Sunday, September 12, 2010

A slight change in plans.... OR... How to spot a knitter with a background in Millinery.

I learned early in my hat-making career that you can hide a multitude of sins - if indeed make a silk purse from a sows ear - with the right size cabbage-rose, spray of feathers or well-placed bead feature.
I've now extended the theory to include crochet flowers and slip-stitch chain detailing on knitwear.

...and the unravelling of sleeves and blocking-the-bejaysus-out-of-the-garment to reduce the dodgey "make one stitch" increases. A few little stitches with a darning needle can work a treat, too.

But it still looks wonky.... and not at all like the sleeved tunic I thought I was making.


A good knitter would have unravelled and started again at the first (garter-stitch-edging-on-the bodice-gone-wrong) mistake, but I ploughed on.

I was on a mission to learn all the techniques that the pattern was introducing and calling the result a "toile". It was a practise garment that would be snagged and paint-spattered too soon to worry about little or large imperfections. Serious OFMK knitting.

There was a little issue with the size. I wanted an oversized tunic, but probably one that would fit within the next year or two.

Perhaps I should have done that gauge swatch...?
I'm assuming that by the time the girl fits into it, she won't like it. This run around the backyard (with the dress falling off the shoulders) will probably be one of its few outings.

Luckily, I learned a lot on this much-embellished sows-ear OFMK toile.

12 comments:

Andi said...

But its so gorgeous!!
Have you tried it on? Might be a nice top for mum!

Jennie said...

I'm curious as to how big a 'sin' is being hidden by such a large flower! :-D

Killiecrankie Farm said...

nice finishing touch that blossom - not THAT big from here :)
Another beautifully dressed child by a loving Mum.

Fiona said...

Looks gorgeous from here... would never have guessed that you were trying to hide mistakes - it just looks well-styled.

Kate said...

I'm with Andi, I think you should try it on.
It might be too big for her but I think it looks great.
Bloody guage swatches. Who has the time?

A Peppermint Penguin said...

Oh dear. I'm going to come off such a bore... I cast on 216sts for an aran cardi (that's both fronts and back on one 4.5mm needle) and then found after 12 long rows that the decreases weren't going to sit quite right. I swatched every permutation of k2p2 decreases that I could - on the same swatch I knitted to check gauge - ripping out and repeating about 5 times I think. Then decided best solution would be to rip out my 12, 216 st rows and add 2 to make it 218 and start with p2 instead of k2.

Does this make me a good knitter?

Does this make me overly concerned with details?

Maybe I should have continued and stuck a flower on the wonky side ;-)

You have such style you can get away with sooo much more than I ever could.

Right, what you knitting next!?

Cheers,
AJ

Unknown said...

I can't knit to save my life but I think you've done a great job .

Anonymous said...

Oh Nikki (knitter with a millinery background), you make me laugh!!! It looks pretty darn good to me though. Any way you can stop it falling off her shoulders? Cos, I reckon it's a winner. Especially if she'll wear it!

I've decided to now take the just-turned-four year old shopping for prior approval. I'm so sick of arguing over clothing and wasting my money on things she won't wear.

Gay McDonell said...

Yeah, unravelling stitches really shouldn't have to be done - it looks fab!

Liesl said...

I won't hear a bit of this OFMK, sows-ear stuff ... as a member of the yarn-challenged community it looks completely amazing to me!

Fer said...

I think it looks better with the flower anyway! I'm very much a 'wing it' knitter too, and over the years I've learnt a lot though. I'm sure you will too! :)

AS said...

You are a braver girl than I!! I hate knitting with a passion - too slow, too much counting, and the fancy bits just confuse me when really I just want to relax at the end of the day! Well done for finishing it!! Could you try a crocheted edge around the neckline to stop it from slipping off her shoulders?