Bizzarre Beauty

Ideals of beauty change the same as other fashions do, and it’s always interesting to see what other eras found beautiful.

Early 20th century beauty centered around an extreme hourglass figure helped along by corseting. Long thick hair and naturally rosy lips and cheeks were also quite desirable.

All that changed in the roaring 20′s, and the athletic boyish figure was suddenly “in”. Kewpie doll lips and kohl rimmed eyes helped along by cosmetics became the look that every girl wanted.

During this time, the cinema was born and with that came the phenomena of “movie stars”. The average young person going about their life would pretty much see the same people/relatives day in and day out, but through the magic of Hollywood that person was exposed to a variety of faces and fashion they would otherwise never see. With that exposure came the desire to emulate and the fashion and beauty industries picked up some serious steam.

Max Factor was a pioneer in the field of movie make-up. He invented the first make-up used in a motion picture (a greasepaint in a tube), and went on to create the first lip gloss, pancake make-up and false eyelashes. He also invented some rather strange beauty related items shown below.

The quest for beauty has moved into new arenas with the popular acceptance of cosmetic surgery, but it is still driven by the human desire to emulate. Max Factor found a way to package and sell the promise and power of Hollywood beauty and brought it to the average corner drugstore.

If you’re in or near Hollywood, California, the Hollywood Museum is the place to see some more of the Max Factor artifacts.

Clarissa Styling Guide

It’s been a while since we posted a new styling guide and today Clarissa is the lucky girl.

My dad was a Navy man in WW2, so I have a soft spot for sailor pants on both guys and gals. If a blue jean can be elegant then these certainly are, especially when paired with the lovely Clarissa cardigan and a gaggle of beautiful accessories.

I must point out the Italian millefiori ceramic mosaic brooch worn at the neck of Clarissa; a vintage find on EBay. It’s amazing to find lovely folk art such as this for under $20.

Rockin’ Stockin’!

There is still plenty of knitting time before Christmas, so to celebrate I’ve designed this elegant wool stocking! Until Nov 20th, get the pattern AND kit (a $20 value) free with any purchase of $75 or more from our site. The 17″ x 6″ stocking is knit on 2 needles from the toe up, embroidered with duplicate stitch, then satin ribbon is woven through the eyelets for a festive touch.

1930′s Prediction on Fashion

This video from the 1930′s predicted what the fashions in the year 2000 would encompass. It’s a hoot! Enjoy…

Bringing Back the Past

There was a time in my career when I was pressed upon to do some antique garment restoration work for the Frederick’s of Hollywood Lingerie Museum in Los Angeles, Ca.
This was long before the internet was a part of everyone’s daily life and I could find very little “how to” information on restoring antique garments in my local library.
I muddled through and did the best I could, tea staining and ageing fabrics by hand, using bridal tulle to support disintegrating lace, and essentially doing the most invisible stitchery that I could.

In retrospect, I think I did a fine job. Below are some of the pieces that I either repaired or made from scratch for that project(click on the image to see the full photo).

True conservators of antique garments would likely look down their noses at the methods that I employed.
This fascinating article tells about the methods of restoration of the fabulous garment below, once worn by theatrical diva Ellen Terry in the late 1800′s. It was made of fine crochet, and was decorated with the iridescent wings of the Jewel Beetle. If you’re a fashion geek like I am, this is an article you’ll enjoy.

Book Signing Party-Workshop in Portland, OR Sept 16-17,2011

I am so happy for any excuse to go to Portland. The weather there suits me far better than points South and I love the knitterly atmosphere there.

So, I was delighted when Larissa Brown invited me to come to her book release party for “My Grandmother’s Knitting”.
I, along with several other designers like Chrissy Gardiner, Teva Durham, Jared Flood and Leigh Radford, contributed designs and stories to the book and it has turned out to be a beautiful, mouth watering production.

The book launch will take place at Anderson Fiber Works in Gresham, OR, Friday Sept 16th at 6:30 pm. There will be wine, food, Karaoke and a load of fun.
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Since I can’t sing Karaoke and run, I’ve also set up a day of classes at Pico-Accuardi Dyeworks the next day, Sept 17th.

We’ll be doing my very popular Whip Your Knits Into Shape class and you’ll come away with a complete set of your very own measurements and the know-how to apply them to your knits.

Then we’ll use all our newfound knowledge to segue right into Konquering Krista, wherein we’ll begin a lovely lace tee that will also be a perfect fit.

Classes are $55 each and the whole day runs from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Call or email the dyeworks to register.

Pico Accuardi Dyeworks
14739 SE Arista Dr.
Portland, OR 97267
(503) 679-4634
orders@picoaccuardi.com

Unraveling Short Rows

I was recently asked a question about adding short row shaping for the bust to allover patterns. I have three methods that I like to use to give the girls more room when normal short row techniques (like those used in plain stockinette stitch) just won’t work.

The first method is to simply knit your front longer than the back and ease the extra fabric in at the bust when joining the front to the back. Spread the easing out over a space of about 3” to keep the fabric from bunching too much. Any unavoidable bunching can be steamed out.

Another method which is particularly useful with cabled or Aran type sweaters, is to leave a panel of seed or stockinette stitch (sometimes as little as 5 sts will do) along the armhole edge of the front to facilitate the wrapping and turning of short rows.

Also, there are usually purl panels between cables to help the cables pop. I will wrap and turn in those panels. Even though the wraps won’t be right next to one another, you’re still lengthening the center of the fabric without adding length to the sides which is your overall goal when making room for a generous bosom.

In the photo of my Ruby cardigan below, you can see what I’m talking about. There are no side panels of stockinette at the underarms, but there are purl panels to work within even if they’re only 1 stitch wide. So as you can see, I’ve got at least 5 places to wrap and turn on Ruby which will yield at least 10 short rows per set. This may give me as much as 1 3/4” additional length in the front which is about enough for a C or small D cup. For a larger cup size, I’d simply work another set of the 10 short rows after the first set is completed.

Now, let me just say that this pattern was not written specifically for the addition of short rows but since I know what they are and what I’m trying to acheive with them, I can figure out how and where to squeak them in. Anyone with a bust size larger than a B cup should add this technique knowledge to their bag of tricks as something to keep in mind when choosing a pattern.

Ease on in to Fall….Please?

It has been a hellacious Summer for those of us in the US and the strange weather continues on.

Personally, I just melt in the heat. I like to park myself in front of the air conditioner with a new project and let my mind wander somewhere other than the thermometer.
Knitting up the model for Oletta was the perfect place for it to go.

She’s made in a cool, cotton and Modal blend so wasn’t hot in my lap. The bodice shaping gave me something to think about, but when I became tired of thinking the simple lace pattern was so easy to memorize I didn’t have to even look at the directions again until almost finished. Before I knew it she was done and I had this beautiful top to show for my time. Sometimes you just need the perfect blend of mindful and mindless knitting (a peach margarita doesn’t hurt either) and the promise of a cool evening yet to come. Oletta will be there for you to wear when it does.

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The Bed Jacket

This is the lovely Bed Jacket from my book Knitting Lingerie Style, which of course can be worn everywhere, not just to bed!

Until now the pattern has only been available in the book itself, but until June 15th 2011, we are offering a single copy of this pattern free with the purchase of the yarnpack. We’ve also added three new colors to choose from.

If that hasn’t got you inspired, check out all the finished renditions on Ravelry!

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The Shapely Tank

With the hot weather going on in much of the US right now, I’m sure the idea of having warm wool knitting in ones’ lap isn’t terribly inspiring.

So why not try something more seasonally appropriate and learn a new technique as well?

The free Shapely Tank pattern on my website fits the bill. It comes in an enormous range of sizes, teaches the use of short rows to fit a full bust and as a design element, and even comes with an optional short sleeve pattern to make a Shapely Tee out of your Shapely Tank.

That’s a lot of *bang* for free.