Monday 15 February 2016

I did it, I dit it! - I finished it at last!

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have finally finish this long-standing project.  I got all the wools as a birthday present in December 2011.  So just a little over 4 years later, I finally made it to the end of knitting this beautiful jacket.  It only took so long because I do too many other things and only knitted on it here and there.  But every time I picked it up, I marvelled anew at the beautiful array of colours in this cardigan/jacket designed by Alice Starmore called "Flora", so I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd finish it and finally get the pleasure of wearing it.


I'm wearing it today.
It's so cosy and warm.

Unusually, the bands on this jacket are not made of ribbing
but of two rows of knitting followed by two rows of purling
which gives an interesting texture at the cuffs, collar
and button bands.


Aren't the colours just fabulous?

I love love love this beautiful mix!
It makes me happy just to look at it.


I wanted a "special" button to complete the jacket
which only has one button at the top.

I thought this intricate metal button fit the bill perfectly.


Yes, knitting Fair Isle with all those colours (13 in this design) and with small needles is time-consuming but there is such pleasure in watching the knitting grown and the play of colour happening row by row that I don't tire of it.  This is my fifth Fair Isle Garment and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Best wishes,
Frivole




32 comments:

  1. That is totally awesome!!!! :) I love the colors and the design!!! :)

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  2. Oh, that's really gorgeous!

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  3. Drop dead gorgeous!

    Brava! Brava!

    I am always in awe of your talent AND your graciousness. From beautiful shuttles, to beautiful tatting, to beautiful knitting, to....well, a seemingless endless list of things you do and do so well!

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  4. Dear Frivole: your jacket is absolutely beautiful! The colors are very happy and the patterns wonderful...so detail-oriented. Love it! Hugs :) Laura

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  5. Joelle, its beautiful. Enjoy wearing it and the warmth it will provide.

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  6. Oh my! That is absolutely the most gorgeous sweater I have ever seen! And it looks so soft and wonderful! Wow!

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  7. Absolutely gorgeous! I hope to someday be able to knit a garment that fits correctly. I tend to wind up with sweaters that would fit Godzilla!

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    1. Well I was worried for a while that this would work out too small! So I breathed a giant sigh of relief when I could finally try it on and the fit is perfect. Phew!

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  8. This is just stunning. It reminds me of my mother who used to knit Fair Isle like that.

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  9. It is gorgeous! LOL this would have taken me three times as long to finish :).

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  10. Congratulations!! Absolutely stunning.

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  11. Couldn't believe my eyes! It's soooooooo beautiful!!!

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  12. Eine wunderschöne Jacke.Ich wünsche viel Freude beim Tragen der Jacke und viel Wärme.
    Ein wunderschönes Muster. Herzlichen Glückwunsch

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  13. Stunning! I love it! Enjoy wearing it!

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  14. Wonderful, it looks amazing and thirteen colours it certainly has been a labour of love, enjoy wearing it.
    Margaret

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  15. Ohhh, quelle merveille!! Tu as beaucoup de talent et de la patience! Bravo! Je crois qe je vais chercher un projet tricot Fair Isle.

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  16. Oh wow that is beautiful! I really love the colours and those gorgeous buttons are perfect. I can't image how difficult it was to make, you must have the patients of a saint!

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    1. Oh no, I certainly do not have the patience of a saint! :-)) But the wonderful mix of colours has kept me captivated and motivated so that I finally got to the end.

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  17. I am so impressed! It would have taken me 40 years! Great colorwork.

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    1. People shouldn't be put off by how long this was on my needles, it's only because I didn't knit on it often enough. I always have so many other projects going on (lots of tatting too of course!) that my knitting time was limited. In fact when I get going with Fair Isle, I'm always surprised by how quickly it seems to grow even in spite of all those colour changes.

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  18. I often wondered if you finished this fabulous cardigan, and here it is, in all its magnificence! GORGEOUS! I am in total awe! Everything about it is perfect, including the button!

    I had recently checked to see what Alice is doing lately. I hope her yarn business is going well for her, and I see her daughter is involved in the business. I recently found another photo of her at our guild's workshop back in 1992 (seems like yesterday!) I still regret that I'm not in the photo, but at least she's at a table with other ladies from our group, proving she really was here! And I have several of her books, locked away in my cabinet! However, other than a small teddy bear sweater using some pattern stitches, I haven't knit any of her sweaters! Of course her books are more than knitting books - they are history books and 'travelogues', and lessons on appreciation of nature and its colors that surround us.

    Congratulations again on finishing this beautiful sweater!

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    1. You lucky lady! Getting to meet Alice Starmore. I love her designs. Yes, definitely pleased to have completed this gorgeous jacket and I wouldn't mind tackling more of her designs... it's cold at the moment so it's getting a lot of wear.

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  19. This is truly beautiful, a work of art! Enjoy wearing it.

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  20. It is just wonderful! All colors look so good together :) I love fair isle, and I plan on spinning and coloring my own yarn and something like this. You will love this forever;)

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    1. Sounds wonderful. What a great project that will be. It's one dream of mine... to design my own Fair Isle.... one day?.... maybe???

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  21. It is just wonderful! All colors look so good together :) I love fair isle, and I plan on spinning and coloring my own yarn and something like this. You will love this forever;)

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  22. This is a wonderful jacket! How could anyone not be happy looking at it? It's just a happy jacket :-) I like the button you chose, nice!

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