- - Do I look like a clown?
- - Yes, but in a good way.
- - What do you mean?
- - Like a cute and stylish one.
(from conversations with my
husband)
Project: Sunshine
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in four colors
Needles: 2,5 mm and 3 mm
Many years ago I fell in love with Alice Starmore’s designs.
To be exact, it wasn’t so much love as admiration and awe. Never before could I
even imagine using so many different colors while creating one garment. And the
end result – oh, where to find words to describe it! It was like a painting or
a tapestry, work of art – unique and priceless. The models looked stunning with
mountains, lakes, or colorful fields as background. The steeks and knitting in
the round without seams were well explained and seemed easy to implement.
I started collecting Alice Starmore’s books and bought yarn
in all possible colors. I didn’t order the original yarn since it was either
discontinued or too expensive for me, so I had to settle for something much
cheaper. And then the fun began. I made several Starmore’s designs religiously
following all her directions with steeks and yarn cutting. The finished
projects looked pretty and unique but, unfortunately, I didn’t look pretty in
them. Rather the opposite. They were too large, long, and oversized. I looked awful
– like a shapeless midget with no legs, waist, or shoulders. Plus, they were
very hard to wear – imagine wearing a tapestry or painting to a supermarket or
class. They were not versatile garments at all. I gave away or donated almost
all of them but one, which is still collecting dust in my closet but is never worn.
After that I started wondering why my knits didn’t look on
me like on the models in Starmore’s books. At first, I blamed the yarn. I
promised myself to splurge on well made English yarn as soon as I get a well-paid
job (never happened, because as soon as I got a job I almost didn’t have time
for knitting). Then, a couple of top-down seamless garments that didn’t fit later,
it dawned on me that maybe the reason was the construction itself.
Seamless top-down sweaters, so popular now with Ravelry
knitters, don’t look well on me. To get a good fit I need seams and structure.
Otherwise, knit fabric just hugs my body at every protruding point in a very
unflattering way. And it stretches a lot with wearing and washing. More it
stretches, more shapeless and unflattering it becomes. Until one day I just bite
the bullet and unravel it. Only you cannot unravel a multicolored concoction
with steeks – remember, the yarn was cut. That is why for a while I didn’t do
fair isle at all, or, occasionally, I would make a hat, scarf, or gloves (you
can find great design for small fair isle projects), or even a vest (this one
was made in pieces, without steeks, didn’t stretch, and is still wearable).
This year in Florida, surrounded by bright, cheerful colors,
my appetite for color work was reawakened. After making Juno and getting many colorful
balls of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply, I wanted to try my hand in creating something
unique and special. Yet, this time I wanted it to be wearable and well fitting. Which meant no knitting in the round or steeks. And the rest is history, as they say.
I was happily finishing my yellow and white asymmetrical
sweater when one day, coming from my daily walk, I looked at the sweater’s
parts laying on the couch and got rooted to the spot: What was I thinking?!!!! Yes,
I managed to make a whole sweater with only 5 balls of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in yellow,
but I definitely won’t be able to wear it any time soon. If ever. Where would
you wear something like this?
Surprisingly enough, I got an unexpected encouragement and
support from my husband, who usually doesn’t even notice what I am wearing. He
is not into clothes or fashion, to put it mildly. Yet, this time he stopped and
said: “Look, this one fits you really well! Congrats!” I blame the yellow – it is
extremely noticeable.
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