SWANTS

Shetland knitwear designers Kate Davies features a post about SWANTS, or "sweater-pants." Artist Stephen West bought an old Norwegian sweater—a Setesdal—at an Amsterdam thrift shop. He then steeked the vintage garment into a pair of pants. Yes, the first thing I see is the codpiece, which looks like it came from a central motif on the sweater's back.
 
Here's a man wearing a knitted jumpsuit. The creator called it an "Aran catsuit."

Mr. Irene has never worn knitted pants—and he'd never wear a knitted onsie. But he has humored me by wearing some brightly colored sweaters:

Madison, Wisconsin, November 17, 1991. Mr. Irene and I attend a post-performance party hosted by our folk dance group, Žaibas. I wear Vogue Knitting's 1991 Map of the World sweater. Note that I altered the pattern by knitting the Soviet Union in red, not pink, and adding Lithuanian as an independent country. I also knit the sweater in Merino Wool (Baruffa's "Maratona"), not in cotton. Mr. Irene wears a cotton (Tahki's "Cotton Classic"), sport-weight Aran based on a sweater, knit in the same salmon color, in this issue of Filatura di Crosa.

Hand knitting peaked somewhat in the early- to mid-1990s (I worked in a yarn shop as a sales girl between 1991 and 1992, so my view may be skewed). The garments were complicated and challenging, and designers like Missoni and Fendi regularly created new patterns. I think if today you want to knit something in that same league, you should turn to some Japanese patterns. Many of the American knitting magazines now target beginner, or "quick," projects.

Fortunately, one of the best designers from the earlier era—Alice Starmore and her daughter, Jade Starmore—still create stunning designs.