Trying my hand at real life dress designing is terrifying.

Hello! Hello me chirpy cheeries!

Having just guzzled a few rows of caramel chocolate (four sections in each row of this big bar of choc), I may well be on a bit of a sugar high, that's why I'm bursting forth all cheerry cheery cheep cheep chirpy!

Well, here I am today, having taken my blog back from Douglas. That Monday post exhausted him. Spelling isn't his thing at awllll. Bless him. He has enjoyed all the nice messages from his furry friends who popped out of the woodwork to say woof! He is wondering why the sublime Raymond from Alice's blog Crochet with Raymond did not deign to give him a personal message, owner messages are just not the thing according to Douglas. Higgins from Penny's blog Planet Penny was sniffily missed. "Perhaps he's holidaying" sniffed Douglas. I explained to Douglas that firstly, an elegant Siamese cat who's bed is called the Taj Mahal wouldn't deign to correspond with something as woogwassy as him, with such atrocious spelling, and secondly, Higgins is too busy making himself at home on his Mummy's gorgeous fair isle cushions.

Now lets see, what have I been up to?

I've been knitting stripes, and getting tangled up with bobbins.

Or maybe I should admit, I'm knitting a dress of my own design, with a view to giving you the pattern. It's sort of exciting, and sort of terrifying, but I'm doing it, and maybe it's not as difficult as I think it should be. It may well just be the thought of doing a pattern for people to knit from, which feels like a big task.

I started by knitting the skirt section in the round, which was a mistake in retrospect, because when it came to starting on the intarsia section, that can't be knitted in the round. I'm having to knit the front and back seperately, which may not work when I come to join them, and the dress goes from having no side seams, to having side seams.

I've already had to take back a large section of intarsia I had completed, because my waist shaping looked like it was made for an angular robot. The waist suddenly went in at an acute angle because I'd decreased on every row at the waist. Still, you live and you learn, don't you? It was only a nuisance because undoing intarsia work is fiddly, as in fair isle knitting, the yarn is wrapped round each other with each colour change.

So rather than having a tantrum and throwing my knitting in the bin, I decided to have a little break from my dress, and start on a pattern written by someone else, which felt safe, secure, and lovely because someone else has made all the decisions.

The pattern is called "Wild Saffron".

From the Rowan book "Purelife autumn", which has seventeen designs by Marie Wallin, who's work I admire enormously.

When I saw the pattern "Wild Saffron", I instantly fell in love with it. It looks sooo comfy, like a smocked dress. Using only one colour of yarn feels a bit daunting, as my concentration often doesn't stretch to using one colour when I'm knitting or crocheting. I'm using the specified yarn "Renew" in shade "Garage". Unusual name for a yarn colour don't you think?! This is expensive yarn, and it's beautiful. The plying is defined by using a deep plum strand twisted with a strand of heathery flecky lilacy shade. I do feel like I'm knitting with something precious, and it's very enjoyable. And relaxing to follow a pattern.

Going back to the subject of the dress I'm designing myself, one of the reasons I got frustrated with it is that because I'm knitting it from the bottom up, I can't try it on as I go to see how it's working and fitting. As I was feeling this, I got an email from Frances of blog City Views Country Dreams, telling me about a new book she bought, containing designs knitted top down, so that the knitter can try things on as they're going along.

I thought that it sounded fantastic, and was particularly relevant to my knitting, especially as there are a lot of patterns for dresses, something I'm obsessed with knitting at the moment.

So I ordered the book, and felt like a small impatient child waiting for a promised gift.

It arrived yesterday! And it's fantastic, and I've devoured it from beginning to end.

"Modern Top-Down Knitting" by Kristina McGowan is an absolute gem, and I especially like the idea of learning some new ways of knitting dresses. The book is beautifully designed, and the paper used is matt and elegant, making it a pleasure to turn eah page. It's an unusual book in that I want to knit pretty much every pattern in it, which isn't the case at all for most knitting and crocheting books I buy. That's pretty fantastic isn't it?!

I thought you might like to see some of my favourite patterns in the book, so I've taken some photos and done mosaics of them.

Yes, I'm thrilled with this book, and so pleased Frances thought I might like it, that was very thoughtful of her.

Well, Hugo and I have been invited round to his Mum and Dad's for supper, so I need to get going. I'll just wish you a good weekend, say cheerio! And love you and leave you. Ta-ra and cheerio! Love Vanessa xxx

 

Comments

[Jacqueline]

You are very brave to try to design something, I'm sure it will be beautiful once you have finished. I love the colour of the wool you are knitting with. I baulk at buying expensive wool, as nothing I have made to date actually fits. I probably should do a swatch, and properly calculate the number of stitches etc etc. All very complicated. Enjoy your weekend.

[Planet Penny]

Higgins here.. Reeeely sorry Douglas, been on my hols and missed your post. These keyboards are tricky aren't they? You look pretty good on the stairs, how d'you get up there? I can't do stairs...I have to grizzle 'till someone does picking up...My mum thinks your mum is reeeely good with that knitting stuff and wants that dress thing. Why don't they just grow fur? Funny things nooman beens aren't they? But they do love us...grrrmph for now, Higgyxxx

[Siobhan]

I absolutely adore those colours for your dress Vanessa - I can't wait to see the fair isle bit, it's going to look stunning. You are very clever going off into the unknown world of patternering. I know you will do a great job! Thanks for the new blog links - I peruse Crochet with Raymond regularly but the fair isle cushion one is new to me. Isn't that cushion of hers gorgeous? Fair isle will be my 'next big thing' but am currently trying to be more crochet savvy.All that counting of stitches and weaving in the colours may well be beyond me but I do want to have a go! Am strongly tempted - there is a colour knitting book in my basket at Amazon, am definitely inclined to whisk it off to the checkout. Your book looks wonderful, some really stunning designs. My mind is boggling at the mathematics of it all though - top down? Very intriguing. Rowan patterns are so gorgeously produced, I love your new one. So many things you have shared with us this evening; all of them lovely! Thanks Vanessa.

[Raymond Meowski]

Hello Douglas...
to tell you the truth, I'm not much of a dog-lover, but seeing as you are particularly attractive (in a purely platonic way of course) and on the other side of the world, you're not too bad, so hello then.....
And say hello to your sister from me too
Kind regards from Raymond Meowski I.

[Alice and Raymond!!!]

Hello Vanessa!
I admonished that rude Raymond, he has been terribly busy you see,chewing his toenails, turning his nose up at all of his food and pining after Karen who is away again...
I totally loved today's post Vanessa!!!
Now that I am navigating my way through the Harvey Kimono, I have an even deeper appreciation for you, o Goddess of Knit....
I love the jumper you are making in the Rowan, do you know, I go to Knitworld and I'm too scared to even stroke the Rowan wool, or pick it up and gently squeeze it, caress it's softness.... just in case I need it.... it may just have to become mine and at $15 for a teeny tiny ball I just cannot let that happen!!!!! The jumper is just gorgeous and it does look super comfy.... and wow, enjoy the experience of knitting with such amazing wool!
Yay, much love to you and yours this weekend! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Lynne]

How exciting to be designing your own knitted dress. I must admit I would find knitting a dress very daunting.

[frances]

Vanessa, it's so much fun reading your posts about the evolution of your dress designs! I think you encourage other knitters to try something new ... knowing that it will be an experiment.

The Rowan pattern and yarn looks very interesting.

I am delighted that you love Kristy's book as much I did, and that you've given it a wider audience. Glad also that Amazon is carrying it. We will have to compare notes when we finally get around to starting our own items from the top down.

Right now, I am still working on that cabled scarf and my multi-toned red socks. (And of course there are some crochet projects taking a short off stage break.)

Best wishes!

[Denise]

I'm looking forward to watching your progress on your dress.

That book wow. Another one on my ever growing wishlist.

[Nicola]

I love that sweater you're knitting. The yarn is gorgeous too. It may be all one colour but you've got lots of texture to keep you interested.

[Jenni at Baame Kniits]

Wow Vanessa that Rowan pattern you are do

ing is beautiful and just screams me..me..me! Cant wait to see if finished and such a lovely colour too!

Yay for doing us a dress pattern and yes I am sure knitting from the top down is the new way to go...makes sense doesn't it!

PS what is the difference between intarsia and fair aisle?? is it just the number of colours you use, or is intarsia a design/picture that does not take up the whole garment??

[Veronika / Lalomino]

That girl does not look happy in the Rowan catalogue!!

but Yay for you for doing a pattern!
and Boooo for me for not being able to knit....

[torirot]

Looks like a great book. Have to check it out! Thanks for showing the photos.

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I LOVE YOU,So send you hermes handbags.

[Ximena]

Me encanta tu blog!
Te llevo a mis preferidos!
Saludos desde Uruguay.
Xime

I love your blog!
I take my favorite!
Greetings from Uruguay.
Xime

[MelD]

I would love to know how you get on with this book in practice - I looked at it, full of enthusiasm.. and then read the comments, which seemed to boil to the fact that it's full of mistakes and the patterns aren't all top-down or quite what they appear to be; I gather the dress on the title page is very simple with the "seams" being fake and crocheted on rather than the neat shaping it leads you to expect...??!! :O or is someone laying a fake trail??
I was put off buying, anyway, until I hear an opinion I can rely on!

Hang on, there's another message...

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