Comments on: Becoming Less of a Magpie?

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:06:25 +0000

Oh, this is a very good post. I have…a lot of shawls and a lot of socks and I don’t wear many of them on a regular basis. I also have a queue full of things that I would be unlikely to wear, once I’ve knit them!

I haven’t had the best luck with knitted garments – there’s a stripy vest I made that I never wear because well, it’s not very flattering, there’s a cardi I’ve been delaying on finishing because I think it’s going to be slightly too big. I really do need to sit down, assess my wardrobe and actually knit the things I’m going to wear, rather than the things that I think are shiny.

And also, I am going to pay more attention to things like sizes, to avoid these items I knit but never wear because they’re not right scenarios.

By: mooncalf

mooncalf — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:07:14 +0000

It is so hard to focus on dressing for real life (washable fabrics, flat shoes, other tedium) rather than the exotic wardrobe I need for my imaginary life (high heels, bonnets, ball gowns, chiffon).

By: Roobeedoo

Roobeedoo — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:21:38 +0000

You have hit the nail on the head with this post. I am all about the shiny… and then I realise I do not have a hand-knitted cardigan to wear in Self-Stitched September! One? I need several! NOT elaborate beaded socks or shawls! I am planning to knit Audrey in Unst, but also want to try reinterpreting a 1940′s pattern from an old magazine. This would be both practical AND shiny! (But will still not solve the wedding-wear problem…!)

By: Emma

Emma — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:08:26 +0000

I am starting to question the number of shawls i have/need-i try to make them different colours, weights, and shapes and i did wear one or sometimes multiple shawls at all times during the winter, plus my wardrobe is mostly grey or brown solid colours so the shawls are the burst of colour.
My friend is getting married next month so I had to buy something to wear because I don’t own anything at all formal. I figured I ought to own a Little Black Dress because then I could just wear that to everything with a different shawl, but as I expected, it was impossible to find anything that fit in all places. So I set out to buy a plain black/grey/brown/navy skirt that came to below the knee…impossible to find!

By: bells

bells — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 23:27:26 +0000

first up, have you seen the Myrtle cardigan? I was just looking at it. It’s a 4ply lace cardi. Right up your alley (and mine!).

Second of all, I have asked myself the same question about triangular lace shawls. From where I’m sitting I can see five of them hanging over the back of the stand I keep them on near the front door. There are two in there I wear more than any others because they go entirely with my wardrobe. The others are less frequently worn, but they’re all in rotation this winter. Do I need more? Well I haven’t covered all colours yet and I do like there’s a range of sizes needed, but I’m currently making one as a gift, to satisfy my love of making them. I think I might slow down on them, but I won’t stop.

Thirdly, and most importantly, I haven’t yet written a post about my so far only laceweight cardigan. Featherweight. It didn’t end well. I got two months of wear out of it. I should write about it and see if others had the same problem. I don’t know that laceweight yarn is meant to be anything other than shawls or scarves. For everyday wear, the stuff doesn’t work….stay tuned.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 08:07:39 +0000

Good food for thought, I have loads of shawls in my queue, but am I actually going to use all of them? I’ve actually added some cardigans I’ve seen you blog about it because I think they look like realistic knits to me, things that might actually flatter me and I might wear. I have yet to knit a cardigan for me I’m happy with.

I definitely have an ‘ooh shiny!’ approach to wedding outfit shopping, although as I only have about one a year to go to it doesn’t end up costing a fortune (sales and eBay help that too). I’m really trying to get things that I’ll wear again though, years ago I got a gorgeous dress in the Jigsaw sale but I didn’t wear it again.