Wednesday, April 30, 2008

OF ROCK AND STONE AND ALL THINGS ELEMENTAL…RIVERSTONE VEST PATTERN POSTED

Riverstone: the tunic version

Born of rock and moss, twig and leaf, the inspiration behind this vest is organic and elemental. The stones around my house, heaved up by glaciers in primordial times and texturized by nature over the eons, influenced the hues blended together in this tunic-length vest. When I wear it, I imagine I’ve donned a sheath of lichen like some (large) forest nymph.  All right, so like some VERY LARGE forest nymph (just remember, they don't make nymphs like they used to).

I enjoyed knitting this. Something about those furry, soft, silky yarns moving across the needles seemed simultaneously comforting and inspiring. When such skinny textured yarns are knit on size 9mm/US13 needles, all those textures seem netted among the strands like scraps of leaf and twig.

 Color inspired by…

Knit from carry-along yarns spiced by a few of Habu Textile's ever-inventive textures—skinny, nebulous yarns like ladders or railroads, caterpillers and gossamer-light fairy fringes usually knit together with sturdier fare—this will knit up quickly on big needles. Still, the vest remains light.

Habu's Kasumi: these yarns have personalties!

Wear it belted or loose. Knit it long as in the original or make a shorter version. Eliminate the gently rounded shirt-like tails. Or not. Experiment by making one in lace-weight linen or some textured filament yarn. This is a design just begging to be tried in different ways and is perfect for the season.

To purchase, click here: http://www.janethornley.com/patterns_vests.html#9