Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Queen Anne's Lace

Finally!  I know a lot of you have been waiting to see this finished!  And so have I!  Thanks to being stuck in the house the week before last to wait for my HVAC guys, I powered through and finished it up, spending a whopping 5 hours that day finishing the second sleeve, weaving in all the ends, cutting the neck steek and picking up the neckband stitches, and finally knitting and tacking down the neck.  By the time I finished, I was too tired to be elated!


As you can see, while it is a gorgeous piece of knitting, it's not the most flattering of garments.  I knew that going in - I mean, it's square dropped shoulders!  I did reduce the sizing from the smallest size by one pattern repeat (I worked 7 repeats around rather than 8).  This shaved about 5" off the circumference of the sweater - one pattern repeat is the width of one of those diamonds you see.

What with all the progress posts and videos along the way, I don't think I need to say much else!  If you want to look back on any of it, you can click the Starmore button in the category cloud at right.  My Ravelry notes are minimal, as the only change I made was to the stitch count on the body.  I used all the original yarns and colors used by Alice Starmore - you don't mess with perfection!

You can see here how wide the sleeves are.  The 40" final bust measurement fits me perfectly in the hips.  Ahem.  If I were to do it again, I'd make the sleeves narrower, but that's really the only other change I'd make.


Here are two photos that show the patterning well, although you've seen it ad nauseum by now.  I decided after seeing these photos that super pale lipstick does me no favors ;-)  It looks like I have no lips!  So I switched back to red for the last few.



Yes, the sweater makes me look a lot heavier than I am.  But that's OK; you can't believe how cosy this thing is.  Scratchy, yes.  But so lightweight and WARM!  Toward the end, working on it was the same as having a snuggly blanket on my lap, which is why no knitting on this happened over the summer.  I'll likely be wearing a chambray shirt under this, but for these pics I just tossed it on, as I was doing a marathon photo session that day.  You can probably tell that by the time I got to this sweater, the light was gone.  But I think you get the idea.

I have a good idea what my next Starmore will be - oh yes, there will be more in my future!  Take a gander at some of her newer designs on her website.  I'm thinking of giving myself a kit for my next birthday :-)


31 comments:

  1. I want all of your sweaters! They look so warm and cozy!

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  2. Very impressive! I can't imagine undertaking a project like that. I'm in awe. By the way I think the pale lipstick looks nice :-)

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    1. Thanks, Bella! The pale lipstick does look better in real life I think, but maybe not so great for photos, especially since my camera didn't want to focus that day!

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  3. Oh, I think this is magnificent. And, I actually have an opposite reaction to yours regarding flattery, because I think this looks incredibly easy and effortlessly gorgeous! I like the amount of positive ease. I think the volume looks really intentional and you look tiny in it. I especially love how you styled it with boyfriend jeans and oxfords. Beautiful sweater, Gail!

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    1. Thank you, Michelle! Interesting take too - I do like the volume through the body, but the shoulders are a bit '80s I think! And the whole time I was working on it, I was thinking about exactly this styling! I'm trying to look like my old Rowan magazines from the '90s!

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  4. It looks very comfortable, perfect for the winter time:)

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    1. It will be! This could be outer wear on a milder day!

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  5. Honestly, although I know it's not the most fitted or cut garment ever, the way you've styled it is a really cute and cozy look and I don't think it makes you looks heavier. It's just a bulky garment. I know how you feel though; I struggle a bit with how I think I look in my warmest sweaters. This is just so amazing...I love this sweater so much. Truly a knitted work of art and very inspiring!

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    1. Thank you, Jess! Let's just say the camera added 10 pounds ;-) Isn't that the usual excuse?

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  6. My mind cannot comprehend how you made that! Super impressive...

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    1. This should be second nature to you - you're Scottish!! LOL! But you're forgiven because of your beautiful sewing :-)

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  7. Congratulations! Of course you deserve a new Starmore kit. Their newest designs are stunning - I wonder which you'll pick.

    Warm wishes for the holidays,
    stashdragon

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    1. Well, if you say so . . . I've just purchased Meadowsweet and it's in my queue! I've been in love with it for a few months.

      Happy holidays to you too!

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    2. Meadowsweet will look great on you! I hope you'll enjoy making and wearing it.
      -- stashdragon

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  8. So, so impressive! Love the colors and design.

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    1. Thank you! Alice Starmore is, hands down, the best Fair Isle designer around, IMO. I always follow her color schemes because she's a master of blending just the right shades.

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  9. Wow it's such an intricate design Gail, very impressive! It'll be the perfect cosy winter jumper for you! I've really enjoyed seeing your progress posts along the way.

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    1. Thanks, Sabs! It is intricate - the chart for this takes up almost a full page! Not one of those easily memorized patterns!

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  10. Wow! I'm attempting my first fair isle now. This would take me forever. Have you ever done fair isle with negative ease? I'm not sure it's my best idea. Anyhow, this is amazing, I can't wait to see your next :)

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    1. Well, negative ease with this yarn would be the equivalent of a hair shirt! But yes, if you look in my Ravelry projects at the "Ivy League Vest," that one has negative ease. Sadly, I've gotten bigger in the 4 years since I made it, so it REALLY has negative ease now! But as long as you don't make your floats too tight, it's OK to do the negative ease (assuming you can stand to have your yarn that close to your body!).

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  11. Wow! Just wow! Beautiful!

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  12. Such a very pretty design :) I love this sweater!

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