Fall Colors

The fashion color report from Pantone.

It's nice to see one of my favorite shades, "Warm Taupe," make the list.

Grab a Book: "Downstate" Edition*

Urbana, Illinois, September 1984. Mom and Dad visit me again—this time, they're checking out the new apartment. They brought Meškė! (Meškė's leash sits on the edge of the desktop.)

Mom's reading my copy of Vogue Knitting, and she brought a project to work on during the three-hour ride from Suburban Chicago. That gold, vinyl knitting bag travels well.

*To Chicagoans, anything south of Joliet is "Downstate"—or "Southern" Illinois.

Alpacas are a source for beautiful yarn.

They also sometimes have interesting hairdos.

Primary Sources

"So next time you pick up a skein (or seven) of your favorite yarn, remember to say thanks to the little dude who gave it to you."

And don't forget about knitting with dog hair.

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.

Outdoor Knitting, in Three Takes

Door County, Wisconsin, August 1984. My Mom and her best friend, Donna, share another afternoon knitting.  Meškė is sitting with Mom again.

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Door County, Wisconsin, August 1984. Oh, you say Mom's not knitting? She's reading the new issue of Vogue Knitting.

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Door County, Wisconsin, August 1984. Donna brought her gold, vinyl knitting bag.

Purposeful Flash Mob

"Since 1955, Loes Veenstra has knitted over 550 sweaters and stored them in her home on the 2nd Carnissestraat in Rotterdam. The sweaters have never been worn. Until today."

Knitting has gone to her head.

Photographer Louise Walker's "Wooly Head" series.

Images from Vogue Knitting LIVE!

"18 things that happen when knitters get together."

The Second One

By the time I finished knitting my first sweater, I was ready to tackle a more complicated project. My Mom bought a nice worsted-weight wool for me in a soft, pink color. I recall that we selected the yarn at Marshall Field's on Lake Street, in Oak Park. Back then, Field's featured a modest yarn department in an annex on the store's fourth floor. The yarn department at Field's stood near the Girl Scout section of the store. I so wanted to be a Girl Scout so that I could wear the spiffy uniforms on display at Field's. But I'll save that story for another post.

The pink color we selected for my second sweater was not an abrasive tone; it was a shade that I still would wear today. Color wasn't the difficult issue for me; selection of a pattern was the tough decision. I wanted to knit something more challenging, but Mom didn't want me to be discouraged by a pattern that was too advanced.

We narrowed down my choices by reviewing the pattern books Mom had accumulated. Mom subscribed to two knitting magazines: Stitchcraft, a British publication to which my friend Kris and I fondly referred as "Witchcraft," and Vogue Knitting. Mom and I found a "beginner Aran" in one of the Stitchcraft issues. I worked on the sweater for about six months.

After I completed it, I wore that pink Aran for many years.

Suburban Chicago, June 1969. The issue of Stitchcraft is on my lap as I work on the pink Aran.

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Suburban Chicago, December 1969. I model the Aran. Do you like my necklace? It's a peace sign.

Picnic Culture: Bring your knitting because it will be a long afternoon.

Geneva area, Illinois, June 1965. My Mom's best friend, Donna, and Mom knit during the annual picnic sponsored by our Lithuanian enclave. Mom is wearing that yellow dress that I loved so much.

Look! There is a copy of Vogue Knitting peeking out from Mom's knitting bag.

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Geneva area, Illinois, June 1965. My Mom enjoys the conversation, and my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, rests.