Katie wearing the Henley Perfected
I asked Katie Himmelberg, style editor of
Knitscene and assistant editor of
Interweave Knits,
to provide some expert commentary for us for each of the sweaters we
have chosen for the Winter 2007 Interweave Sweater Gals Gallery. Here's
what Katie has to say about our first two sweaters.
Henley Perfected
View the Henley Perfected Gallery!
What better way to kick off the Winter 2007 Gallery than with the
Henley Perfected—the most popular pattern as voted by you, the Knitting
Daily readers. And for good reason! Connie Chang Chinchio refined the
popular wardrobe staple and created a flattering silhouette that works
for any body type.
I know some readers were concerned about the empire line not hitting
them in the right spot; but do not fret, with a little planning, this
is an easy fix! Get out your measuring tape and measure yourself from
shoulder to under your bust (or wherever you'd like the division to
hit). Now, check the schematic on page 74. The total length of the hem
to armhole is given; to calculate where the division is, we need to go
back to page 70 and subtract the length given to work in Stockinette
from the turning ridge from the total length. Add your resulting number
to the armhole length, and you'll get the measurement from the shoulder
to the empire line! Then adjust the starting point of the lace based on
your measurement.
Styling Ideas
You can see that the ladies wearing the Henley with negative ease
are experiencing some gapping at the placket. In my opinion, this is
due to two things: the drape/hand of the yarn used (alpaca/silk blend)
and the notion of putting something large into something small. If you
prefer a fitted look, but want to wear the Henley buttoned; try a more
substantial button band. You could try a using a rib pattern or a
crocheted button band for a very different look. I would probably wear
my Henley with most of the buttons undone, with a cute tee peeking out
at the top. It would also look great with a tissue-weight Henley
underneath with those buttons peeking out! And if you find that the
sweater is too warm, try a camisole as shown in the magazine.
Even though this Henley is worked in a fine fiber, the overall style is
still fairly casual, and looks great with jeans, cords, or a cute
casual skirt. Or play up the outdoorsy aspect and add a knit cap and
hiking boots!
Debbie wearing the Citrus Yoke Pullover
Citrus Yoke Pullover: A Lacy Contrast
View the Citrus Yoke Gallery!
I wanted to talk about the Citrus Yoke (not just because it is my
own pattern) as it has some similar design elements to the Henley
Perfected. Each project features a lacy pattern on the top portion of
the sleeves and body that could be a tricky spot for some knitters. For
the Citrus Yoke, you can measure yourself in the same way, and decide
if you would like the lace pattern to end earlier or to continue on the
body and sleeves so that it hits you at the most flattering point.
Another adjustment that can be made is the length of the collar; work
fewer rounds before increasing for the yoke for a shorter collar. The
simplicity of the lace design makes this pattern an easy one to adjust!
You can also add waist shaping to the body, or work decreases on the
sleeves for a tapered fit. The possibilities are nearly endless when
knitting your own custom garment!
Thanks to Katie for her great suggestions on these two sweaters!
And there are more galleries, with more great customization and style
tips from Katie, coming up in the days ahead!
Progress Notes From Sandi: My Version of The Gathered Pullover
The Gathered Pullover from Winter 2007
I fell in love with this sweater the moment I saw it in Winter Knits.
Like so many of you, however, I was a bit concerned about the placement
of the central cable motif: right dead-center over The Ladies. I was
thus very interested to see the sample garment and to be able to show
you a gallery of folks wearing it. Unfortunately, however, the sample
sweater was not available. So I realized there was only one thing for
me to do: I would knit a sample Gathered Pullover myself, in a Sandi
size, and then do a gallery for you using my own sweater on several
different folks!
Knitting a sample sweater of course means that I have to knit it
exactly as written, so that when I show it to you on different folks,
you will know what to compare it to. Knitting it as written also means
no customizations, which means I run the risk of it not looking great
on me. But I think it's worth the risk, to have a gallery of that
sweater for you all.
Besides, once the gallery is done, if the sweater needs
customizations in order to look fab on me, I can always call on Cap'n
Frog, and gather advice from all of you, and then we can all have a
little Knitting Daily sweater do-over party. Sound good? Hope so,
because I'm already 4" into it...stay tuned for my swatching adventure
and how I picked which size to make.
Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.
What's on Sandi's needles? Aside from the Gathered Pullover,
I have a pair of socks on two circulars ready for heel flaps, and I'm
four inches into the hood of my husband's cabled hoodie.