The Final Romantique Design ...

Lion Brand Amazing in
the vineyard colorway and
Romance in the merlot
colorway - very apropos.

Alright my fellow fibery crafters, we're at the last design installment from my Romantique collection - the Brix Coat. Again, there was no particular reason for me to leave this for the end, but I must admit, it is a great note upon which to anchor the collection.

The basic design came to me way back in March (when I was working on Fleurs et L'eau, which is definitely the way with me), but didn't get sketched out for another month. For those who may be interested, brix is a wine-making term (the sweetness level of a grape prior to picking), and once I saw the fibers and colorways in which I wanted to work the coat, the name instantly popped into my head. I am pleased with the balance of fur - just the right amount around collar and cuffs - and I do love Lion Brand's Amazing yarn. If you've never worked with it, I urge you to give it a go; it's brushed so it's soft and warm, and the long color runs ensure great tonal stripes. These photos are very true to the colorway in real life - isn't it just super? The Romance (also by Lion Brand) is a very silky fur. It requires use of a rather honking big hook, so be warned.

And, of course, I needed to make a great button statement. That's a 2" diameter button, and I love it.

The coat comes in just three sizes, and each size fits a wide range. I've shown it here in the second size, but these models could have easily worn the first size. The goal is to provide an easy on/off topper for a multitude of potential winter layers underneath, or a great warm topper with some sass on a dressy night out. And of course while I love these colorways, I can easily envision this in a winter white/gray/brown treatment or any number of other knock-out color combinations. 

By the time you read this (or very soon thereafter), all of the Romantique patterns will be in the Ravelry database, along with the entire e-book. The collection is going to go on a very brief (!) blog tour, ending the first week in January. I will be hosting a CAL in my Ravelry group mainly (although not exclusively) for the collection starting in the new year and running through mid-February. There will be prizes (hint: yummy yarn!) and fun. I hope you'll join us.

Now don't forget to hit The Wonder Why Gal's site to check out the end-of-year fiber doings. It's been another amazing year for me. Wrap up soon.

Add a great black dress, and you're ready for a
rockin' New Year's Eve on the town.