Savory Knitting

Mother is a verb, not a noun. 

~Proverb

In honor of Mother’s Day, 15% off all Savory Knitting patterns in the Ravelry Shop.

(May 1st-May 12th through the end of the day EST)

Melissa Goutermont of MN was the lucky winner of the Amy Herzog/STC Fit to Flatter giveaway. (Selected at random by a random number generator)

I want to thank all of you who entered the drawing, 105 comments is a record for this blog (all credit to Amy H. and STC for that feat) and the comments were amazing. You were all so inspiring, I really enjoyed reading what you all wrote. The contest is closed but check out the original post and feel free to add comments if you missed it. I think something wonderful happens when we stop focusing on what we don’t like about our selves and instead acknowledge a positive.

With sweater knitting, fit is everything. If something is showing that you’re not crazy about, you will be uncomfortable. If the neckline hits your collarbone in the wrong place you’re going to feel all schlumpy. Conversely, you get it all right and you’re going to feel like the queen of the world. The way your clothes fit can completely alter the way you think, it alters your mood, it changes your outlook on your whole day. Take it step further to when that piece of clothing that makes you feel amazing is something that you just made with your own two hands? Beyond priceless. The first step is tailoring, choosing clothes that move smoothly over your body- nothing tight but no tents either. Whether you’re big or small too much extra fabric disguises nothing. The second step, understanding what really works, on you.

I got to meet Amy Herzog for the first time last summer. She’s amazing. Smart and witty with a calm demeanor and a dry sense of humor. She and I are both native New Englanders and that comes with a certain reserve but in less then 24 hours I was already calling her my friend. That is to say I instantly felt completely at ease with her, like I’d known her forever and we could talk about most anything. But its not just me. That’s the effect Amy has on people. She has that enviable ability to look at a something and tell you straight, good or bad, its working or its not. There is no sugar coating, no judgment, or harshness, just straight clear eyed assessment.

Amy brings every bit of the person that she is in real life to the Fit to Flatter book (STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book, April 2, 2013). There are knitting patterns of course, a whopping 21 sweaters every one of which is what I call a “real life”, wear-it-all-day-every-day, wardrobe staple kind of sweater, which is exactly the kind of thing I love, but that’s the sugar coating. What this book really is, is the girlfriend you take when you go shopping. The one who’s not afraid to say…. Hmmm maybe not those jeans, try these instead… Amy begins the book by inviting you to really understand yourself- what do you like, what don’t you like when you look in the mirror. What do you really see when you’re looking in the mirror and you let go of all the numbers and vague fruit references? Once you can really objectively look at what you’ve got you can play it up. Amy uses the next  4 chapters to break it down, how to play to your strengths, and mitigate a weakness that brings you down.

Except this is knitting and we’re not stuck taking things as they are off the rack. And so there is my favorite chapter, #6: Modifications. If you’re anything like me you’re inevitably drawn to at least 1 sweater in one of the chapters that is not for “your type”, there is no reason it can’t become something that will work for you. This is the chapter that will teach you to own your knitting. It covers: Waist shaping, body and sleeve length adjustments, neckline adjustments, bust darts should you need them (and whether or not you do) and sleeve tailoring (bicep measurements, armholes  and sleeve caps).  The price of admission is worth it for this chapter alone. No designer can write a pattern tailored to every single body type… No designer should have to, after all we’re people too. I look in the mirror and worry about my unusually long torso, I get anxious about the girth of my biceps… and my hips… and… Never mind. Forget all about thinking like that. We’ve got Amy. She’s going to help us all get over those numbers on the tape measure, on the scale, on the tag in our clothes and focus on what works.

Know what else? Amy and STC have a copy of the Knit to Flatter book for me to give away. Leave a comment below~ In the spirit of the book I think we should all share a positive thought about a piece of clothing we love, because of how it makes us feel (doesn’t have to be knitting related). Contest will run today (4/22/13) through Sunday (4/28/13 end of day) and randomly select 1 person to be announced next Monday. Sound good? Can’t wait to read what you all have to say~

And don’t miss any stops on the blog tour, see what others are saying here:

Monday, April 15: Rock and Purl – Ruth Garcia-Alcantud
Tuesday, April 16: Mind of Winter – Julia Trice
Wednesday, April 17: Mary Jane Mucklestone
Thursday, April 18: Moth Heaven – Julia Farwell-Clay
Saturday, April 20: Knitting At Large – Julie Matthews
Sunday, April 21: ADD Knitter
Monday, April 22: Savory Knitting – Amy Christoffers (you are here!)
Tuesday, April 23: Carole Knits

Last but definitely not least: Baby Cocktails – Thea Colman

Its been very quiet over hear… but not for long.

I’m seeing a teeny tiny little point of light at the end of the tunnel that is ‘book’. We are all knitting all the time over here- full production mode.

But thats not all I have cooking! I have in my possession a review copy of the the brand-y-new Knit to Flatter book by Amy Herzog and it is good. Really good. I’m pouring over every word of it and will be back soon with a full report for you and of course a copy to give away so make sure to check back.

In the mean time: knitting, knitting and more knitting.

The Catboat Cardigan is having a little fun with tradition, mixing a little of the traditional Gansey with modern sports wear. The tweedy Green Mountain Spinnery Alpaca Elegance pairs perfectly with some leather buttons but it has already occurred to me that I want to do this all season, everyday, sweater again with the Spinnery’s Cotton Comfort.

This pattern is available for $7.00 USD, and please visit the Savory Knitting Ravelry Shop for more information and pictures.

Spring is s-l-o-w to arrive to this part of New England… We tend to get the biggest, deepest snow storms in March. When the rest of the country is thinking crocus, here in Vermont we’re thinking snow shoes.

But its been warm this week and so the snow covered hillside is starting to get a hint of pink as the maple trees start thinking buds and the tips of the trees are turning red. The spring of daffodils and tulips is still a long way away but I’m seeing the light at the end of winter’s tunnel and a little red too.

All the Savory Knitting patterns are 20% off now through Sunday (11:59 EST) and there is a new pattern: Love and Happiness

Finished Measurements

24 (44, 64)” around.

11 1/2” wide

Sample is 44”

Materials

215 (430, 645) yards Worsted weight yarn.

Lorna’s Laces Haymarket “Washington” [100% wool] 215 yards (197 m)/100g: 1 (2, 3) skeins.

Needles

1 US 8/5 mm circular or straight needle

Notions required

Waste yarn, tapestry needle, stitch markers (optional)

Gauge

20 sts x 28 rows= 4” in Stockinette stitch

22 sts x 30 rows = 4” in cable pattern from chart

1 chart repeat= 2 3/4”

This is February in Vermont.

Color is the antidote to February.

I’ll be back tomorrow with actual knitting content.

How many of us are sticking with our resolutions?

No really.

I did fairly well… I made it a month. *Might* have slipped just a little now that its February. A particular dress I’ve been coveting for forever… on sale… But you know what you do when you fall down on a goal like that? You pick your self up and you carry on- So back on the horse I go.

Since crazy New Years Resolutions don’t just spring out of nowhere and in lieu of actual knitting content I thought I’d share a little bit my bookshelf on the subject.

The End of Fashion, Terri Agins

This is the seminal book on late 20th century fashion, specifically looking at the fallout from the democratization of design. The primary focus is on American designers and the effect of the American business model on manufacturing, retailing, and licensing of the garment industry as a whole. Terri Agins picks up the the story of the business of fashion where the magazines leave off and uses the biographies of individual designers and companies to look at sources of influence or change to the industry as a whole.

Overdressed, Elizabeth Cline*

Ms. Cline strikes me as being from a different generation (read: younger) then the other authors in this list and has a different perspective on a perceived difference between ‘inexpensive’ vs. ‘cheap’ when it comes to fashion. She takes us down the rabbit hole of the garment industry as she examines the contents of her own closet. Well written and very entertaining, this book relies heavily on the previous title by Terri Agins which sometimes irked me but the chapter on 2nd hand clothing market was eyeopening and more then made up for any complaints I may have had. It is a good read and if you don’t tend to read a lot of nonfiction this is the most accessible.

The  Travels of a T-Shirt, Pietra Rivoli

This on is largely an economics book but reads with a narrative like Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation for textiles. I cannot recommend this book enough. The whole history of globalization is neatly summed up in a look into the textile industry as the author follows the path of a single t-shirt from a cotton seeds in Texas to garment factories in China and every step in between.

Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster, Dana Thomas

Fascinating. A good hard look at branding in the luxury economy, I will never read a Vogue magazine the same way again. Well written, this is more about the luxury economy then it is the garment industry or about design. This bookends beautifully with Teri Agin’s End of Fashion, taking a more global look at industry and branding.

Apologies for not providing links to these titles, they are all available as either print or ebooks but I encourage you to check your local Library- if they don’t have a title in the catalog most will offer and Inter-Library Loan to find get it for you.

* There is an interview with Cline over at the Coletterrie, thanks so much to Karen/Fringe Association for leading me to it! P.S. If you’re not reading the Fringe Association blog already anyway you need to.