Showing posts with label 1930's knitted jacket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1930's knitted jacket. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

What to do? - part 2 -


Today I played some more with the problem jumper: joined the sides higher up, straightened the buttons in a vertical line from that point, added a belt and a scarf. This is what I do when I'm confused: add stuff, rather than follow the principle of less is more.

To what result? Well, I think this might work provided that the belt is finer and of a colour that actually matches the buttons. This one belongs to a chunkier jacket and that shows. The bow in the scarf could sit lower and be slightly smaller. It is rather a fluffy bow too, but then a scarf of a stiffer fabric would show through the knit...


As you see , I am still looking for ideas and exploring possibilities, and I haven't made my mind about what to do...
Let go, it doesn't fit - it's been suggested in the comments section of the last post. Maybe, if I decide there's nothing that can be done about it. It could well be the less painful option on the long run. 
On the other side, the obvious sadly eludes me sometimes, and I have a propensity towards sweating a lot at trying to make something work before I do give up. Which means waste of time and energy...but what can I do if I'm a mule!
However obstinate I may be, the shoulder/underarm area clearly needs work and perhaps of large enough scale...so a chat with mum is coming next, to see what the options really are.



Tuesday, 20 March 2012

What to do?



What you see is the - so far - result of a rather less successful knitting attempt in the series of projects I keep boring you with, made in the same mohair and silk blend as used in my last post. Going a long way, this yarn proved to be more than enough for the blouse you've seen previously and a jumper that I am yet to show. The one shown today was made from spare yarn, and there is still enough left for a skirt, all this from less than1 kg of yarn.


And now to the troubled bit: I wanted a cardigan along the lines of the one worn on top above, so a very simple knit I thought, so simple I didn't think necessary to be very specific when discussing it with mother. So much for not taking the trouble! I ended up with this (ignore the buttons for now, they are an afterthought):


To say that I don't like it is an understatement... It's looks too big everywhere, it falls all wrong, it's too bulky as it was knitted in 3 - mum wanted to make sure it wasn't too flimsy!!! And it is a lot worse when it it's fully open. Such a shame, as the knitting itself is nice and even with lovely yarn definition on the basic stitch employed. It feels lovely on and very light - but looks heavy and shapeless...arrgh!! I am wearing it here with a vest and long sleeve t-shirt underneath, but even over something more consistent, it still doesn't look right.
So I started fooling around with it and wrapping it more around me into the shape below. With the ad of a set of buttons I tried to create a feature where there was none, and went for the asymmetrical fastening so popular in the 30's. At first I wanted to use some butterscotch yellow buttons for a typical 30's contrast, but I only had 3 of those, so settled for the ones you see, and put on lots! Perhaps too many?...It's all for decorative purposes of course, as the actual fastening is hidden underneath.




examples of various asymmetrical closures

Then the thought occurred of rearranging my plentiful buttons so they go around the neck and perhaps ad a belt matching the bronze-grey of the buttons to help further shape this jumper in the way I crudely attempted to draw here.


Yet apart from these cosmetic issues there may be a need for proper intervention as the underarm area still looks bad regardless of how much the sides cross over...Perhaps a re-work and narrowing of the back? Unless I manage to sew - invisibly?!- the excess in all around the arms to make the shoulders fit better and pull up the sleeve too..
Let me know your thoughts and ideas.


Friday, 2 December 2011

Same dress, different woman: a mid to late 1930's style outfit


Speaking about putting a base piece to more uses, what do you think about this? It certainly responds to my need of change and "adventure", of starting from the same point but taking a side route and arriving to something altogether different. 
It also gives me that sense of satisfaction that you get when the things in your wardrobe just click together, like a puzzle that falls into place.
For all these reasons and more, I love this outfit. Not bad for a cheap dress that I picked for my shop - it never made it there, fits far too well in my wardrobe - and a cardigan that mum knitted out of remnants from a different project!

.

The forest green and wine red are yummy together, and I like the off center/asymmetric fastening illusion coming from the sides that overlap - they are not meant to, but since the cardigan jacket is quite roomy it allows me to do this. There a a lot of examples of later 1930's style employing this off center, asymmetric closure which for some reason appeals to me.


I have accessorized with a 1930's Robin Hood/Peter Pan style hat, a tiny treasure that comes in dark green velvet. It has a grosgrain bow that is in need of a trim, but even so, it has to be the star of this ensemble.


A Deco hide clutch in two tones of green, one of the favorites in my collection, and just the thing for this outfit!
Finally, another pair of "snakeskin" Poetic Licence shoes, I am a fan of what they produced a few seasons ago.