ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Well there you go – I have gone and done it, posted the work at last. TNT post say it will take 6 to 8 days for my parcel to get to Alexandra. So I hope it will be seven days as it is due on the 15th September.

Last Saturday they said, it won’t go till Monday even if you post it today, and when it does go it will take 4 to 10 days. Is the post shop taking an unusual middle ground saying 6 to 8 days. I just so hope they are right and it takes 7 days.

Why didn’t I post it yesterday, well I discovered that when I undid the creation and reknitted, I didn’t knit the fronts and back at the same time, and then I found that the rows for the front were more than those on the back. Which meant my armhole band had 14 more stitches than it needed. So what did I do?

I went for a bike ride to the beach on Sunday and relaxed and enjoyed myself. A very good thing for Best Beloved and I to do together. Then I started sorting out my problem by knitting something else.

Crazy woman it seems. But that is what stress can do, and I do not like quite this much stress.

Anyway it has gone.

No photos of the finished pieces yet and there won’t be as it seems they are to be judged anonymously. Now that I don’t quite get. I understood they were being judged as a composite – you know, on a person in the fashion parade. Seeing the pieces individually will never show the effect of them all together on a living body.

How will they know that these pieces worn by a young model on stage will be so out there, and so spunky, and just so perfect? Just how will they know that a pile of hand knits could become this organic, moving, flowing, dramatic piece of art on the body?

Wish I had realised earlier.

It may have reduced the pain.

There are various versions of this jacket and the pattern will be for the sleeveless option only. The first pattern will be in English only, and I will follow with a pattern in Danish, and maybe in Norwegian. Danish is quite possible, Norwegian is much more difficult. But the first edition of this pattern will be in English only.

The way the jacket is knitted takes advantage of the varigated yarns to create the look of free form intarsia. This makes this a garment which satisfies one of the winter trends for 2010/2011 because it looks like a patchwork of colour and Patchwork is in – or so they are saying. Me, I just like the colours.

Gallery on Facebook

All the jackets above are created from my original basic pattern for the sleeveless jacket – believe it or not.

I am, of course, delighted to hear and to see that in fact my love of capes and cloaks is not out of line with the fashion consensus for the coming Northern Winter.

Capes can be casual and comfortable, easy to throw around the shoulders. They can also be smart and sophisticated; they can be fun and sassy, and then of course they can be seriously sexy, sensuous, and just plain gorgeous. A cape can be punk or funky, and it can be ethnic or modern – a cape be any look you want, and it can compliment any clothing style that you like or can imagine.

SO the cape or cloak is great over an evening dress, a tank and jeans, a negligee, a summer dress, a formal dress, around the shoulders of a business suit – even over a a bikini or your sexy underwear. Capes Rock.

A cape is so easy to wear and you can wear it anywhere. It can be dressed up or down using various pins and brooches or ties – you decide how your cape should appear. It can also define itself by the yarns that are used to create the cloak or cape. Faux fur is a fashion trend for this coming winter and luxury mohairs are okay again.

It is a funny thing the cycling of yarns and garments, isn’t It? Why don’t we ever just say – “This is what I like, this is the colour I like, I am not concerned with trend reports, I am only concerned with what I love. For what it is worth – I love capes and cloaks and I love the earthy colours, the warmth and lightness of wearing a faux fur with a fine mohair or alpaca yarn, I love the purples and then the reds and then the blues and then …. well it seems I just love colour and in no particular order.

There is plenty of time to find the pattern and the yarns for your cape for the winter of 2010. My Etsy shop has the Kiwi Cape available pattern now and I will be adding the multicolour cape that is in the gallery very soon. It is so easy to knit being all garter stitch and it is an easy one to play with the yarns you have in your stash. There are others and I will announce them as I complete them.

The photo gallery is of some of my capes, cloaks and some little capelet, poncho pieces as well. As I locate photographs of others I shall add them to this gallery. I do hope you will find something here that gives you an idea or a plan for your winter wardrobe.

The Cape is perfect for a newer knitter – no sleeves, simple shaping, small enough to not get bored with and frustrated by. They are also ideal for trying new yarns and colours, or to use up yarns from your stash. In these more austere times a cape will not require a huge outlay in monies, and your cape will dress up all of your current wardrobe items.

So don’t allow the winter of 2010 be the winter of your discontent because you do not already have one or two trendy, knitted capes and cloaks ready to wear by the time the weather begins to turn.