Pinky, or How I Ended Up With This Color

In general I don't wear pink. At all. I am not attracted to it. Doesn't move anything in me. And this is usually how I buy yarn - I see a color and feel something steering inside telling me to go and grab as much of this yarn as possible. And don't make me start talking about buying yarn online - this is a real torture! So many colors! But pink never captivated or tempted me before.
And then I bought Kim Hargreaves' book Still, saw these two sweaters and became totally obsessed with pink. Not any pink, these particular shades of pink.

Last year in England I visited some yarn shops (as I always do!) and found the yarn required for these sweaters. Actually, you need two yarns together - Rowan kidsilk haze and Rowan lace. Unfortunately, there was only one shade of pink for Kidsilk haze in the store. It was so... pinky! And it was virtually impossible to squeeze all the yarn I wanted to buy in one rather small suitcase. To solve this problem I got a little less yarn than I needed praying without much hope that it would be enough. It wasn't. Even though I ended up making a different pattern, not one of Kim's sweaters. Here is why.
The first one is done in an openwork and requires something to be worn underneath (as a rule, I try to avoid such garments). And the second one has a deep plunging neckline at the back - I wasn't sure it was practical and would be worn often. However, I got the yarn, pinky and scrumptious! Great color for my birthday sweater, don't you think?
The pattern that I finally chose, - Corrina - was on my wish list for a while. I am just not a big fan of bell sleeves. But with the amount of yarn that I had I couldn't afford bell sleeves anyway. Would consider myself lucky to have any sleeves at all.
The only thing stopping me was that I was in the middle of another project. Usually, I work on one project at a time. I am a sprinter, not a marathon runner. I need to see the finishing line. I have to be motivated to finish a garment or I lose all interest in it. My motto is focus, focus, focus! No distractions! Yet, the pink yarn was a major distraction... Every day... Bright, fluffy distraction... So, one evening I just cast on for Corrina and didn't stop till it was finished. Last Sunday.

It is an amazing pattern.  It is simple and comfy - like a sweatshirt. It is very flattering and has some neat little embellishments that make it special. Of course, our pictures are not like the ones in Kim Hargreaves' books. My photographer is just an amateur not a professional. That is why, I believe, I don't look as pretty, or young, or tall, as the models in Kim's book.

The pattern is extremely well explained. It has charts in addition to the row-by-row instructions. Just follow directions !

I didn't make the bell sleeves but otherwise I didn't change anything.
For the neck edging Ann recommends to bind off stitches loosely or a sewn bind-off. At first the edging seemed to be too loose so I just bound off stitches. Didn't like it. Unraveled and did a sewn bind-off. Looks and feels much better.
This is the second Ann's pattern that I made and I love both of them. And this unusual color seems to agree with the pattern. The garment is really versatile and can be worn with jeans and skirts. I am going to an opera this Sunday. Guess what I am going to wear...
Pink used to be my younger daughter's favorite color. Sometimes she would wear an outfit with several shades of pink in it. "Pinky" was her nickname given by my older daughter, who was, of course, "The Brain".
I kept thinking about my girls while making Corrina. I am pretty sure one of them will want it for herself sooner or later. So I need a backup - more Corrinas in my wardrobe (in wool and in cotton). And I still haven't finished the garment I was working on when I started my Pinky...
If you are wondering what happened to "Pinky" (as, I am sure, you are, all two of you), she went to an Art School and became an artist. Now she lives and works in New York. Here is one of her last creations made for our new place in Florida.

And "The Brain"? She is a professor of English literature currently teaching in Cambridge University, UK. And I am just a proud mom who loooooooves to brag about her kids. We all do, don't we?