Monday, December 05, 2016

december post 1- more bulky

Not to be adding on to your generalized anxiety but there aren't that many knitting days before you need to present gifts.  Let us put aside the dream of fine gauge socks* or mitts unless they are something like Trip Mitts which I, ahem, heartily recommend as a last minute gift.
Let us cast on something bulky and stylish. Like the Wilderness scarf. Super fast.
When I shot this for Tahki I totally fell for it.  You know I am a sucker for fringe, but it is more than that--it has a modern western/bohemian vibe to love.  The yarn is a  wool tape, like soft thin strips of wool felt.   It makes me wonder if I could knit this by cutting very thin strips of  wool yard goods or recycled coats....(warning, warning, do not go there, will not be a simple fast project.....buy the yarn....)

 Karin Strom,  creative director and stylist for the shoot (on the right--and that is the wonderful Stacy Charles himself in the center. Yes! He's a real person --- I love working with him), paired it with a vintage coat and multiples of the scarf.

One scarf makes a fabulous gift--and the yarn, Tahki Spencer,  comes in some bright colors in case your giftees aren't into earth tones.

A little BTS; the Fashion Director for the collection, Conley Averett, wondered if we could spread the scarf out and shoot it as a shallow shawl. There's always a bunch of scootching and sshhjushjing of the knits on the model, to try different looks at a shoot. Sometimes one of us interprets the piece totally differently (as in--ohhhh I though those were shorts--not an oversized slouch hat with ears...ohhhh) and eventually we settle on the look that works best.
So Wilderness is knit on size 15 needles The yarn isn't super hefty, yet it holds up perfectly to the open design. And the fringe lays flat so nicely. You could substitute other yarns, it'd look great but differnt vibe  in something with a teeny bit of a halo, or in a nice rustic yarn, or a yarn with long color changes, too.  

* as for me? I'm speeding through that bulky fuschia Azel (scroll to end) when Zoe isn't looking, and just cast on for another gift hat...on size us3 needles. Living dangerously on that one. 

How's your gift knitting going? Have you checked  into the MDK Lounge for moral support? When are Kay and Ann going to crack out the eggnog and high quality chocolates for us, is my question?????




7 comments:

Kym said...

No gift knitting for me this year . . . but those scarves would make a mighty fine gift! :-)

Ellen Bloom said...

OK. That's it. You convinced me. I'm buying that BOOK! The scarf is GORGEOUS. Even this veteran crocheter can knit up this one! I love it. Excellent photos, of course, Gale!
Hugs!
-e

twinsetellen said...

Dang. Now I'm thinking about felting wool skirts from Goodwill just to cut up strips to knit.

It's worse than an earworm.

gale (she shoots sheep shots) said...

I know! Me too.

AsKatKnits said...

Bulky yarn gift knitting is the key - especially if you did not plan well and there are recipients you forgot!!

steph said...

why can't i knit with #15s???? I can't. I can't knit with 10s either. GIve me 0-6 and I'm happiest----and of course, we must be HAPPY while knitting, right???? So....instead, I'm sweating and fretting and losing sleep while madly trying to finish a fingering wt cowl (fair isle no less) in under a week....it's got to be done by Friday before we leave for a week (another strange blip to the holiday gift knitting this year?!?!?!) Are you seeing something wrong with this picture? !!!

Mary Lou said...

Wool felt strips party!!! In my spare time....