funky knitting

I love knitting almost as much as sewing and feel that it offers a chance to be creative too.  Wearing an unusual sweater is a way I often use to spice up my every day jeans and turtleneck look.  Sometimes I even knit a piece and sew an outfit to go around it (I'm working on a multi-color wardrobe for summer right now with this idea)

On a recent well-publicized road trip to fabric stores with several sewing blog friends, I got LOTS of knitting done between stops (NO, I wasn't driving!)  Here are a couple of my new pieces---as you can see I like the funky and asymmetrical in knitting as much as sewing.

                                                                 

This was from a Plymouth yarns pattern called "Easy Kimono top"sweater pattern   It is made from one of my favorite yarns called "Encore"---a reasonably priced wool-blend.  Though I love all-wool yarn this is much more comfortable to wear in most seasons and doesn't look at all "man made" and plastic-y.  I pretty much stuck to the pattern except to close it with an old style knitting needle.

                          

This deconstructed looking sweater is from a free pattern on the Berroco yarn website montparnasse sweater  I love the details of putting it together with seams on the outside and rolled edges. The only thing I added was the fringe ties.  I used another wool-blend called "Wool Ease" from Lion Brand yarn. It has the same fiber make-up as the Plymouth Encore above but I don't like it as well (My best knitting buddy Diane has explained it all to me----something about the length of the wool fibers they start with making the Encore so much better).      

I've had a little trouble getting my sewing mojo back since the 9+ days of fabric shopping and sewing talk but can feel it starting to arrive----I may just go cut out one of my new Vogue patterns now!