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The Story:
When I heard that I would get to go to TNNA last June, I decided that I needed to design and knit something new to wear. There wasn't much time and the weather was going to be warm, so it had to be something short sleeved and cropped. I had a cotton dress that I planned on wearing and wanted something that would work well with it. I was going to be working in Classic Elite's luxury division booth, so I just HAD to use cashmere!
With my up-coming wedding on the brain, I also wanted to make something that could be another option to wear over my wedding dress—the Posh Wedding Shrug from Web-Letter 45 being the first. I decided to use Intrigue, which has a bit of sparkle. I wanted this garment to have set-in sleeves and open in the front. I placed lace panels for added interest and worked the front opening trims in a very wide rib pattern that I thought would be a little out of the ordinary. Then to close the bolero at the bottom, I wove through some corset inspired ribbon.
I am very happy with the result and have worn it often. I’m planning on making another, in a more casual yarn/color for everyday wear!
The Yarn:
Intrigue — 92% cashmere, 5% polyester, 3% nylon
Cashmere is a fantastic fiber, and for those of us who can afford it, it is well worth the cost. But realistically speaking, we know not everyone can afford the luxuriousness of cashmere yarn.
Nothing will compare exactly to the softness and feel of Intrigue, but if you absolutely can not justify using this yarn, we've come up with a few possible CE substitutes and explained what to consider when choosing a different yarn than what is shown in the model garment.
Learn more about cashmere.
The Stitches:
Ribbon embelishments can really add a touch of grace to a knitted garment. When adding ribbon to a project, I prefer not to knit eyelets in the piece to run the ribbon through, but I rather prefer the ribbon to appear as if it were part of the fabric.
This works very well on garments knit in a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch or larger. The stitch size allows room to easily pull a tapestry needle threaded with ¼” (or thinner) ribbon through the fabric. By not having pre-determined holes in the garment, you are free to re-arrange the placement of the ribbon after the piece is completed. For garments knit in very fine yarns, eyelets may be a necessity if a tapestry needle will not easily slide through the stitches.
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