Hi there! And some blather re Elizabeth I
Hi everyone :) I'm Claire from the UK and having bought Tudor Roses last week I am making plans to start Elizabeth I. I'm delighted to have found such a timely knit along!
So, my head is full of different thoughts about how I want to tackle this. For yarn, I like both Jaeger Matchmaker 4 ply and Rowan 4 ply Soft, so I will likely choose one or the other of those. At the mo I'm favouring Mineral in Matchmaker or perhaps Buzz in the Rowan. I love both of these colours but... they are not very Tudor! Of course, unless you're going to be totally pedantic, that doesn't matter at all, but part of me wonders if a more authentic colour like a gold or red might be better. Hmm.
And this leads me to my other thought. I wonder how this sweater would look if you knitted the body in one colour but the two v 'inserts' and edgings in a different one? In my head I can see it in a deep red with rich green accents. Would that be over the top perhaps? It's a delicate piece, so maybe it benefits from delicate shades and a concentration on stitch pattern over colour? Or would two strong colours make it look great, just different? I'd really welcome any thoughts (even if it's to say it's a silly idea! Better to look silly for five minutes now than after I've spent eons knitting away on tiny needles eh?!).
I'm a slow knitter without much leisure time (I don't work outside the home but I have four small children) and I easily get distracted by the next shiney thing, so I will probably be working on Eliz for a VERY long time.
I'm really looking forward to knitting along with you all :)
http://seahorseclaire.blogspot.com/
So, my head is full of different thoughts about how I want to tackle this. For yarn, I like both Jaeger Matchmaker 4 ply and Rowan 4 ply Soft, so I will likely choose one or the other of those. At the mo I'm favouring Mineral in Matchmaker or perhaps Buzz in the Rowan. I love both of these colours but... they are not very Tudor! Of course, unless you're going to be totally pedantic, that doesn't matter at all, but part of me wonders if a more authentic colour like a gold or red might be better. Hmm.
And this leads me to my other thought. I wonder how this sweater would look if you knitted the body in one colour but the two v 'inserts' and edgings in a different one? In my head I can see it in a deep red with rich green accents. Would that be over the top perhaps? It's a delicate piece, so maybe it benefits from delicate shades and a concentration on stitch pattern over colour? Or would two strong colours make it look great, just different? I'd really welcome any thoughts (even if it's to say it's a silly idea! Better to look silly for five minutes now than after I've spent eons knitting away on tiny needles eh?!).
I'm a slow knitter without much leisure time (I don't work outside the home but I have four small children) and I easily get distracted by the next shiney thing, so I will probably be working on Eliz for a VERY long time.
I'm really looking forward to knitting along with you all :)
http://seahorseclaire.blogspot.com/
posted by Seahorse | 9:54 AM
3 Comments:
WElcome Claire,
I swatched both and liked the stitch definition in the Matchmaker much better. Re color: I think it could be really beautiful and interesting in deep tones with a contratsting V Panel - just take a look at all the clothing of the era in illustrations for inspriration. I'd probably want to find some graph paper and some crayons first to draw it out before knitting though.
Thanks for the welcome Marji :)
I went ahead and ordered the Mineral Matchmaker earlier today. Your post about swatching realy helped swing that choice for me - thanks! I sketched out the contrasting colours idea last night but I wasn't totally happy - it had a sort of 'eighties' look to it! Not quite what I'm aiming for...
I hope to get my yarn in the post tomorrow, so I should have time to swatch and be ready to start on (or near!) the 22nd.
Hi Claire! I really like the idea of the contrasting color for the cabled V - but it won't be me attempting it. I'd kill it. Too 80's looking, eh? That's too bad. As for the colors, think Elizabeth I mindset. Mayhap the color not in her time, but she'd have the color she liked - she's The Queen, after all.
It'll look great in Mineral.
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