ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

I am staggered that my waistcoat which I am knitting in one piece to the under arms – is working out as a striped one. That is the colour changes are almost so correct that each set of the 4 rows of Feather and Fan (Shale) stitch pattern is in an individual colour. Now that isn’t a problem, I just didn’t expect it to be quite so distinct.

The problem I have now is what to do when I divide for the armholes. Do I cut the yarn and maintain the stripes more or less, or do I cut the yarns and use a different colour more or less for each front and for the back? I am having trouble visualising the end result and it is unusual for me to have a problem visualising colour on a piece I am creating, but this is such a surprising result that I am having a minor conniption.

I know! I carried on knitting, not believing my eyes – but now I must believe the camera.

Has anyone created a waistcoat using Kureyon Sock Yarn and made some decisions on where to go to from here? Please.

I found on the internet that there are 2 Noro Kureyon yarns and one is described as a gorgeous self striping 100% wool yarn, and mine being Kureyon Sock yarn contains 30% nylon yarn. It is also described as having long, subtle color changes, which is not happening on my waistcoat – where the stripes are clear not subtle – but that is to do with the width I have chosen to knit, not the yarn.

Apparently Faux Fur waistcoats like this are quite the in thing this year.

This was created using various shades of rich and bright blue faux fur yarns knitted together with a strand of mohair to provide that all important warmth for the parts of the body it manages to clad.

Notes from Twitter extended a bit:

I purchased Noro “Kureyon Sock Yarn at the Handwerkbeurs (Craft show) in Rotterdam on Friday because I love the colour. I cast on last night for a waistcoat using feather & fan stitch and knitting from the bottom up – in one piece.

I found the formal description of the colours of my Kureyon Sock Yarn – Col 188 – Moss, Purples, Navy, Black, Pink on Knitting Fever. My own description of the colour was greens, pink to wine, grey to dark grey or purples. It’s rather hard to describe the colours because it is grey outside and inside the light is not that good. But at the Handwerkbeurs it looked great and it still looks great – the colour that is.

Before I left Rotterdam I talked to a couple of yarnie people who warned me that the yarn can be very thin and to not create socks from it even though it is a “sock Yarn”, because it will go into holes on the thin bits. Now that is a touch scary, but I bought it because I loved the colours, and as you already know I still haven’t managed to create the two pairs of red socks – my big IOUs, so I didn’t intend knitting socks with this yarn.

As you can see on the photos – my waistcoat is growing – but I have already met two nasty knots in the first skein. I am told that is not usual – so will see how it goes.

The design and shape and how to manage the feather and fan when I reach the underarms – I haven’t decided yet – so will have to keep you posted.

Vogue Trend report for Autumn – Winter 2010 – 2011

from A-Z my own comments are in italics

A-Line – easy to knit

Beehives – hard to create knitted or crocheted hats for. Me, I remember the Beehive, I will not be going there again.

Camel – Colour, fabric or animal. I love the colour, I love the fabric. Camels spit.

CAPES – okay with you? I design and knit capes and cloaks.

Dryclean only please – knits are embroidered or feature colourful prints. It is good advice, but I think the trend should be

Delicate Knits to be drycleaned only please.

Expensive Simplicity – I like that statement but what does it mean for me – expensive yarn, one colour, great design – okay

Fur – If you don’t say it with fur next season then say it with feathers – knitters can knit both and I like to play with both faux fur and feathered yarns. [according to Vogue - fake or real, it’s too big to be a trend, on and off the catwalk it was more of a deluge]

Grunge Glamour – when you’re not dressing up, dress down in high quality – I not sure I understand this one, maybe it is an age thing, not understanding Grunge and Glamour together

Hairbands – I had a pattern for a knitted plaited headband from my mother-in-law. Perhaps I need to resurrect it especially as I am riding a bike often here in the Netherlands

Intricate details – beading, pleating, twisting, draping, embroidery. For me and my knitting – I love twisting (moebius), plaited (cables), Pleats with colour hidden in them and lots of colour. I have been playing a little with a bit of beading in my knitting and I am not in love yet. I have also knitted silver wire with beads. I really enjoy the challenge of that – but my results are not interesting enough as yet.

Jewellery stories – big necklaces still an outfit make – they could well be knitted or crocheted by other wonderful knitters and crocheters. like the Bloomin Neck Gardens by ScarfitUp.

Knits top-to-toe – the perfect trend for me, although socks have still escaped my needles. I have those IOU’s to complete for red socks. Leg, arm and neck warmers and dresses and even skirts and of course sweaters, jackets, vests you name it I have probably created it somewhere sometime.

I like the letter “K”, what a great trend “Knits top to toe” is

Lace – Forget the cold, it looks beautiful over goose bumps. And if you don’t like lace, buy a leather dress, possibly with pockets. Knitted or crocheted Lace is beautiful – I can, and have created shawls and scarves in lace, in simple lace that is, I do not call myself a lace knitter

Mad Men Secretaries – I do not know what this trend is really

Navy – Wear it with everything. Wear it with black. It is the new black – well all knitters and crocheters and yarn creators and dyers – I hope you are ready for the new black. Navy looks great with purples, turquoises and Red and ……..

Orange – Colour trend – Orange also will go extremely well with the new black – Navy or be bold and knit orange with actual black.

Polo Neck – great knitters style

Quantum Leap (futuristic) – knit futuristic is real

Retro hair – with a net I presume to keep it sitting soo still – great to show off the knitted and crocheted hats see Constance Willems marvellous Hats

Shearling – ……. Just about everywhere – include with your knits if you can afford it or knit loopy to fake it as faking is always an in trend

Teddy Bear fur – Faking it in true style and apparently it was everywhere – WHY?

Understated – supremely good quality but passive in colour and shape. It’s the new way to show off. My trend here would be

Unique Knits and we all understand that.

Victoria’s Secret models – Curves are back, ladies. Where did the curves go? I think this trend should be called

Vogue and Vintage knits, knitted for the real woman or it could be called Vogue Knitting.

Weather – was on display at many of the fashion shows. Me, I think of weather and knitting as

WOW, the Winter Wonderland of Opportunity to create wonderful, sexy, in Vogue, trendy, fitting, colourful and creative knits

X – was a band at the shows – Is that a fashion Trend? I think not, so lets stick with

XRX Books – The Knitting Universe

Yeti – You could knit in the Yeti Look if you wish – not for me.

ZigZags – herringbone tweeds, chevron furs – tesselations to be knitted sometime. It is on my knit radar.

The two Big Trends

1. A celebration of womanliness that will allow us to use traditional wiles and graceful curves to ….. You need to go and read it yourself.

2. Is for absolute, supreme, take-your-breath-away quality…….. I like that.

Cape knitted with mohair and faux fur fibre

Kiwi Cape Pattern is available on etsy at uniqueboutiqueknits

So that is my “in Vogue” trendy news for knitters.

I may change the information as I find new reports or items of interest.

Meantime remember that Capes are in – okay!

Shepherd Waistcoat – cream and white free form knitting in a unisex piece

This piece was created with an idea of the organic shape – growing and changing by the changes in my stitches. I gathered all my whites and creams together – and there were quite a few. Some were knitted as is, and some were knitted with two or three strands to make up the required yarn thickness to more or less match in tension.

The knitting stitches include garter, loop, stockinette, Yarn overs, drop stitch, rib, etc to create the organic shape but still keep the stitch numbers overall correct to the pattern. I did increse my stitches strategically and then remember to decrease them again to add some of the curves into the knitting. The yarns and stitches were generally changed on a whim – as I created and viewed the piece while I was knitting it in one piece from the bottom.

I used a basic waistcoat pattern and then I played.

You can do that as well – give yourself permission to play with yarn and stitches and see just what transpires. The trick is to maintain the stitch count and not have stitches that will make the piece wider where the armholes should be. There can be freedom there as well – but you do want a reasonably normal area around the arms. The front has a V shape on one side and the other went straight up to a more rounded neck line – but the shoulders had the same stitch count for the 3 needle cast off.

Click through to the Etsy listing here

more photos of the Shepherd Waistcoat on Facebook

I will not provide a pattern for the piece as it is a truly free form creation.