Friday, December 02, 2005

Berkshire Breeze

Mine! All Mine!

Pattern: Berkshire Breeze by Laura (hey, that's me!)
Size: Laura-sized
Yarn: KFI Angora Extra (70% angora, 25% wool, 5% nylon) in red, 7 balls (color is off in these photos. The true color is shown better in this photo.)
Needles: US size 7
Reason for name: The scarlet leaves reminds me of the autumns that I spent in the Berkshire Mountains while attending Williams College. The "Breeze" part refers to the lightness of the sweater and the fact that the lace makes wearing the sweater a little breezy.
What I like: Bunny Yarn! And the fact that it turned out the way I envisioned it and it fits me very well.
What I don't like: The sleeves are a bit baggy in the upper arms. But this yarn is unfroggable, so no corrections will be made.
Why you won't see this in Knitty: Because you're seeing it here! By posting the photos of this sweater, I broke Knitty submission rule #1--don't blog about it. (That's a paraphrase of the rule.) I'm not sure if Magknits has such a rule. After all, they published Picovoli/Tivoli after the Tivoli pattern had been available for awhile. But in any case, the dates for winter submissions for both magazines has passed. If I tried to submit this sweater pattern now, it wouldn't be published until next year.
Why the lace doesn't go all the way up: Because I didn't want to show my bra to the world and because I felt the lace would be ruined by the decreases for the armholes and the neckline.
Preemptive strike at answering questions:
* Yes, I will write up the pattern (I even have a test knitter lined up).
* No, I don't know when the pattern will be available for all of you.
* I don't know if more than one size is forthcoming. However, Laura-size may fit larger than Laura-sized people. I didn't want this sweater to be too tight on me--I'm not that kind of girl. (Also, this fabric has a drape that wouldn't really lend itself to a body-hugging sweater. At least I don't think so.)
* Yes, it's very fuzzy and warm.
* No, you can't have it.
Image hosted by Photobucket.com

34 comments:

knottygnome said...

congratulations on the sweater. it looks beautiful on you! i love the color.

Valerie said...

That's gorgeous!

Is Monkee the test knitter? Because, you know, if she knits it, it will be done in approximately 2 days. (Not that you were much slower!)

Karen said...

It's gorgeous!!

turtlegirl76 said...

Amazing! It turned out gorgeous. I love the simple neckline, and the echo of the lace pattern on the sleeves. Great job!

Donna said...

That is one of the most lovely sweaters I've seen in a long time!

Mintyfresh said...

Congrats! It looks great!!

Alison said...

It is absolutely gorgeous! And the color looks great on you. Looking forward to the pattern. You are talented!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! Love the colour too!

shetha said...

OH it's so beautiful, Laura! The neckline is absolutely perfect! The lace is perfect! The sleeves may be bigger than you thought, but they do look insanely comfy :) Thanks for posting pics :) :)

Agnes said...

LOL! I like "Laure-sized" and "preemptive strike at answering questions" ... :)
Lovely sweater and lovely colour! Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

FANTASTIC! What a beautiful sweater. Well named, too. You should wear it out at that hairpin turn on the way to Williamstown some fall -- you'd blend right in!

So, what do you think? Is this the first of many personal designs?

Steph said...

lovely sweater! I love the lace/stockinette combo.

Jes said...

Wow! It looks so beautiful. I know you thought about it and worked on it, for what seems like a long time to you, but you did it really quickly! It turned out amazing. I'm sure after you post the pattern you'll see this made all over the place =) Congrats.

Pumpkinmama said...

My goodness - that is stunning. Congratulations on your first design, I think you're a natural. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Woohoo Laura! That colour looks great on you! and I love the lace leaves!

goodkarma said...

Oh, Laura. It's beautiful! The color, the fit, the drape, the lace detail... well done. It just looks so cozy and soft. Watch out, people might start petting you! :)

Anonymous said...

Wow.
Just.. wow.
I mean it's a cliche? but I can't think of anything better. Because it's so lovely.
Really. Why do you say you're not creative? Lovely.

Anonymous said...

It came out gorgeous! I love the close-up of the sleeve :). Enjoy wearing it....

MagKnits has no such rule and they'll also publish out of season (Picovoli on Sept. 30th, for instance). However, most likely they'd ask for multiple sizes :).

Unknown said...

You did a beautiful job! Looking forward to the pattern.

Jennifer said...

It's gorgeous!!! Nicely conceived and executed.

Jerry & Maxy said...

Lovely. What a beautiful pattern.

Vanessa/NessieNoodle said...

WOW! gorgeous work- and yummy yarn.

Vanessa/NessieNoodle said...

PS might be able to submit to the Anticraft?? haven't read the rules, but check them out.. http://www.theanticraft.com

Anonymous said...

This turned out just gorgeous, I like how it blends into the stockinette and the sleeve ends are beautiful, congratulations!

Meredith said...

Laura, that is gorgeous! (I went to the Pearland SnB once...sorry I haven't been able to come back! Someday!)

Ruth said...

This is fantastic. Really, really stunning.

Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Laura, it's fabulous, gorgeous, stunning. What a terrific job!

Thanks so much for sharing it. I love the detail shot.

Just scrumptious!

--Carrie

amylovie said...

You did an amazing job Laura. You should be very proud of yourself. Congrats!

Amy

Laura said...

So, so, so pretty! I love it! The lace pattern is gorgeous and the color reminds me of my college days near the Berkshires too (at Smith).

Sonya said...

Wow, that's a gorgeous sweater. Great color, great fit. Looking forward to the pattern.

suzmcq said...

Oh Laura...it is absolutely stunning. Perfect!

Bear Knits said...

It looks great! I'm looking forward to the pattern, too.

Theresa said...

Hate to be repetitive, but gorgeous! But ahhhh! I didn't need another thing to want to knit...

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, it is pretty. I hope Magknits takes it; it looks perfect for February (Valentine's). Congratulations on your great design!

- MJ