short a cape can be anything that can be tied around the neck or fastened between the breasts and flows over the shoulders to the length you wish. You could also consider the Sherlock Holmes Cape/Coat. But if you are knitting your cape consider creating your cape with any of the numerous faux fur yarns knitted together with gorgeous mohair, or other luxury yarns. Create your own is the order of the day.

For a pattern see Kiwi Cape There will soon be a Kiwi Cape Version or Unique Multicolor and mixed fibresCapelet.

For a hand knitted cape see: there are 3 capes or capelet available here. They all include postage and packaging and there will not be any more added here in the short term anyway.

The skirt on my needles is being knit in the round from the waistband. The increases and now the decreases are being managed using the hyperbolic plane method. I have used this for increases many times now, but this is the first time I have used the concept for my decreases. It will be very interesting to see it a little further on as I am unsure just how it will hang. I hope it doesn’t add a twist to the skirt. BUT I will have to continue and wait with you to see the result.

I am knitting with Touch Magic Merino for Socks which is from Alexandra and WoolOn is included in the Alexandra Blossom Festival. It is such a pity that I will not see this skirt on the stage there.

It is jumping the gun a little – I have to finish it first, and then the top, and then the capelet and the beret, maybe. It depends on time really.

I will endeavour to keep you posted.

You see we are having house guests (son and family), they are arriving from Switzerland on Sunday. Should I be preparing our small Dutch house for the influx, or should I just knit – which is what I feel doing? I am knitting capelets, I have 2 more on the needles right now as well as that shadow knitting bag (still not completed) and the red socks that I owe son and Best Beloved – that old IOU, you remember it, don’t you?

I bought son some New Zealand merino socks whilst in New Zealand recently, as a salve for my conscience – such tardiness I am expressing with regard to the knitting of socks. I didn’t discover the new “Red Socks” campaign that was held in New Zealand on July 2nd (while I was there), until today when researching “Red Socks” yet again.

Darn, I could have bought son and Best Beloved Red Socks and not have to consider knitting those all elusive socks for them myself.

And then there is the cardigan for Angelica, the poncho/capelet for Elaine, pattern for gorgeous waistcoat, and a vest for….. Damm – I would much rather knit.

Today is a cool 21c which is a remarkable temperature to be working on knitting, designing and writing. Crosby Stills & Nash are singing loudly. All is good, I have had a great coffee. I have found the connector plug to attach to my iron’s plug so that it can work here in the Netherlands. The big problem is that it wants me to hold it to do the ironing. Will son and family care if the pillow cases are ironed or not? Probably not.

While in New Zealand, I posted to myself, here in the Netherlands some more of my yarn stash – I need to sort it, work out where to store (hide) it. Well maybe I don’t need to hide it anymore – Best Beloved knows how much yarn I have . Well I think he has a general idea that there is enough yarn to knit for the lifetime of a fanatic – trouble is I have the yarn, but am running out of lifetime, having reached nearly middle age as you can tell having just raced to 63 whilst in New Zealand.

Thing is – house guests for 2 weeks – I have to be able to knit while they are here, or I will forget how, maybe (they say you forget things as you age, so maybe I am forgetting things, I just can’t remember if that is so).

So I think I will sort yarns to knit the wedding gift that I have mentioned in earlier posts. Once the yarns are sorted, it will be a doddle to knit. I don’t have to write anything down for it, I just knit.

That could be a perfect solution, sort yarns today, and then prepare somewhat for the guests.

Too bad about the ironing

This Multicolour Capelet is easy to knit – being all garter stitch. The shaping is created by knitting short rows.

It will be great worn over jeans and a Tee or Camisole, or over a party number. Warm and interesting with unique colour and fibre combinations. There will never be another exactly like the one you knit. It is a great pattern for creating a piece from your stash yarns.

Or you can knit the capelet in one colour only in a delicious sensuous yarn created to wear for that very special occaison or as a gift for a special person in your life.

Remember – Capes / Capelets / Shawls and Cloaks are in in 2010 – and when you knit this capelet using all your favourite colours and yarns – your creation will be unique.
This pattern is available on Etsy – click the link below.

Well Jeanette, The news is all good – I have finished the 2 pieces, well more or less finished the 2 pieces that I have been knitting for you to consider to go with your beret. I am finished the knitting, not quite finished with buttons and things. Now they have not taken a long time because they are big items – but they just kept me playing. You know all about that I know – me playing with yarns.

This little project was one that I planned would be a ribbed piece – with buttons to join, and big enough to double over and wear inside a jacket or over a sweater when you are out on that bicycle of yours. But I couldn’t really stop and now it is a neck piece but it kept on growing as it were – so now it is also a capelet, scarf, neck wrap, some call these things a cowl – I am not sure that that is a good term for it. I might look up the dictionary on that. It has 3 buttons at the neck but the folded over section (collar) will need to be fastened with a knit pin or brooch or even a kilt pin – to the position you wish for it.

However you choose to wear this – it will keep your neck and shoulders warm.

The other one is a single layer ribbed piece to buttoned at the neck – not as big, or as warm because it is intended as a single layer – but it will suit some situations. I haven’t sewn in some of the ends nor have I added buttons – so no photo of it yet. Both contain the colours of your chosen beret and other colours of course – as you will have expected as I created them.

When you decide which you want I will bring the beret and the neck piece to New Zealand with me now that you are there once more and winter is so nearly upon you as well. Posting from the Netherlands takes ages and costs a bundle, so I shall find room in the luggage.

So let me know – okay and I shall add it to the Etsy shop for you.