twinkle dust

i have so much to blab about. just got back from a knitting roadtrip to nyc. but more on that later. right now i have to show you my first twinkle FO, the shopping tunic. my biggest, bulkiest fear was that i would look ridiculous with a big bulky cowl in front of my big bulky boobies. but i think it's gonna be okay. the heels seem to hoist everything up and i'm hoping the narrow jeans slenderize the line a bit. i refuse to believe twinkle is just for girls with model-sized boobies! (not that there's anything wrong with that.) i also kinda like it with the belt. still have to block, but overall, i'm pretty excited about this.

random notes: the pattern called for seven hanks of the twinkle soft chunky for all of the sizes; i used just three for the small... i made the cowl two inches shorter... i knit with the sweater in my lap for three hours and ended up with kelly green twinkle dust all over me... the fabric created with size US19s is very stretchy... on the needles, the tunic seemed to be impossibly long, but the length was fine when i actually put it on.

kiss me i'm twinkle!

just snagged myself two bags o' twinkle soft chunky in a st. patrick-approved shade of green. managed to score them as they were being unloaded here. magically delicious!

addendum: just knit up a little swatch for the shopping tunic. so far, so good on US19s. along with the super-saturated emerald green, one thing i really like about the twinkle soft bulky already: the edges lay flat and don't curl. also, the swatch feels as light as a feather. as for ease, it appears to have quite a bit of soft stretchiness widthwise; not so much lengthwise.

also, i found this reassuring note about twinkle sizing on the classic elite website:

"some designs have a seemingly small bust measurement but they are designed to be fitted in that way. a woman will find in her closet that a boxy jacket will have a different measurement than a lycra sexy dress although they both fit her. throughout the book, sizing is consistent: XS=31"-33" bust, S=33"-35", M=35"-37", L=37"-39". twinkle sweater design is less about fancy stitches but more about creating a modern shape in a sweater."

town & twinkle

the third (and possibly final) twinkle book was released this week. town & country promises to channel the sophistication of life in the, you guessed it, town and country. i have yet to crack the cover on an actual copy, but i have deja vu all over again nonetheless.

some months back, i got an email from twinkle asking if i'd like to be a test knitter for the book. they sent me the instructions for a design called "matinee coat" and a box full of twinkle soft chunky. i dutifully put the pattern through its paces, making copious notes along the way.



as is the case with most twinkle knits, the genius is in the details: a statement-making short-row ruffle, pleated bind-off sleeves and hip-slung pockets. the yarn may be chunky, but the techniques are finely tuned. it's a fast and fun knit that's also deceptively challenging.


here's my version of matinee coat. i prefer the black and cream version depicted in the book over the blue and mint green they sent me...but, free yarn is free yarn!

this coat design is so sculptural, i feel like i'm wearing a piece of art. it looks amazing styled with the long print dress on the book's statuesque model. for my more dwarfen frame, i prefer to keep the silouhette streamlined and wear over a pair of jeans or tights and let the sweater be its own statement piece.


i didn't have time to test-knit the second pattern, so i recruited my friend lucinda to make the hugely bobbled millbrook sweater. i was pretty envious of the result. it's a gorgeously hip design that's as cozy as a down sleeping bag.

twinkle buttons are here!

look who has giant twinkle-sized buttons! i only wish i had these back when i made my twinkle best friend cardi.

they come dyed to match twinkle yarns in urchin, cream, icy blue, haze, french gray and more.

project greenlight

due to a stupid pattern-reading mistake, i had to rip out most of the twinkle shopping tunic progress i made last night. the good news is, it only took me two hours to get this far. damn, this stuff knits up fast! the other good news is i got a chance to try it on before it hit the frog pond. now, i am not a skinny mini by any means. i'm more of what you might call a curvy girl. i made the medium size for this. and gals, i am seriously considering going down a size. this thing is str e t c h y!

the twinkle yarn is incredibly soft and fun to work with. it's pretty loosely plied, so it feels very light and fluffy and not overly bulky.

btw, lots more info and chat about twinkle big city knits and twinkle yarn can be found here and here.

fo: twinkle best friend cardigan

twinkle knits can be a bit deceiving. yes, they knit up fast, but don't get too cocky. these suckers are particularly devilish in the details. of course, that is also the charm of ms. chia's elegant, fitted designs. trad details such as english shoulders and bobbled cables are suddenly mod when crafted on fat needles with fat yarn. but keep your wits about you. each stitch is like the type in those large-print books: you can read every word from about 10 feet away. yes, it's a quick read, but watch out for those typos.



knit in canary twinkle soft chunky on US19 circs. i used about 3.5 balls to make the small size. i found the 45mm off-white buttons at my lys. be aware, clown buttons like these are not easy to come by. m&j trim carries them, but were out of the color i wanted. i couldn't find a single other source, though ebay could be hit or miss.

memememememememe

thanks to one of my fave bloggers, eunny, i got tagged to do one of these things. i am a meme virgin...in fact, i just figured out why they call these things "memes." it's because it's all about me-me, right?

well, here goes nothin':

what is your all-time favorite yarn to knit with?
by now it's a cliche, but i love love love rowan kidsilk haze. the colors are gorgeous. the fiber itself is soft, whispery light, not too hairy, and surprisingly strong.

your favorite needles?
i got turned on to the bryspuns while working on birch. they have nice pointy tips and an overall smooth finish that makes them great for lacework. i also have a collection of vintage needles that i inherited from a friend's granny. most are plain old aluminum, but there are a couple pairs of bone needles in there that are just beautiful.

the worst thing you've ever knit?
there were some seriously cheesy items i made in the 80s that i've blocked out of my memory. a recent hall-of-shame entry would have to be the VK shrug by twinkle. i love twinkle's funky, chunky knitwear and could not wait to knit this baby up. apparently, i was so a-dither, i neglected to notice that i used the wrong size needle on one of the sleeves. the result: one side of the shrug fits and the other, well, let's just say it's balled up in the back of my closet, where it lurks in the darkness, taunting me.

your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it, but it was the most fun to knit.)
that would have to be this seed stitch cardigan from a fall '89 VK. it was the first really challenging thing i ever knit. it had beautiful, fine finishing details: picot edgings, a beaded-rib peplum, and thistle-stitch fleurs. it was actually knit out of paternayan crewel yarn.



most valuable knitting technique?
are you kidding? binding off!

best knit book or magazine?
i treasure my collection of vintage knitting mags from the 30s-80s, given to me by my honey bunny's aunt." and one of these days, i'll pony up for this incredible series of books from weldon's which has been reissued by dover press.

your favorite knitblogs?
eunny is one of the most inspiring knitters i've seen in blogland. and the girl can write, too! i gotta have my knit fix nearly every dang day. though it's not a blog, i love donnawilson.com for its funny drawings and fresh take on knitted objects. and naive knitting is anything but.

your favorite knit-along?
gotta go with my ONLY KAL...jody's river-along at savannahchik knits.

your favorite knitwear designer?
kim hargreaves is a genius. leah sutton is so freakin cool i can hardly stand it. and twinkle.

the knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it?)
it's kinda silly, but i wear this beaded cuff a ton. i've made a bunch of accessories over the past couple of years, and those definitely get quite a bit of wear. i made this gray sweater about 10 years ago. it still keeps me cozy and warm in my cold, cold studio.

tag time!
i know she's busy learning how to be a fashion designer, but maybe our fave punk rawk tammy could give us a little meme time? would love to get the naive knitter'stake. and the very coolio mary-margaret at yarn tart.

twinkle little star

twinkle
Originally uploaded by hitbyabus.

i love twinkle. her new collection has more knit stuff than you can imagine. chunky knit sweaters. hats that look like you could whip them up in an hour. big scarves.

twinkle reposing

twinkle best friend cardi patiently awaits her adornment of big yellow buttons. which i have yet to find anywhere online. in the meantime, she languishes, like a bulky, beached lemon rind.

diy: slouchy snood

having previously been obsessed with all things snood and snoodiful, i finally got around to making myself one. the result is comfort snood, so to speak. with temps in the low teens and my stash overflowing with plain jane skeins clamoring for the glamourous life, it could not have been better timing. not to mention easy breezy, cover girl. (dude, it's a seed-stitch tube.) i made mine from a freebie skein i got after test-knitting for twinkle's final knitting book. it's a brilliant dynasty-worthy sapphire blue. here's the 411 on rocking your own:

you'll need:
1 skein twinkle soft chunky
1 pair US 19 circular needles

cast on:
61 sts

begin seed stitch pattern:
*K1, P1, rep from * to end, place marker. join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist stitches.

**purl the knit stitches and knit the purl stitches in the next round.

continue from ** in this fashion, round and round until snood measures 8 inches or desired length.

cast off all 61 sts; weave in ends.

styling tips:

• drape around your neck for a slouchy look. add a venti latte, slouchy beret and a black wayfarers. marykateandashley, is that you?
  
• double twist for a chic and super cozy option. since the snood has somewhat of a neckbrace effect, leave your hair tucked underneath or twirl into a messy bun. pull out a few pieces in front for a touch of softness. 
  
• no hat? no worries; pull the top layer up over your head to create a little i-vant-to-be-alone hoodie.
  

found: twinkle buttons

here's an online source for the twinkle buttons (as shown on BFF cardi above) from one world button. maybe you can get your LYS to stock them for less than five freakin smackers per button. yikes...come to think of it, that's pretty steep!

from the archives: amazing lace

what: twinkle sweater

when: april 2008

why i still heart it: i've spotted this sort of loose T all over paris. and it's right in line with S/S11's lacy looks.

how i'd wear it now: with a pair of slouchy cuffed wool shorts, tucked just in the front so the rest is kind of loose and swingy in the back. add grey sheer or opaque tights, some red ballet flats and a black leather biker jacket. accessorize with a long necklace that hits just at the top of the ribcage or a scarf looped around your neck and you're ready to rock the boulevard st. germain in style!

p.s. as my friend siga, of the lovely juicy knits, points out, if you knit the twinkle lacy T, be sure to lengthen it by an inch or so, to make it long enough to tuck in. siga adds that this T is her all-time fave and most wearable knit! seems like it would be cozy, light, drapey, and spring-like knit in a soft alpaca silk...i wish i had my blue sky alpaca stash over here in france!

fo: twinkle hamptons halter

this was made with one of my last purchases from my beloved wild wools: 6 balls of twinkle cruise, color cranberry. i will think of that little shop every time i wear it!

chia pet

visit the twinkle website to get your twinkle FO featured in this online gallery. yours truly submitted the green shopping tunic and got this exclamatory shout-out from wenlan chia herself:

great job done!! i love the color on you!! please share more pictures with us when you get more done! ~wenlan

mo' twinkle

i don't know which i like better: the new mohair designs by twinkle or the model's haircut.

miss congeniality

looky what i got from miss wenlan chia! i won 2nd prize in the monthly twinkle contest for my best friend cardi. enter your own twinkle fo here.

new twinkle!

from runway...


...to reality: VK winter 2008 issue. i like the sleeves longer as in the runway version. i also prefer the longer ribbed bodice of the runway version.

i'm starsky, he's margiela

my friend jason is coveting this huggy bear of a martin margiela pullover. (and by "coveting," i mean he wants me to knit it for him.) seems vaguely reminiscent of starsky's cowichan, sans the cowichan, of course. and sans starsky. (yo, check the perm.)



which got me to thinking about the whole cowichan thing...maybe it was the sweater...maybe it was the jack and tab. in any event, there is a great writeup on the history of the craft here. and i seem to recall seeing an article recently in IK, as well.



starsky was hardly the first sex symbol to rock the look.



then i remembered this twinkle design from fall 2007. how now cowichan!



my now OCD-fueled quest for the cowichan also turned up this other semi-fug, semi-cool faux-co ski dress. there's something about this dress that makes me want to go put a big fur hat on my head. maybe starsky was onto something after all.



of course, none of this puts me any closer to finding the actual pattern (or reasonable facisimile thereof) for the MM pullover. any ideas where i can find one? i'm not sure i have the strength to figure this one out on my own.

hai karate

looky where they're selling twinkle's karate wrap cardi for two hundred sixty eight smackeroos!

sho shtylish

 

behold the necklush: light, "infinity" strands of tubed jersey you can tie around your neck all kinds of ways. this immediately made me think of a skein of twinkle i had thrown over a doorknob in my knitting room. it also reminds me of these lovely handspun necklaces from the crazy beautiful laine zinzin. but even more than that, it made me wish these guys would make a yarn out of their ingeniously tubed jersey. the brainchild of brooklynites stephano diaz and troy mattison hicks, the necklush comes in over 50 styles, including prints and solids.