…and the photoshoot has happened…

…and now I’m just mopping up the final editing. Then the whole shebang is off to design, and this summer we go through a few rounds of proof editing. I can hardly believe it. It’s been such a large part of my life for over 6 months now, I can’t believe I don’t have a sweater to finish by next week.

So now is the time for deep breaths, for more blog posts, for running around in the woods with the boys…

…and finally, time to share what I’m knitting with you again!

At the moment, I’m liking stripes. And lace. But more on that second one later.

(I love a good button stash. So tiny! So exquisite!)

And the classes I have throughout April! Classes continue to be one of my favorite things to do. Last weekend I flew to Pittsburgh for a 6-hour class with the Three Rivers Knitting Guild. I adore 6-hour classes. There’s so much time for discussion! For trying things on! For getting everyone’s individual questions explored until we’re all sure it makes sense. They’re truly luxurious.

I’m teaching another 6-hour class here in the Boston area, next weekend on April 14. It’s at the Hub Mills Yarn Store in Billerica, and they wrote yesterday saying they still have a few spots left. After a busy April, I’m taking the summer for some much-needed R&R, so this is the only remaining 6-hour class until fall.

Spring has sprung here in Boston, but I remain hopeful that there will be time to squeak in one self-pub pattern before the dog days of summer. Can I ask your opinion, dear readers? Do you like summer knits? Or if a pattern isn’t ready until May, should I wait until fall?

To tide you over, here’s a little update on the boys.

Jacob is angling for a new pair of socks as soon as the book is done, in this glorious Kitchen Sink Dyeworks red. Daniel, as you can see, is far too grown-up to do any actual smiling for the camera. Both of them keep me gloriously, happily on my toes. It’s a joy to have such a supportive and happy family.

P.S. I think Jacob will probably learn to spin this year.

I’m always so excited for those knitters! Like most of you I’m sure, my early sweater attempts were hit-or-miss at best. And the thought of never wasting those hours (and that money) on an unloved sweater are really compelling. So I’ve often wondered, over the past year, how things are going for those first-timers.

Imagine my delight when I opened my inbox one morning recently to find a note from Jan. Jan took one of my classes in the marathon sessions after Sock Summit in July and had never knit a sweater for herself. In the email, Jan shared that she’d completed her first sweater and was thrilled. I looked at the picture and just about leaped out of my seat. Lovely readers, this is her first sweater:

The pattern is my Cornsilk Pullover, and the yarn Jan used is Mirasol Nuna. She knit the sweater with 2” of positive ease in the upper bust (my recommendation for a “slightly roomy” fit). I love so many things about her sweater, but I want to talk about two in particular.

Beginning knitters can still get great sweaters. Jan’s sweater requires very little in the way of advanced technique–no charts, no colorwork/lace/cables, just Stockinette and garter stitch. She didn’t do a lot of crazy modifications. There are increases and decreases, and the collar uses a few short rows… but really, this is an incredibly simple sweater that would be perfect for an adventurous beginner. Don’t be afraid, knitters!

Sweaters with positive ease can still look great. It’s not necessary to knit something with a bunch of negative ease (i.e. the sweater’s size is smaller than your body measures) to get a flattering fit. If the sweater is shaped well, even a sweater with some room will still flatter your figure. Thanks to the waist shaping in this sweater, Jan has both room to breathe in her pullover and a tailored, flattering look.

I’m just thrilled Jan shared her picture with me (and gave me permission to share it with you). Best part of all? Reading her comments:

The class was incredibly helpful and your design terrific. This is my first sweater and it looks and feels like a fabulous boutique find. Thanks!

Hats off to Jan! And may we all have a closet full of boutique sweaters.

1. It’s good to be home.

2. My house is going to smell like wet wool for a fair stretch of time.

As a reminder, a few weeks ago the stars aligned and I had the lovely Erin, Jackie, Stitchy, and Kellee all in one place with Caro and her camera nearby. We did a Fit to Flatter-style photoshoot of sweaters from The Charles Collection on these gorgeous women, all with different body shapes. This week, I’m sharing the results of a different sweater each day.

I’m finishing up with the New Towne cardigan. This was wonderful to knit, because the yarn is so fantastic–soft, but not completely flaccid like most 100% alpaca that I’ve worked with. There’s a nice bit of spring in the yarn, and it produces a glorious fabric. (I jumped at the chance to use it again in a book sweater, actually.)

I got a great question yesterday about Jackie and Erin’s lack of appearance in the Lexington and Beacon Hill posts–it’s not because those styles don’t flatter Erin and Jackie’s figures! The samples were just the wrong size for them.

New Towne is a really versatile cardigan meant to be worn open or closed in the middle with a shawl pin/other kind of closure. In my classes, many busty women worry about being able to wear open cardigans–they say that the cardigan fronts scoot themselves over to the outside of their bust, making for a very annoying game of tug-o-war. The key is having sufficient ease in the front of the sweater–cardigans can’t tolerate the amount of negative ease a pullover will. Check Erin out in New Towne:

As you can see, when the fronts are large enough the cardigan fronts hang nicely over the bust (and actually minimize it). Unfortunately, as you can also see, this cardigan is quite a bit too large for Erin. (She’s wearing it with 4” of positive ease.) We did a little tucking of the extra fabric in back, and you can see the armholes are far too large. The solution, should Erin want to knit the cardigan, is to knit a smaller size but widen just the front pieces. Erin could make a size down, but cast on an extra 1-2” of stitches on each front piece, performing extra neckline decreases to get back to her proper number of shoulder stitches. This would give her the same flattering lines on the front, without having to put up with sleeves and back that were too large.

Kellee demonstrates the final result, wearing the cardigan with 0-1” of negative ease in the bust:

I think this looks just smashing on Kellee. I wouldn’t change a thing. Nor would I change anything about how Stitchy chose to wear the cardigan:

She’s wearing the cardigan with 0-1” of positive ease in the bust, and I love the way the closure draws an hourglass on her figure. I’d definitely recommend this look for the cardigan as a more curvaceous alternative to the worn-open style.

So there you have it! Four Charles Collection sweaters, four lovely models, and a whole bunch of great looks. You can get The Charles Collection here, and I hope you’ll share with us what your FOs look like!

As a reminder, a few weeks ago the stars aligned and I had the lovely Erin, Jackie, Stitchy, and Kellee all in one place with Caro and her camera nearby. We did a Fit to Flatter-style photoshoot of sweaters from The Charles Collection on these gorgeous women, all with different body shapes. This week, I’m sharing the results of a different sweater each day.

Today’s sweater is Lexington. I’ve brought this sample to my Fit to Flatter classes a few times now, and it’s universally loved. The cable panels and rib are slimming and provide great shaping, the tweed is gorgeous, and the sweater is so soft. It was a favorite in our dress-up session, too!

Stitchy and Kellee wear Lexington with a couple of inches of positive ease in the bust. (And in the pattern photos, I’m wearing it with about an inch of positive ease in the upper bust and about an inch, inch and a half of negative ease in the full bust.) I just love everything about both of them in this sweater:

Aren’t they gorgeous?

You can find The Charles Collection here, and I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for New Towne in the final installment!

As a reminder, a few weeks ago the stars aligned and I had the lovely Erin, Jackie, Stitchy, and Kellee all in one place with Caro and her camera nearby. We did a Fit to Flatter-style photoshoot of sweaters from The Charles Collection on these gorgeous women, all with different body shapes. This week, I’m sharing the results of a different sweater each day.

I wear Beacon Hill regularly. Man, there is just nothing quite like a lovely fingering-weight sweater. Kellee and Stitchy agreed.

As you can see, today continues our theme of Stitchy looking great in everything. She’s wearing this sweater with about an inch of positive ease in the high-bust measurement I like to use. In the pattern photos (which you can see here), I’m wearing it with zero ease in the high-bust and 2 inches of negative ease in the full bust. The boat neck broadens Stitchy’s shoulders and draws the eye up; the notches in the side of the sweater let it skim over her hips instead of clinging.

Kellee wears the sweater with a similar amount of ease, but her shape is different, leading to a different look:

The neckline and sleeves are both broadening. This makes the waist look smaller by comparison, giving Kellee a decidedly hourglass silhouette in this sweater. (Also, this color was pretty much made for her.) I admit that I usually wear jeans with the sweater, but Kellee brought along this gorgeous skirt and they looked stunning together. I’m impressed by how versatile Kim’s yarn is!

And there you have it–Beacon Hill. Tomorrow, we’ll look at Lexington, and Thursday we’ll wrap up with New Towne. You can get The Charles Collection here.

I’d been thinking for awhile that it would be cool to show the sweaters of The Charles Collection on a different group of body types. Recently, the stars aligned and I had the lovely Erin, Jackie, Stitchy, and Kellee all in one place with Caro and her camera nearby. We did a Fit to Flatter-style photoshoot of the collection sweaters on these gorgeous women, all with different body shapes.

Want to see the results? I had four of the sweaters on hand, so to keep your work week interesting I’ll do a mini-post on each sweater for the next four days.

Revere House, by Kirsten Kapur, is this fantastic combination of bolds: Bold color, bold collar, bold cable. I love it. The styling is beautiful and flattering. In the collection, it’s shown on a straighter, smaller-busted figure so I knew I wanted to get at least a couple of shots of Revere on a bustier figure.

Of course everyone loved the sample, and Erin wore the asymmetrical cardigan open at first. I think the straight lines of the cable and the longer length combine well with the waist shaping to highlight Erin’s curves. We also had her wear it closed–it looked adorable that way, too:

We balanced the breadth of the collar by leaving the bottom unbuttoned. Erin wears Revere House with an inch or so of negative ease in the bust.

Jackie has a couple of inches of positive ease in the bust with Revere House, and a straighter shape. Her shape is more similar to the model, but that little bit of positive ease gives the sweater a different feel:

I think it looks gorgeous on Jackie, and with a completely different feel. The collar and long length/sleeves balance one another out and preserve her proportions, and the buttoned line gives the piece a slight military flair.

Finally, Stitchy tried it on.

Once again, the effect of wearing the cardigan open is to highlight the wearer’s curves. Stitchy is wearing the cardigan with a few inches of negative ease in the bust. The collar draws the eye up, and the open bottom skims over her hips without clinging or drawing attention to them.

I hope you enjoyed this alternate view of Revere House! You can get it here as part of The Charles Collection. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at Beacon Hill.

I love all of my sweaters, and I love all of the photoshoots that the great folks at Twist Collective produce with them, but in my heart of hearts I’ll let myself admit some favorites. And Oscillate definitely tops the list.

(Photo credit Jane Heller. Photos used with permission from Twist Collective.)

This photo shoot is so iconic, and so perfectly captures the life and beauty of the yarn, it absolutely makes me squeal. And Oscillate is one of my favorite designs, in that it so perfectly captures my favorite things about hand-knits: I love a fuzzy sweater with a close (but easy) fit. I love simple-but-interesting cables. I love sweaters that scream “Wear me!”.

The Classic Elite Lush I used for the design was wonderful. Soft and fuzzy without being sheddy or limp, it practically screamed to be used in plump, wiggly cables. I’ll definitely be using it for my own version.

You can find all of the nuts and bolts information about the pattern either here or on Twist Collective’s site, where you can also buy the pattern, so in this post I’ll just say: One of the nicest things about waiting so long to do a proper post on Oscillate is that there are already stunning FOs for you to gaze at! Just take a look at the projects page on Ravelry. They have me dreaming about my own version…

Since that version is likely a few months away, I decided to take a plunge and fiddle around with Polyvore instead. And in the spirit of Carly’s post, here are the two ways I plan to wear my own Oscillate as soon as I have the time to make one in my size:

I’ve included two looks here, in a (budget-less) nod to the two very different parts of my life. First, my home/knitting design/running after the boys life: Jeans are hands-down the most often worn bit of my wardrobe. The boys still haven’t mastered the art of napkins/kleenex/anything-other-than-someone’s-shirt, so pretty much anything I wear when I’m around them has to be tolerant of washing machines. I have pretty short, thick legs, so I love a good flare–they take the eye, and the visual balance, away from the rest of my legs and cleverly hide the high heels I’m never without. I love the look of a butter yellow paired with a rich, dark red, so I chose a pretty simple tee to wear under the sweater. Naturally, my favorite boots of all time have to make an appearance. (No kidding. I own them in both colors, and they’re wonderfully stylish, fit my wide calves, and I can sprint in them. For real.) I seem to often forget jewelry, but when I remember I prefer bolder, funkier pieces for my personal life. I might have to get that guitar bracelet, actually, it would go perfectly with some earrings I got recently from someone I found through Thea.

Second, my work life. I definitely need to dress professionally and conservatively at work, and am frequently rubbing elbows with folks a few levels higher on the totem pole than me. I’m excruciatingly demanding of my hand-knits for this reason, and don’t often wear them to work–but Oscillate fits the bill beautifully. I’d pair it with a pair of gray wool trousers (again with the wide leg), and a sedate set of Fluevogs. Boden is the best for plain shirts with a bit of flare, and I’d go with jewelry that doesn’t call as much attention to itself, reflecting the color of the sweater without being too matchy-matchy.

Playing with Polyvore is super fun! How would you style Oscillate?

(And speaking of styling sweaters, stay tuned for the next post, where I take the Charles Collection sweaters over to Caro’s house for a photo shoot with some friends.)