East meets West

Imagine a dressy, elegant sweater, gossamer weight, and warm enough to be cozy.  The sleeves are wrist length, without flare.  The neckline is lower than crew, higher than scoop.  One button coyly closes the top.  It falls to just hip length.  The neck, sleeves and bottom have a 1" moss stitch border, and the buttonband (which has only the one closure at the top) has a stabilizing, delicate cable on each side.

That's the sweater fleshed out and made into a pattern by the many-pierced artist assisting me at Artfibers in San Francisco.  The yarn refuses to sit still for a decent picture.  It is Sylph, color 04.

A sweaters' worth of yarn rarely makes the leap into the stash.  I had been thinking about this one for some time.  Claudia had warned me:  "Leave your expectations at the door and your husband at the hotel."  It's hard to fall in love with sumptuous yarns, then recognize that there is no garment you can picture in your life for that fiber.  Sylph was my sole purchase.  She's higher up in the queue than I had anticipated.

Sylvia showed me pelicans.  She stopped on the street and pointed out sculptural bamboo.  Her hands danced as she described making beadlizards to us.

Juno's post today was exquisite in its concise wisdom.  My morning yoga class creaked and snapped my body into the awareness of need for more yoga.  So easy to say, "Tomorrow," and so foolish.  The Japanese garden in Golden Gate Park stirred the soul around and reminds me of my resolve.

The baby kimono is ready for assemblage.  Three needle bind-off (trivial) and seaming two sleeves remain.  The hard lessons always come last.  I cast-on two different ways:  long tail, and backwards loop.  Now I am left making the odd seams seamless.  There is trial and error in my future, more than usual.

Comments

[margene]

All your words ring with truth.

[Danielle]

"So easy to say, "Tomorrow," and so foolish" -- yep, that's an area I need to work on. With that in mind, it's off to the library, tonight!

[Carole]

Wonderful and true. I am jealous that you hung with Sylvia.

[Kim]

Very wise words and a beautiful picture!

[Lucia]

Ah, but life is trial and error. Love the statue!

[Manise]

Looking forward to Sylph's transformation. I love that wonderfully peaceful face. A smaller version for the garden would be very nice!

[Caroline M]

I love the combination of soft and shiny and that colour is so very wearable. I'm left wondering what there could be higher up the to-knit queue than that delicate garment in that elegant yarn.

[Teyani]

ohhh- artfibers. :-) lovely.
So, you are making that sweater/dress, right? it sounds gorgeous.
the japanese gardens were always one of my favorite spots in San Fran.

[claudia]

That must have been Kira who helped you with the patten. She's very talented.

The yarn is a very Etherknitter choice.

[bev]

You are quite the traveler these days. And San Francisco. I miss that city; the sights, the smells, the energy! Enjoy and, if you head north, my sister lives in Sonoma - you could do yoga at the Mission in with Marly!

[Cheryl]

Russian Grafting???? Pick up cast-on loops??

[Beth S.]

That pearly sheen is just lovely--I see why that yarn caught your eye! Anything you make with it would be gorgeous. (Though I think it would make incredible lace, of course... ;-)

And Claudia's advice is spot-on, as always. Ha! :-)

[Sylvia]

Timber bamboo, actually. And I'm still reflecting on what you said about the transition from and back to consciousness.

[Kathy]

LOVE the yarn -- look forward to watching it progress. Sounds like a unique, yet wearable, garmet will result.