That’s such a non-creative name for a sweater, isn’t it? What shall we name the baby, people? Let’s call it…. Oh, screw it. I can’t think of anything good, so I’ll just show ya.
Yes, it’s rather a cleavagey sweater. I did have that in mind when I made it (nice side note: At Stitches, Interweave Knits’ Sandi said she liked it and would like to see something from me! Woot! I don’t know if I’m up to the math, but there are programs that would help with that, I’m sure…. What’s your favorite?)
Specs:
Yarn: ArtFibers Jadis, alpaca — It was made as a store model for them.
Pattern: Made it up, and took the fair isle design from an out of print book called Fabulous Fair Isle. Kira at the store will be able to use their software to design the same pattern for you iffen you want, and I’m going to write a page of mods for the fair isle/crochet bits.
The obligatory, and rather manic, Rachael (I was running late for work, as usual):
On the bed:
And a close up of the actual color:
Yep, that’s a crocheted border edging that came out of desperation. For some reason I thought a three row moss stitch border wouldn’t roll. And then it rolled (surprise! gotcha!) and I freaked out, thinking, oh, man, this was free yarn, shop-model yarn, I better fix it. So I slapped the crochet on, and it’s the part that people seem to like best. Who knew? I’m pretty happy with it.
And know what else I’m happy with? A fabulous little thrift store find that curled my toes in deep red love. Check this out:
This is Estonian, hand-made, and had the Cyrillic tags still attached. Okay, it’s a kid’s sweater. Who cares? I call it sexy (which means tight, in most languages).
Here’s a bit closer:
Cute, non? Shoot, I wish I’d made it.
All right. Nuff. Have a great weekend, all. Love on your loved ones, okay? MWAH!
Oh my goodness, two fabulous sweaters! I must say, you look great in both of them. I think I may have to work out an extra day (or 50) so I can look that great in a sweater. Great job!
Seriously, both of those sweaters look great! You have given me the inspiration I need to get going and make a sweater that I *really* like (or just check out the kids’ department and buy one). Nice work!
You know Rachel…you were a cutie before…but now after all that running…girl you are hot! I wanna look like that!! woo hoo!
nice sweaters too….but woooo grrrllll!
Your sweater is GORGEOUS! I am in awe that you designed it yourself…it is perfect.
Both sweaters are beautiful and I love the longer hair!
Well, whatever you call it, it looks great and looks great on you! The Estonian sweater is an amazing find. I’d love to see a close-up of that too.
wow they’re both gorgeous! i love the band of fair isle along the bottom. it’s funny — i have an idea in mind for a sweater with a band along the bottom too. i’ll bet that alpaca feels great next to the skin 🙂
Work it gurl!
You look great in both sweaters…love the Artfibers Alpaca Fair Isle Creatation – very cute! very sexy…the crochet edge sets it all off.
ah…I meant Creation not Creatation.
Wonderful sweaters, both!
Yowzah you are looking good girl! I love the design, yes you MUST write a pattern for Interweave! I’m loving the subtle cleavage too.
that v-neck looks great on you! you look so cute and happy!
Gorgeous sweater…and …nice rack!
your rack …ROCKS! Tee Hee!
Great job on the Art Fibers Sweater! And what a great thrift store find too, you look great in both sweaters.
Those are some seriously curvalicious sweaters. LOVE the placement of the fair isle in the Artfibers, and that Estonian find is just the sweetest li’l thang.
Me-OW! Rising to new levels of hottie-ness with those pics, Rach. You should make more cleavagey sweaters. Oh, yes, you should.
Nice hair effect! And the cleavage doesn’t hurt neither.
Lovely sweater. That’s a particularly nice way to get a lot out of a variagated yarn. And definitely very figure flattering!
Sexy mama!
Carol Wulster has a bunch of programs to help with math – http://www.software4knitting.com/
I’ve used Sweater Wizard successfully and helped beta test sock and math wizards.
Hey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it, baby. The sweaters are hot hott hottt!
Yeah, what Max said! Gorgeous!!
Nothing new to add here. Two fabulous sweaters and the potential for pattern designing? What a talented girl you are 🙂
Holey Moley! Very hot sweaters, I must say. 😉 Major kudos for the alpaca — beautiful work! And the other one is quite cute, too, even if you didn’t make it.
um, beautiful. amazing. i may have to copy! 🙂
that is assuming, of course, i ever manage to actually knit anything again! maybe it’s a type of universe-balance thing – i seem to be buying yarn constantly and knitting nothing, and you finish beautiful sweaters, but don’t buy yarn! 🙂
Wow! Those are both amazing sweaters and I would go to ArtFibers and buy a pattern for that Alpaca Fair Isle cutie as soon as it becomes available. You are talented. And I have to agree with everyone else that you are just the cutest thing and have such a great sense of self and style that it comes blossoming out in each photo. That is a gift. Hurrah!
Talk about gorgeous. You did a great job and the colors are perfect. I love the ‘little’ Estonian sweater, too!
Brilliant use of children’s clothes! I never would have thought of that. Now I have one more section to troll when I’m out thrifting.
Why can’t I find great sweaters like that at the thrift store? It looks great, as does the “show ’em off” sweater, of course!. 🙂
Okay, you look HOT in those pictures, seriously! Your sweater design is absolutely gorgeous! And your hair does looks really good…can I copy it?
You are seriously rockin’ those sweaters hard-core, Rach. Both of them are un-fricking-believably hot on you! I’m sure they both got the “Damn, my girlfriend looks -gooooooooooood-” stamp of approval from Lala. 😀
I love how the emergency-fix of the crochet edging turned out — isn’t it great how some accidents just turn out to be the best thing? Congrats on one sweater well-made and one well-found!
Please design something for IK. Then, I might actually buy it again.
Oh.
Maryland, Maryland, Maryland. Sheep. Wool.
Did I mention, MARYLAND?
Awesome sweaters. I agree with the others that the crocheted edge is what really makes that sweater. Is the purple yarn also Artyarns, or something else?
I must add my voice to the cacophony- you are a hottie in those! The sweaters are great, and are you serious, that’s a kid’s sweater? Maybe I should start thinking about running a marathon….
Also, ditto on the hair- looks fab.
You designed a cool sweater! Very sexy and feminine. I love the slight color change in the pattern. Are you sure that Estonian sweater is child size? It is very chic and sexy!
Thank you for the kind comment about Mandy’s package. I stand in awe myself! I want to be able to make my own clothes like you guys do!!! The sweaters are both lovely but the grey one is my favorite! That crocheted lining is WONDERFUL and I like the cleavage. Yay! I’m a cliché Swedish girl since I’ve got boobs, and I like to wear cleavage. 🙂
V-neck sweater name: Boobs on Parade. That’s all I could think of…even noticed the cleavage from the goofy picture that you posted of you and Lala (and I’m a straight girl)! Both sweaters look great!
Ooh, the Estonian sweater is veeery flattering on you. And I like the crochet edging — funny how panicked ideas are often the best ones!
MY GAWD! I LOVE THOSE SWEATERS! So much I had to use CAPITALS! I LOVE THOSE! LOVE THEM!
How about the HOT CHICK sweater?? You look great in it Rachael! The second one was a great score, you look fab in red dahhling.
(Note to self, start jogging or fall in love again so you too can look as glowing and fit as Rachael. Better stick to the jogging seeing as though I am married and all..)
Holy smokes girl. Nice, um, sweater! No really, it looks really beautiful – even on the bed. You did a great job! Good luck on the Interweave Knits thing.
gawd, Rachael, those are just damn beautiful sweaters. What did you use for the crochet edging?
By the way, you look FABULOUS in both of them.
You’ve read it before and you’ll read it again: those are two fabulous sweaters! I love the crocheted border- nessesity is the mother of invention, right?
how cute your two sweaters are…lucky you!
Yowsa! I’ve found kids’ clothes in thrift shops that I like to wear, too, but that — THAT — THAT is a SCORE. Major SCORE! And that other beauty that you designed….spot ON! Lots of exclamations!!!!!!!!!
love your two sweaters !!!
They look great on you !!
Bravo !!!!
You look positively sizzling in those sweaters! The grey one is very lovely. The Estonian one puzzles me bacause it doesn’t really look like one of our traditional sweaters and we don’t use cyrillics either. It intrigues me, could you scan the tag and send the scan to me? I can probably translate it for you.
As you have shown here, crochet can be mixed with knitting to good effect. I think that crochet is especially effective as an edging, although a lacy band on the neckline is nice, too–especially if the wearer is physically blessed :-).
OK, I had to emerge from this most blissful weekend to tell you that you, m’dear, are the Hotness. And I must make that sweater. MWAH!
What a beautiful sweater! Well, actually they’re both great, but I’m particularly partial to the one you knit. Simple, yet …YUM & WOW! If you do write that pattern, I’ll be looking for it. 😀
Rachael, you look radiant in the red thrift shop sweater. What a gorgeous photo!
And what a gorgeous sweater you designed! Alpaca: dreamy. Now if only I didn’t live in NYC, I would be skipping over to Art Fibers right now to pick up the yarn and pattern for it.
ooo, score on the thrift store sweater!! very very cute! Love the one you designed as well – all so cute I can’t believe Lala lets you leave the house looking that yummy! 😉
I love the sweater! Seeing it actually inspires me to WANT to tackle fair isle! You’re an amazing knitter!
You are quite the designing chica! Veddy pretty…
As for the thrift store…is that from the Thrifttown in El Sobrante? I soooo want to go there!
Cleavagey rules!
And I love the crocheted border. Looks super and if I wasn’t such a chunk, I’d totally want to wear it! 🙂
Lovely sweaters, both of ’em. I love the alpaca, especially how you can’t tell the fair isle bit is variegated except up close. I think I’ve got to get myself to ArtFibers posthaste.
And I can’t believe that Estonian find! Looks great on you, and the kind of thing you’d probably never find EXCEPT in a thrift store.
damn, there are a lot of comments to this post! you’re a rock star.
ok. yeah, the sweaters, yadda bladda dadda. but the HAIR! hoo wee, mama! that’s the hotness, right there. yes, indeed.
your longer hair is looking very purdy miss.
What fabulous sweaters! I love the grey Fair Isle one. Looks great on you!
LOVE the sweaters. Love the pose. You look wonderful. I had a knitter at my SNL ask me this past week “What’s this thing I see on people’s blog about ‘doing a Rachael’?” – So I explained to her all about your famous pose. Do you think a pose can be trade marked? If it can… you’d be the first. Happy knitting!
Wow, that is one good looking sweater! Don’t be afraid to show what you have, I think you look fab in it. Love the detail.
Awesome sweaters! Great job on the first one and on knowing that the second one would look so good on you. Who knew that icelandic fair-isle could be so HOT???!
Whoops! Iceland, Estonia, they’re close, right? ;0) Well, they’re both cold anyway.