ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Curiously “Peplum” has two distinct and almost separate definitions. Its early origins are Greek, and peplum was simply the word for tunic. The peplum, a term dating back to the 19th century, is also a short overskirt that is usually attached to a fitted jacket. My jacket is certainly a fitted jacket with a short skirt.

Is this the jacket you would like the pattern for? It has pointed sections over the hand and at the back of the peplum skirt. There is no collar and is very fitting in 12ply mohair. The mohair was black with sections of rich blues and is no longer available.

Jacket Pattern Brewing for rather a long time.

or one of these designs below?

Sleeveless with 2 button fastening and lapel collar, the peplum does not have a pointed section at the back.

Sleeveless again with pin fastening, no collar, but includes lapel flap. (not sure if that describes it or not – the lapel does not continue around the back of the neck). The skirt or peplum is much fuller and longer and without the pointed section.

We have been chasing our tails for a while here in Miranda. Best Beloveds mother passed away in early August followed soon after by a brother and then a sister. A couple of friends now have serious illnesses; cancer and heart and we are just plodding along.

The good news is our granddaughter was born nearly 5 weeks ago. She has lifted our spirits.

In all of those life changing events I had forgotten all about my orange capelet created using Fibonacci spaced increases. I added photos onto Facebook at the end of July and I didn’t go on and create a post.

In the beginning was this wee wing

Fibonacci You Scare me – blog post

Front view of Fibonacci Sequence Capelet – can’t wait to work further on this and add colour and stitch possibilities.

Another view of my Fibonacci Sequence Capelet. I am ready to start another now writing what I do as I go possibly in variegated yarn rather than using intarsia technique.

Fibonacci Capelet version 1 back view. Just off the needles and shows there is potential for creating a new capelet using the Fibonacci Sequence.

Could be quite a sexy sultry piece – so have to go on, find some suitably sexy yarn that will show this shape and the body well and then write complete notes that could end in a pattern. Trouble is I like knitting, playing with colour and shape and exploring ideas. Sadly I don’t like writing patterns. But I will.

Yes I will.

I guess that might well be the same for other people as well.

But in between the dramas of life as part of a large family, life on a wee bit of land, the water watching, the driftwood and shell gathering, the planting, sewing, and weeding of our large garden, the bonfires on the beach and BBQ there as well, the prevention of possum attacks, the feather pulling (plucking) of 10 Peacocks, Peahens and turkeys after some crazy youngsters went out shooting in the night. The farmers are pleased to reduce the numbers of large birds wandering over their hills, but the plucking – now that was a big job and we have many feathers to work with on projects next year.

As I was saying – in between I have managed a wee bit of knitting as you can see.

The Cot blanket and the Mohini scarf are presents – not Christmas presents though. The Neck Warmer/Cowl is on the needles now and is just because I need to be knitting.

I am hoping grandson will help with the tree if Best Beloved has remembered to purchase it today. Baking of Scandinavian biscuits will be done on Thursday now with my daughter and grandson. That is something we haven’t managed to do together in years. It was a tradition that we baked together and her friends would join in, always a great day. Maybe grandson will bring a friend to bake with us if we are better organised next year.

So we still have presents to buy, a tree and house to decorate, baking to do, and so on. But as always we will make it, somehow.

There is always a tinge of sadness and a bringing back of memories of people and Christmases past at this time of the year. This year is the first Christmas for Best Beloved and I without any parents as sadly Best Beloveds mother passed away aged 89 in August. It is amazing how that changes one.

In my 3 years in the Netherlands I added knit graffiti to several concrete balls in Haarlem and in Maastricht. I no longer search for balls to embellish in the public arena as I was doing whilst living there in the cold Northern climes.

But on Friday – I was driving through the Manukau City Centre trying to find my way home after my sister dropped me off at my parked car, and after I bought the book “Wild Jewellery” at Whitcoulls.

And I got a bit lost, you might say, trying to get back to the motorway after a wrong turn after leaving the parking building. I seemed to be driving by some tall apartment buildings and council buildings until I got onto Station Road – at least I think that is what it was called. I was crossing crossroads – from a give way sign and out of the corner of my eye I spied; you guessed it, some concrete balls (at least 6 maybe 8 from the angle where I spied them). There was nowhere to stop and so I continued onto the motorway.

I hope someone knows where these balls actually are, as I would love the circumference, cause they could need some brightening up and I have not done that to a concrete ball for a year or so now.

So I was going from the parking building left between some tall buildings heading south towards a road which I turned left onto which travelled between the shopping mall and the amusement park Rainbows End towards the motorway. If you know where that is, please let me know. If you are there and have a tape measure – please record the circumference and send it to me and maybe you will find a ball or 2 suitably attired some time in the future.

Snowing, a grey ball being disguised as a snow ball

History:

Who stole the balls of Haarlem

Haarlem, A city without balls

Ball Warmer without a home

Memorial Day Tour April 30th 2011

Lost Balls of Haarlem

Fitting a Ball Warmer

Vodafone Ball Cover Install photos

I have created 4 different skirts using hyperbolic plane increases so far.

What is that you say? – All the increases for a skirt created using the Hyperbolic plane method are carried out after knitting exactly the same number of stitches continuously for the entire skirt.

One of my skirts had an increase at 80 stitches and another at 60 stitches. My skirts are knitted in the round and the increases are always at the same position for the whole skirt, no matter what. Sixty stitches apart makes a marvellous floaty, flirty skirt.

I use a stitch marker at every increase and remove as I knit to it each and every time.

Cast on for your waistband which should be knitted in a circular fashion. So far mine are all knitted with a row or two of yarn over holes so that a ribbon or elastic or even an I-cord belt or tie can be used.

Then I decide on the number of stitches between increases. The larger the number of stitches between increases the less full the skirt will be. You will decide on the rate of increases depending on the yarn, the wearer and the purpose of this skirt.

For Example – every 60 stitches.

Complete the waist band, change from rib or whatever construction you have decided for the waistband and continue in stocking stitch.

Knit 60, PM, increase a stitch
knit 60, PM, increase a stitch

If your waistband had 120 stitches then you would increase 2 stitches on the first row. Continue to increase after every 60 stitches until the skirt is the right length for your proposed wearer. You will be sitting there counting from 1 to 60, PM, increasing a stitch, count to 60 again etc.

If you are interrupted in your counting simply count again from the last marker and you will never lose your position for the increases. Always remove the marker when you get to it and reposition it again when you have knitted your next 60 stitches. There will be times when you have an increase directly above an increase for a previous row. Still do it – the increase I mean, it will work, and it doesn’t look wrong in the shaping of the skirt.

The end result is elegant, or flirty, or cheeky depending on the number of stitches between the increases and the yarn you have chosen.

There is another great thing about knitting a skirt this way – you could add to the length if you ever need to. So if you knit it for a child, as she grows the skirt can grow with her. If you knit it for an adult – they may change the length simply because fashion changes.

Knitted skirts can seat – but because this skirt doesn’t have a front or back or sides dictated by the increases – this skirt can be turned to protect one from that drama.

Link to Wool On Gallery 2010 and my skirt is in there.