Back to HoTN!

It seems like such a LONG time since I've settled in to work on pieces for History on Two Needles, and I'm absolutely joyful to restart it!

I've done a bit of finishing lately; the Egyptian Set is done, and by finishing the belt for the Chiton yesterday, that's ready to roll, too!

I'm not sure where it's rolling, except with me on my upcoming trip East and to TNNA, but it's ready, that's for sure! If you'll be in one of my classes coming up I'll have these garments ready to show you - I'm taking them all with me!

CHITON
The very simple Front and Back were knit for me by Miriam Tegels over in Holland, and she did a spectacular job - I'm very grateful to her!

The stitch pattern is a simple 3 stitch rib with a slipped st in the center of each rib to create the wonderful, strong (stubborn, even!) pleated feeling in the fabric. You can stretch it, pull it, and it will snap back to the fortuny pleated effect because of the slipped stitch.

The Buffalo Gold Lux #12 (45% bison/ 20% silk/ 20% cashmere/ 15% tencel) is also perfect for this garment - lightweight, luxurious, but with a lot of strength.

To join the Front and Back I also used crochet - chaining 4 sts, slipping a stitch on one piece, chaining 4 sts again and slipping a st on the opposite piece. It was a little tedious, but I'm quite happy with the results of the technique.

By adding a bead at each slipped stitch I was able to bring a little more sparkle, too!

The belt really makes the outfit, I think. I wanted to create a corded girdle of some kind, but everything I tried was too fiddly (icord stitched together, weaving i-cord, etc.)

So instead I crocheted this belt with a strand of wire held together with a strand of the Buffalo Gold #12.

The wire helps strengthen the structure of the belt, the yarn gives it flexibility. I crocheted around the circumference of the belt with a beaded strand of BG #12 for some extra sparkle.

EGYPTIAN SET
This has been a really fun set to work up, the stitch pattern is much easier than it might seem, and it's been a good carry-around project.

A good friend of my daughter's seems tailor made to wear it, I'm hoping I can get some good shots of her wearing it. It just doesn't have the same oomph when it's on a mannequin, but here it is - for better or for worse!

I'm in love with the Elsebeth Lavold Bamboucle (45% cotton, 30% bamboo, 17% linen, 8% nylon) which is a slightly textured yarn with a terrific drape - nice weight - and knits up beautifully.

It does have a tendency to split, but as with any yarn that's a little splity, after a few rows you figure out how to manage it so it's not such a problem.

The skirt and top share the same stitch pattern (except at the pectoral neck detail) Everything is worked on a basis of 10 sts, which should make sizing this simpler.

MINOA-ING ON
I'm starting the Minoan Skirt again. I believe this is the 4th incarnation. I'm keeping expectations low this time... If I have anything to report later you'll be the first to know!

Baseball starts tonight (Max gets his uniform and learns what team he's on - it had BETTER be the Dodgers!) as does Soccer (ditto for Hannah) so Gerry and I will split up with the kids. I'm claiming Max, we can ride our bikes to the rec center while Gerry drives Hannah.

Mulligan Skirt

The Minoan set is going very nicely - loving the surplice and shrug - so I started on the skirt on Thursday.

Good Stuff
The yarn is lovely, I'm loving the combination of colors and it's fun to knit.

Bad Stuff
The gauge was too loose, the skirt seemed too long, I wasn't happy with the hem circumference compared to the waist.

So, long story short, I ripped it out today and I'm reknitting it on needles 2 sizes smaller.

Do I love doing this? No. But I don't really mind. It's a fun knit. And this is the beauty of not having an editorial deadline for this whole adventure. Am I the only person in the world who actually works faster WITHOUT a deadline?

I'd rather have it as something that I am proud of, than something I swallow hard and turn the page when I see (yes, every designer has those projects...)

I actually kind of like the skirt I came up with, but it's not right for this project. It's something to remember, though, when I want to do a version of a pencil skirt, and I think it would be very flattering. But then, I'm one of those insane folks who think that a good sized booty isn't a bad thing, and a curve is just part of our makeup.

With or without curves, we all have the potential to be gorgeous.

That potential rests inside of us, what our mothers said was true. So much of beauty is a confident and happy feeling, which is really hard to achieve when we judge ourselves too harshly.

But this started as the story of a skirt...

As an homage to the long Mediterranean tradition of weaving, I'm hoping this skirt - this entire Minoan set - will bring to mind different weaves and woven patterns as the knitter works them up.

So today while Gerry had his last skiing lesson (I chickened out - my arm is STILL sore from last week and I just can't afford to do any more damage to my mortgage-earning limbs) and Max tore up the slopes on the half price, used skis and boots we got him at Play It Again, I ripped and reknit. I got one of the 8 sections done for the skirt, and I am much happier with this version.

Yes - you read right - Gerry has finished skiing lesson #3 and took 4 trips down a 'real' hill. Twice he thought better of it at the top and sat down for a bit, but each time he made it down. I am so proud of him I could cry. Me, not so proud of myself - but at least I gave the skiing a good try...

My plan is to include panels that are worked with the triple twist drop stitch (I used this in a shawl for Vogue last year) and when the whole skirt is complete these stitches will become a sort of "warp" into which I will weave a contrasting ribbon yarn for 8 woven panels.

The garments of Greece at this time were woven, not knit. I was so pleased when Ruth mentioned in the comments that she felt the tops had a woven feeling - that's exactly what I'm going for. I love the book Woman's Work by Elizabeth Wayland Barber, it gave this non-weaver a greater appreciation of the traditional way of creating fabric.

Chiton
My knitter in Holland, Miriam Tegels, is doing amazing stuff with the yarn I sent to her. She's projecting that I didn't send enough, so more will be on the way as soon as it arrives from the manufacturer.
She sent a photo of the piece en route, she's such a dear!

She's enjoying the Buffalo Gold Lux as much as I did - it's a lot of fun to knit up - and the beads I sent seem to be working out well, too.

I'm so psyched to see this piece finished!

Update: In case anyone had any question as to Miriam's amazing speed, look what she sent me today. A testament to her speed AND to the knitability of this beautiful yarn. This is going to be a wonderful piece!!

Ravelry as Design Tool
I'm Raveling about each of these projects as they're in process to raise interest in the HoTN project in general. It also gives me a good place to keep track of how long each garment is taking me, needle size, etc.