ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Burnt Orange Chunky Basic Roll Neck Dress, by Stella McCartney.

A-Line, Orange, Knitted, Elegant Simplicity

My Knitterly view continued

A-line dress, Beehive hair can be arranged

Camel colour with the burnt Orange and Navy in a Knitted, flowing, elegant, dramatic, and full length Cloak

Delicate Knit – Dryclean only, Expensive and Elegant simplicity – yes

Faux Fur or Feather yarns in the Cloak

Grunge glamour – I think we might have that, HairBand – knitted or Leather, Intricate details – in the Hairband or the Lace arm warmers, Jewellery – chunky knitted or crocheted Jewellery to wear over the the Camel or Orange or Navy Lace arm warmers, Knits from top to toe – we certainly have that, Lace arm warmers and/or Leather – soft Leather boots to the knee or even over the knee, Mad men secretaries (hope someone explains that to me)

Navy – in the Cloak

Orange – the dress is Orange, Polo Neck – on the dress, Quantam Leap – okay, Retro hair – Beehive hair is fairly retro

Shearling – trim around the edges of the Cloak including at the neck line so the Orange Polo of the dress can be framed by the creamy Shearling

Teddy bear fur – maybe the model can carry a little Teddy bear with a purse hidden inside it?, maybe? I really cannot envisage Teddy Bear Fur anywhere. Understated or Unique Knit – this dress is, Vogue and Vintage Knit – this dress is, Vogue Knitting – this dress is, and the dress is simply WOW.

X – cloak design to be included in the XRX “Knitters Magazine” – now that would be really great, Yeti – maybe the faux fur yarn can be a bit Yeti like, ZigZag – knitted design in the cloak

So this dress by Stella McCartney does represent the Vogue winter fashion trends for 2010-2011 from A to Z – once you add the flowing, elegant, full length, dramatic, knitted with a zigazg design Cloak,the chunky big jewellery, hairstyle change, hairband, lace arm warmers, and leather high boots

Now that would be a stunner and I just happen to know a designer who could create that cloak.

NOTES: A-Z of the Vogue winter trends 2010-2011

A for A-Line, O for Orange, K for Knitted top to toe, E for Expensive and/or Elegant Simplicity, P for Polo neck – Just in case my ramblings did not make it clear. The dress scores A,O,K,E,P or 5/26 – not bad.

There has to be something said for living away from family and friends so that you allow your mind and your hands, and your needles and your yarns do things that would not enter the universe of your knitting thinking.

I have created a doll’s dress. I do not have a doll.

Pretty Doll dress fit for a queen

This dress has been created with varigated 4 ply yarn – a yarn I purchased at a market in Schalwijk (I will check the spelling) before my stash arrived here in the Netherlands. Steinback Wolle Aktiv Effeck – sport und Strumpfwolle. You will see a number of pieces on my site created in this particular colour – shawl, hat and fingerless gloves or wrist warmers. Must because it has purple in it – and I think I have used it all now.

Pretty Doll Dress

I have knitted and crocheted dresses for my daughters dolls – but that is some 30 years ago and there are no patterns or pictures. Pity. I remember one having a skirt of many frills, flounces, and many colours – a Spanish dancing costume.

This piece was created as a challenge to me as I have not created a garment using only one brand of yarn before, let alone alpaca for many years. My philosophy has been to add another colour and then another type of yarn and then if it is looking great then add some more. I just cannot get enough colour and texture.

I had intended to create a piece for evening wear including a cape as well as a knitted silver wire neckpiece which would also incorporate the yarn. But then I didn’t plan on buying yarn on the internet – to satisfy the requirements for NZ alpaca for the New Zealand Alpaca Expo. I had no idea of the quality of the yarn, nor whether I liked the colours, or if indeed the yarns I had brought with me would work with the Alpaca. There was no problem, the yarn is beautiful, lovely to handle and to work with.

Thank you to the lovely people at Flagstaff Alpacas for making certain that the yarn was at my daughters when I arrived in New Zealand. The first thing I did with the yarn was to enjoy it – that is touch it, smell it, and feel it against my face – I lay it out on the bed with all the yarns I had bought with me to use in this dress. I played with them, stared at them, looked at them in the sun and inside – the design then created itself without any of the yarns that I had brought with me.

The design had to show the wonderful yarn, and present the soft elegant shades created by Doe Arnot for Flagstaff Alpacas. The dress was knitted in one piece from the hemline on a circular needle.

It was divided at the increases for the sleeves and again at the deep V point. At various crucial stages it was tried on by my daughter – to help me decide where to decrease for the waist, increase for the sleeves and divide the neck into that deep V and so on. She is a very patient young women, thank goodness.

I hope you enjoy it as well.

The dress has a ribbed skirt section, fitted to waist (very fitting), with bat wing sleeves and a very deep V neck. It has been created in one piece from the hem line of the skirt and is worked in the round. The increases for the sleeves began above the waist and the front and backs were worked at the same time once the deep V for the neckline was commenced.
One side of the bodice and the sleeve was worked in black and the other side in the wonderful varigated yarns.