Autumn 2012 Accessories: Day 4

Today's installment of my accessories collection introduction is quite special and close to my heart. Almost two years ago to the day, I blogged about my very first foray into design - my Rustic Elegance shawl. I was so excited about the piece but never wrote up the pattern. (I should note that I still wear that piece all the time as a cowl.) It's been pinned and repinned quite a bit on Pinterest, which surprised and pleased me since it was far removed from any response I ever expected from that first design effort.

Fast forward to today, and my introduction of the retooled Rustically Elegant Shoulder Warmer. This piece will also be published a little later this fall in an F+W Media booklet. It was the call for that booklet, plus the knowledge that the original had been pinned with some frequency, that led to the redesign. I thought a cowl neck plus an asymmetrical edge would give the design a fresh new lease on life. I'm so glad I did!

I was limited in my yarn choice, so I eventually went with Patons Lace & Sequins held double. It is super warm, very comfortable and easy care (although technically able to machine wash this fiber, I still might want to hand wash the piece to save the sequins).

The best aspects of this Rustically Elegant Shoulder Warmer is its versatility and ability to look good on most any body type. This sample (the smallest neck circumference) is shown here on two very different body types - with great results. The top shot shows the cowl unbuttoned and on one side; the bottom shot all buttoned up for warmth and worn on the opposite side. Versatile, versatile, versatile. I love that!

Autumn 2012 Accessories: Day 3

Hello Everyone, and welcome to Day 3 of the Autumn 2012 Accessories collection introduction.

I am ready to introduce probably the prettiest item of the collection - the Le Bouquet Stole. I have been sitting on this lace pattern since the end of last year; I am so thrilled to be able to present it here.  As feminine as this is in stole form, it's also a very versatile piece simply worn around the neck. I just folded it over once during the photo shoot, but it would look equally great fastened with a shawl pin.

When wearing as a stole, its got hidden buttons so it will stay easily around the shoulders. I've designed it with three different circumferences - make the size closest to your yoke measurement, and then customize with button placement.

This stole can be made with a wide range of yarn weights. I've swatched with sport and dk weight, both of which looked great. One tester used light worsted weight! I actually hooked it with this yummy hand-dyed fingering weight silk:

This perle silk (2 ply) actually had a little "bite," which worked up quite nicely. Blocking was a light spritz before and after pinning. I do warn that you may be tempted to skip the blocking because the stitch is so texturally interesting, but I urge you not to since the blocked circumference is the key to a great fit.

I can easily see this in a darker colorway with a lighter colored ruffle or a tonal treatment - the possibilities are limited only by imagination and preference. I can't wait to see how this design gets interpreted!

 

Autumn 2012 Accessories: Day 2

I want to thank everyone for the positive comments and response yesterday to the introduction of my accessories collection. Let's move forward today to the second design:

Enveloped Cowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are times when the perfect stitch pattern comes together with the perfect yarn in a great design achieving fashion accessory harmonic convergence. Based on the feedback from all three of my models, the Enveloped Cowl seems to fit that bill. Each loved wearing this incredibly soft, lush and warm cowl - thanks to the superwash merino cashmere yarn. I love the fact that this stitch pattern, incorporating broomstick lace, is incredibly easy to memorize (which fact is confirmed by my test stitchers) yet looks like you expended all kinds of crafty energy.

 

The Enveloped is also a testament to the power of a few well-conceived details: the cowl 's edging, while an easy three rows, delivers a big design wallop; and the buttons along one edge increase the styling possibilities. The key is to choose lightweight buttons - heavy button material would negatively weigh down that side.

For those of you who may not have yet tried broomstick lace, I share with you this nugget: both of my cowl testers had not attempted the technique prior to this test. I posed the opportunity to each of them; they both took up the challenge based virtually on my word that it was easy-peasy. As you'll see next week (when I showcase one of the resulting cowls), they were more than up to the task. This written pattern contains a good amount of visual aids that will nicely augment all of the web broomstick lace resources. In a phrase? Just dooooo iiiiiiittttt.