ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

WoolOn™ Creative Fashion Event Oct 2010 is the creative fashion event of Central Otago, New Zealand. All the garments or outfits must be there by 15 September 2010. Yikes!

So I must go knit and knit and then knit some more as stuff posted from the Netherlands can take a long time to reach the New Zealand destination.

So you can see how they do Creative Fashion at WoolOn™ and if you are in New Zealand and intend attending then please take some photographs for me.

Do consider celebrating the arrival of spring as they do in the south at the Alexandra Blossom Festival, in Alexandra, Central Otago 24th September to 9th October 2010.

Laurel Judd was Supreme Award winner in 2009 at WoolOn.

11 Aug:
Knitting a skirt with Touch Magic Merino for socks. Will knit at least 1000 metres or 1 kilometre & up to 1,350 metres as that is all I have.

12 Aug:
Skirt is a very short frilly number right now, what to do next. Struggling with the picture in my mind which is not appearing on the needles.

16 Aug:
Sock Yarn skirt – has reached 688 stitches – far toooo many I think.

Skirt for WoolOn at the Alexandra Blossom Festival

4.30pm: A skirt knitted with sock yarn takes a very long time.

10.18pm: I have just tried the skirt on my mannequin – and it is soooo short. Why am I knitting a fullish type skirt in a sock yarn???

10.19pm: Twas the colour of course – “Lake Hawea” I found it in Hastings Knit World while I was in NZ and I was smitten.

10.21pm: I bet Touch Yarns in Alexandra have the same colour in other yarns – where I could have been knitting this skirt on 4mm not on 3mm needles.

@colorjoy – Sockyarn makes a wonderful fabric. It has great drape, is washable, bounces back. Bet you’ll love the finished skirt.

@sewknitty – It’ll be gorgeous and you’ll forget the time (I hope lol)

to @colorjoy – Thank you, just the refocus I need, as it looks lovely, problem is it is for an event in NZ, I need to knit a top, too little time.

So it is back to the needles, but this is a twittering story or is that a story by tweets – there may be more tweets or twittering to come.

I hope the news will be all good – as right now I am not so confidant.

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.

I have just finished a little black shawl/scarf.

I had only one 50g ball of Naturally Woodland 12 ply (100m), colour 08 (black with tiny little flecks of bright colours – pinks, turquoise, blues, orange etc) for the body which I have knitted it as per my Danish shawl pattern. I had decided to add the frill / flounce at the point where the one ball of Woodland was knitted up and that is just what I have done.

I was quite unsure at that point if it really would be wide enough to use as a scarf. But I carried on and added a flounce using 2 strands of Naturally Mist Mohair in black, knitted together. The flounce is also in Garter stitch like the body with Yarn Over increases used to create it. At the side edges of the flounce I continued the increases as per my Danish shawl pattern.

The final two rows and the cast off edge were 1 strand Naturally Mist knitted together with another yarn which has a black main thread with tufts of yarn in pinks, purples and greys. I do not know the name of the yarn.

It looks great and fortunately is wide enough to wrap as a scarf, and also big enough to wear over the shoulders as a mini shawl.

There were 2 reasons I decided to knit this shawl now.

One is that my friend in New Zealand who is testing my Danish Shawl pattern was having trouble with my written pattern. We have discovered during this process that she is a visual knitter – and needed a chart, which I have created and she is winging her way through the shawl. My knit 2, Yarn Over, knit to marker, Yarn Over in knit – shorthand was not suitable for her. It has been great for me because I am much clearer now on writing the pattern and also I now have the chart which I will include with the pattern. She cannot be the only person new to yarn overs / eyelets that cannot see what will be created following my written instructions.

The other reason was that I needed a simple edge – and I have created a funky, but simple flounce or frill for the Danish Shawl to include with the pattern as well as the crochet edge option.

Something I had not considered is just how useful this pattern will be for a funky scarf / shawl, in this small size.

Naturally Woodland is 77% mohair, from New Zealand.

Refined sophistication – buttoned up collars
Military / aviation
Lingerie as outerwear
leather clothing
the cut out / cutaway – with the cut out pieces worked directly on top of skin or ‘filled in’ with sheer fabrics, detailing can be subtle to sexy
Knee high socks or over the knee socks, or even thigh high socks
White tights
Women’s camel coat
Velvet clothing
Neo double breasted jackets
Sheer clothing /cut outs – mixed with fine laces, the sheer trend mixing elegance with sex appeal
Capes
Thigh high boots
Shoes with socks
Socks under heels
Fur boots & mukluks

I know fashion is fun, I absolutely love fashion, but I don’t wear fashion. How bizarre is that. I guess it is that fashion clothing like all clothing should be fit for purpose, and is not the purpose to keep warm in colder times?

I want wool, mohair, alpaca, knitting, crochet, weaving, colour, color, yarn, garn, woll, felt, filt, layers, and I want warmth, pleasure, comfort, and a little usefulness. I am going to create something for WoolOn that will be fit for purpose, created mainly of wool, and in many colours, and a style or shape or design which is edgy and out there. It must also be in Vogue – Somehow.

I need to check properly for the coming winter trends as I have now committed to creating a piece for The Mirror WoolOn™ Creative Fashion Event at the Alexandra Blossom Festival in New Zealand.

Come and celebrate the arrival of spring in Alexandra, Central Otago, New Zealand – 24th September to 9th October 2010. I know here in Europe we are preparing for Autumn and Winter then, so why not participate in an event that celebrates the arrival of spring down under.

It is an historic Festival that has marked the arrrival of spring for over 50 years. The first festival was born out of community spirit and recognition of the special character of Alexandra, and these values remain at the heart of every subsequent festival.

There is still time to register for the fashion event that is “WoolOn” – the late entries close on 15th August 2010.

Back to the work at hand.

I really want to create an edgy out there piece, but I am not really sure what that means.

I have Touch Yarns – 4ply variegated – which I hope to incorporate – and I am thinking of something lacey, covered with something faux furry and a tight little skirt – maybe or something else – so some research is required and as I don’t really think my assessment of the Vogue Trends reports is going to help me very much; I am searching the web for the trends, and not just relying on Vogue for a view point – and I have found the following

These fashion trends suggest a poncho with long fringes and quilted patchwork fabric, over a maxi dress with a turtleneck, which is worn over wide pants which cover the thigh length boots. Finished with gloves and a military style vest with a high collar worn over the dress and under the poncho.

This does not sound like edgy out there fashion, it sounds like 60′s hippy regurgitated for this coming winter season. I am having trouble with my creation based on these trends, and there is no lace – darn; as I was hoping to show the world I can knit lace. At least my favourite knitting method – intarsia can be used to create the patchwork for the poncho.

And then there is the colour – In 2010, camel is the new black and is ready to invade the streets. It really doesn’t work for me – so it is back to the research.

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.

This sleeveless jacket pattern will be a doddle in English but a real challenge for me in Danish as my written Danish is very very average, and then my Norwegian is, well it is really nonexistant. That is I do not really know any Norwegian. I will be bribing the requesters for the help I need with the testing and checking of the pattern.

Fortunately I know one very well (my Danish cousin) and the other I am getting to know (lovely Trine from Norway). I hope they read this – which is why I have written the words down – they will need to be my testers.

But of course I am digressing – the real purpose of this post is to tell you that I will also create the pattern for lighter weight yarns as well, as the style is classic and interesting, as you can see in the version below with long fitted sleeves and shaped peplum and without the shawl collar.

I think this jacket will work well in a double knitting (8 ply / worsted weight yarn), making it a great in between seasons jacket.

I am not committing to writing the pattern in any other languages however. I shall get the sleeveless one completed in the three languages and then see how well I survived the process and then decide.

Both versions of this jacket were included in the Colour Play exhibition held in the Randolph St Gallery, at Whitecliffe School of Fine Arts and Design campus in 2007. A Vogue Knitters Tour Group from USA hosted by Nicky Epstein and Carla Scott attended the opening.

Peplum