Vintage Knitting, Retro Dressmaking, Make do and Mend, Original and Vintage Inspired Knitting Patterns, Vintage Inspired books

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

New Designs and a Big Thank You

Thank you everyone for all your kind and uplifting comments both here on the blog, to my email and on ravelry. You all really helped to lift my spirits this week and give me the boost to get through. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the best.

I will be working away for the rest of the week at the Stitch & Craft show at Olympia in London but before I go I wanted to share three new designs which I have just released on the new issue of knitonthenet.

The first of the three is my somewhat delayed Celia's Gloves pattern. This pattern went missing three months ago and I finally managed to get it rewritten in time for this issue.

celia's gloves

These gloves use a single repeat of the lace pattern from my Celia Scarf pattern.
The gloves are made from the same Garn Studio Drops Alpaca but the pattern is extremely versatile. When I was reworking the pattern I used some left over 4 ply tweed and it looked fabulous.

The next design is Miss Moneypenny, so named after the character in James Bond, who I thought really summed up ladylike glamour.

miss moneypenny

I had come across a pattern in an early 1930s magazine featuring a ribbed garment made on very big needles. What they had done though was use a thick aran weight yarn, knitted it on bigger needles than normal and pressed it out. The result was a bit mixed. But it got me thinking that if the designers of that period had had access to the super chunky yarns that we do now, they would probably have given them a go from time to time. So I decided to create my own 'period' big wool garment using Twinkle Super Chunky. To avoid unsightly seaming I have knitted this in one piece to the underarms, including the button bands, separated for the upper body, then work a three needle bind off at the shoulders. The collar is 'grown on' with decreased worked to shape it into the neck and short rows worked to create the collar points. The collar stands up at the back without creating bulk. The sleeves are knitted separately and sewn on as I didn't want a yoke to the upper body and I wanted some bulk in the sleeve head to create body.

This is the view from the back, which I feel also gives it a sort of 1980s, Anthony Price look to it. Might be my imagination!

moneypenny back

The final design is Quadrato. This means square in italian, so it is a square scarf, but this doesn't sound half as interesting as Quadrato. I have given this pattern as a chart as it didn't make sense to try and write it out line by line. Initially I found this quite daunting, not because I find charts a problem, but because I write them out on squared paper and I find the jump to working chart on the computer quite a challenge. However, once we had the rows and columns drawn up and a key devised it was really quite simple. I'm glad it was a single sized square though. Made things a lot easier.

Quadrato can be worn around the neck (at the front or back)

Quadrato

or as a headscarf

Quadrato2

I love this photo of the lovely Vicky, and I love the way the texture of the Rowan Yorkshire Tweed really stands out on the image. I love Yorkshire Tweed, I wish Rowan hadn't discontinued it.

However, after three hours sleep last night to get all this done, I am off to bed ready for an early start for the 4/5 hour drive to London in the morning.

for now
Ruby xx

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A little post

I'm not very good at blogging when life is troublesome or getting me down as these things aren't what my blog is about, and when I am wrapped up in lots and lots of work and decisions and problems and stress, all of which depress me, I just find it impossible. Also, its not what I want to write about. My blog, for me, is about creativity and fashion and inspiration and I don't want to fill it with my depressed ramblings. So I'm not going to burden and bore you all with what life is throwing at us at the moment, but just apologise if service is occasionally interrupted for a while.

There are good things to talk about which I will work through over the next few weeks:

I'm are featured in April's Prima magazine talking about vintage clothes. There is a gorgeous full page photo of me and Charlie which I've asked for permission to use but haven't heard back yet. This is the photoshoot that was being done several weeks ago.
I can't get over how lovely the photo is. I normally hate any photo of me and far prefer to be taking them.

knitonthenet
should be online this week and its looking fantastic. I'm getting more and more into 'fashion' (clothing, basically) photography and am learning how to use studio lighting a bit more with each session. I'm quite surprised how much I like studio work (I say studio, I mean the house extension) as I always thought I preferred natural shots, but I have found I like the control over the conditions that studio and lights give you.

The Celia gloves pattern will finally be ready and in this issue, along with two other of my designs.

The Galliano pattern is nearly finished. All the pieces are knitted (photos to follow soon). However, I am going to knit it again as we have had to basically rewrite the pattern. Another lady has also been knitting the sweater and I will compare our patterns and then write a final version. If anyone wants to have a go at this once I'm at that stage I'll prepare it as a proper pattern. It will still be a WIP I am sure and open to change and suggestions.

I will get the spats pattern written up and put on the blog once I come back from London. I will be working at the Stitch and Craft show in Olympia from Wednesday to Sunday next week so probably no blogging! There will be lots of friendly faces there. The lovely Theo is working on Sunday, my friends Larissa, Lazykate and Biggan will be popping in and the lovely Jane Waller will be there from Thursday through to Sunday too. It will be a hard working show but I'm looking forward to spending time with so many friends. Theo and I have lots of out of hours plans too, and hope to get to I Knit on the Thursday night. (If you are interested in coming to the Stitch and Craft show, there will be a draw on knitonthenet to win free tickets).

Speak very soon,

love Ruby xxx