A week or so ago, I realized that I have been knitting for 50 years. I don’t really know if it’s this year, or last year, or next year, since I’m a bit fuzzy on exactly how old I was when my grandmother taught me. But it is somewhere near my half–centennial of knitting….my golden jubilee. I need a celebration!
What would make a better celebration than knitting a project, or projects, that are truly captivating…. enthralling…. compelling…. not to mention beautiful!
I’m already knitting one that has kept me happily intrigued for a couple of months now. It is a pattern by “Nadita” called “Soo Feminine.” It is a fun short row technique called “swing knitting,” which has been quite popular in Germany for some time and is certainly taking off in popularity here now too.
This might be even more fun to knit than it is to wear! But I won’t know that until I finish!
Another project jumped into my arms while I was visiting Harrisville Designs on my recent trip to New Hampshire: a Vivian Hoxbro kit! All of Vivian Hoxbro’s kits, which use Harrisville’s “New England Shetland,” were on sale for 30% off original prices! I love Vivian Hoxbro! Her designs are flattering on me, and the knitting is fun, involving color changes and multi-directional knitting.
This design is called “Ann” and can be knit as a jacket or vest. I’m doing the jacket in the purply/plum colorway shown on the vest above.
And lastly, there is Alice Starmore, queen of color! This is her “Mary Tudor” design. What I love about it (aside from the obvious, duh!)– all her designs are a masterful blend of colors on a design that perfectly balances the horizontal-ness of the knitting and color changing with a strong vertical-ness to flatter the body–but as I was saying, what I love about this particular jacket is the button band and collar, which depart somewhat from traditional Shetland design. I think those two details make this sweater absolutely elegant! Decades ago I knitted her Oregon cardigan in the blue colorway. It is probably my most precious handknitted item.
Aren’t all these sweaters beauties?
“Soo Feminine” and the “Ann Jacket” are on the needles now. The yarn for “Mary Tudor” has arrived and I’ve been sighing and moaning over all the little balls of precious Shetland wool.
But the pattern book has not arrived. Wouldn’t you know I have almost all of Starmore’s books, but not Tudor Roses. Ugh! I cannot believe I’m one of the suckers who paid over $100 for a knitting pattern book. I had to do a lot of justifying to make peace with that. You know the rationalizations, I’m sure! It’s less than therapy, it’s better than some other addictions, it’s feeding my creative spirit…etc…etc… and it’s part of my golden jubilee celebration!
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