A couple of iconic sweaters
Sweet Shawlettes North American blog tour is in its final week now and it's been incredible to read all your comments. Wish I had a fraction of the number of comments that many of these stellar bloggers attract, it's phenomenal to see how each blogger has their own loyal fan base and so interesting to read the friendly dialogue. I've been putting the permalinks in place as the tour moves along, to ensure it remains easy to access. It'll be a great resource now that I'm about to embark on a new journey with my next book!
Philip's putting the final touches to the UK and Europe tour, which was scheduled to start on the UK publication date -7th March. However, I've noticed that Amazon and The Telegraph Book Store are already selling it, with publication dates of 12th and 26th January respectively. I noticed that neither actually have any copies yet, so I do wish they wouldn't jump the gun like this. It's not particularly helpful to anyone, certainly not to the author, trying to promote the book with unreliable publication dates, nor to the consumer, who is left with no realistic idea of when the book might actually arrive.
The latest Rowan magazine arrived in the post this morning and my eye was immediately drawn to Martin Storey's Bandol, a restrained vintage-style design with a nod to the iconic Elsa Schiaparelli trompe l'oeil sweater. I'm a huge fan of Martin's work and delighted that he's agreed to do a workshop at the Rowan Mill on our upcoming tour of Lakes & York in May. His workshops are always popular, but we sometimes have a few places for independent participants, so if you too are a fan and would like to attend, get in touch, or better still register for the tour.
There's much more on the Museum's site, here's an extract:
In the 1920’s, the sweater was an important piece of clothing for the modern woman who would rather play a game of tennis than sit still in a parlour. But sweaters of the time tended to lose their shape quickly which resulted in a sloppy appearance. In the Spring of 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli noticed a woman in Paris wearing a plain but unusually woven sweater, which didn’t seem to stretch and had what Schiaparelli later described as a steady look.
Schiaparelli discovered that the sweater had been knitted by an Armenian woman using a special double layered stich. Elsa soon recruited the young woman to knit several prototypes for her. Schiaparelli drew a white bow to look like a scarf tied around the neck of a sweater on a black background and had the design knitted into the sweaters. The sweater had its public debut when Elsa wore it to a luncheon that included several leaders of the fashion world. The sweater caused a sensation. A buyer from Lord and Taylor ordered 40 copies on the spot. Although her first collection launched the previous year had been well-received, it was the bow knot sweater which secured her fame.
The Schiaparelli pattern can be downloaded on Schoolhouse Press website.
Philip's putting the final touches to the UK and Europe tour, which was scheduled to start on the UK publication date -7th March. However, I've noticed that Amazon and The Telegraph Book Store are already selling it, with publication dates of 12th and 26th January respectively. I noticed that neither actually have any copies yet, so I do wish they wouldn't jump the gun like this. It's not particularly helpful to anyone, certainly not to the author, trying to promote the book with unreliable publication dates, nor to the consumer, who is left with no realistic idea of when the book might actually arrive.
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| Bandol by Martin Storey, Rowan Magazine 51 |
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| Handknit sweater with Bowknot, November 1927 in Black and white wool. Philadelphia Museum of Art. |
In the 1920’s, the sweater was an important piece of clothing for the modern woman who would rather play a game of tennis than sit still in a parlour. But sweaters of the time tended to lose their shape quickly which resulted in a sloppy appearance. In the Spring of 1927, Elsa Schiaparelli noticed a woman in Paris wearing a plain but unusually woven sweater, which didn’t seem to stretch and had what Schiaparelli later described as a steady look.
Schiaparelli discovered that the sweater had been knitted by an Armenian woman using a special double layered stich. Elsa soon recruited the young woman to knit several prototypes for her. Schiaparelli drew a white bow to look like a scarf tied around the neck of a sweater on a black background and had the design knitted into the sweaters. The sweater had its public debut when Elsa wore it to a luncheon that included several leaders of the fashion world. The sweater caused a sensation. A buyer from Lord and Taylor ordered 40 copies on the spot. Although her first collection launched the previous year had been well-received, it was the bow knot sweater which secured her fame.
The Schiaparelli pattern can be downloaded on Schoolhouse Press website.
Tues 3 Jan Wendy Knits Wendy Johnson
Wed 4 Jan Knitgrrl Shannon Okey
Thurs 5 Jan Yarnagogo Rachael Herron
Fri 6 Jan The Knitter Rosee Woodland
Sat 7 Jan Rhythm of the Needles Joanne Conklin
Sun 8 Jan Knit Purl Gurl Karrie Steinmetz
Mon 9 Jan Craft Sanity Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood
Tues 10 Jan Planet Purl Beth Moriarty
Wed 11 Jan Sunset Cat Stephannie Tallent
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis
Thurs 12 Jan A Really Good Yarn Julie Schilthuis
Fri 13 Jan Knit 1 Chicago Lynn Coe
Sat 14 Jan Go Knit in your Hat Carol Sulcoski
Sun 15 Jan Redshirt Knitting Erika Barcott
Mon 16 Jan In The Loop Cheryl & Ellen
Tues 17 Jan WEBS Kathy Elkins
Wed 18 Jan Zeneedle Margene Smith
Thurs 19 Jan Knitspot Anne Hanson
Fri 20 Jan Urban Yarns Alexa Ludeman
Sat 21 Jan A Friend to knit with Leslie Friend
Mon 23 Jan Tentenknits Margaux Hufnagel
➤Tues 24 Jan Fancy Tiger Crafts Amber Corcoran
Wed 25 Jan Chic Knits Bonne Marie Burns
I agree with you about 'jumping the gun' bit and really wish they would wait until they have a correct date and books in stock!
ReplyDeleteI also find it amazing how many comments some of the blogs out there attract...I try and be good and leave comments now and then, but one could spend whole days typing ;-))
Great jumper design by Martin..I adore vintage
Hope all is well xx
And with you Heike... hope you're feeling better. Take care x
DeleteI read and really enjoy your blog, as I have been following your progress for what seems like years now. I don't usually comment much as I don't have anything important to say, but rest assured I do have a mutter to myself! Please keep up the good work, I love this space. Sue.
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear that, Sue - I look at the stats , then wonder if they're referring to robots! Hope to hear from you again, thanks so much. Jean
ReplyDelete