Project #1:
Turquoise mohair funnel neck with silver metallic accent thread. (Complete with runway pout. It's not easy to pout when you're giggling.)
This was actually my first-ever knitting project. I was living in Germany as a foreign exchange student, and my host-mom taught me to knit. For my birthday, she took me to the LYS and let me pick out a sweater's worth of yarn. I remember the odd look she gave me when I handed her this, but at the time, I didn't understand it.
Project #2:
The ubiquitous oversized, belted tunic, also in mohair.
This didn't start out as a two-toned project. I bought the reddish yarn on clearance at a time when I had no idea how to estimate yardage. So when I ran out, I bought the green yarn, also on clearance, to do the sleeves and collar. Sadly, I no longer have the five-inch-wide belt I used to wear over this.
Project #3:
Uh...maybe the less said, the better. Made out of...mohair! (I'm seeing a trend, here.)
This was an early attempt at cabling, and I think I just did a cable row whenever it looked about right. And obviously, I still hadn't figured out the whole yardage thing...
Project #4:
Yeah. I don't know. The yarn is some kind of metallic fun fur. I ran out before finishing the sweater (thank God), and evidently couldn't find any other yarn to go with it. Because, after all, what could? Instead, I made it into a vest. In my defense, I never actually wore this.
There you have it. The next time you knit one of those "What was I thinking?" projects, you can refer back to this and congratulate yourself on your excellent taste and superior discernment. Just don't tell anyone, okay?
P.S. Special thanks go to my very tolerant husband, who delayed his trip to the gym to take these pictures for me. But let this be a warning to the ignorant: never leave a bored man alone with a camera...
15 comments:
If there should happen to be an end of the year "best of" Crack (me up) Saturday post, you've got it in the bag!
It takes great humility to share such works- I feel better already. Yes I bought fun fur but a sweater never occurred to me at the time. I guess maybe I'm glad I was 35ish when I started knitting!
I'm thinking though, you were really stylin' then. I would have gladly worn any of them in "the day" 9well except maybe that fun fur one)
May God save us all from the 80's. Uggh.
The fashion show was really quite nice, but the picture of Ross looks like the devil flipping everyone off.
I laughed and laughed when I read your post. I, too, have a closet full of knits that I made years ago and haven't had the heart to throw out. I don't wear them either. By the way, typical of a boy, Kenny thought that the roadkill sweater was "cool". I have informed him I WILL NOT be knitting it for him.
I suppose you should be pleased that they still fit. 2 decades later and 2 kids.
Very fancy knits. I was confused at first, I thought those were pictures of you in the 80's. Technically they look very well done for a new knitter.
OK, I'm a total geek because I still like those sweaters! Especially the cable-y one!
Your husband's a crack-up!
Your high school clothes still fit?? *envy*
Cue the 'Flock of Seagulls'...WOW! Sadly Vogue Knitting still seems to be trapped back in the 80s with these sweaters. Love your rad 'tude in the pics!;)
Hmmm, I was in collage in the 80's and I would have totally rocked the Caspah in those sweaters. Hey- they still look good!
I am sure they will make great hand-me-downs when mohair sweaters become hip once more.
It is funny how we now knit to fit your waist, where as in the 80s everything was fit so that you and a friend could fit into one sweater.
Excellent post! I too am jealous that you can still wear clothes from high school.
I was too busy partying through the 80s to knit. Thank you for showing those knits--I don't think they're tacky or bad looking. Styles have changed is all. As they always do. I can just imagine what knitters 20 years from now will say about us! "Monkey socks? Harry Potter knits? Ewww!" LOL
I was a teenager in the 80s too and have several handknit sweaters that I bought at thrift stores. In mohair too. I didn't knit back then. I still have one of them and wear it even though it is so ugly. But somehow, it's so wrong, it's right. It's the same with your 80s sweaters. I love them all, especially the cabled vest. Your expression in the first photo is very Lena Lovitch minus the long black braids. Johnny Rotten wore a mohair sweater on stage, so you are in very good company!
That green sweater is priceless!
Ich war auch eine Austauschschulerin in die 1980's! Wo waren Sie denn? Ich war in Suddeutschland...
I love that you learned to knit from your German host mother... I was also inspired (eventually) to learn to knit after witnessing the vitality of needlwork in German culture...
Tell the truth... did Nena's hit "99 Red Balloons" influence you to study German at all...?!
Molly Ringwald has nothing on you!
Hahahaha. Your little fashion show here made me feel better about the disaster that is the TaTa tube. Maybe it and one of your mohair creations can hang out together and do a "best of the worst" themed blog post. Hehehe.
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