Where are All the Crochet Cowls?

....And by "cowls" I also mean crochet infinity scarves, eternity scarves, neck gaiters, smoke rings and snoods.* What all of these have in common is that they're warm tubes for the neck, and some can be worn as hoods, or wrapped around the shoulders like capelets, or extended down to warm the chest and back.

** Chainmaille Crochet Cowl IN PROGRESS **

These flattering neckwarmers are plenty practical because they stay wrapped around the neck effortlessly. You can't beat how their luxuriously soft and cozy look frames the face and shoulders, especially if they have a lot of loft or drape. This fashion trend started off big on last year's runways for both sexes and is still going strong.

Slathered Slip Stitches

It's as easy to knit your own cowl as it is to knit the traditional first project, a scarf; so it's easy to understand why cowls are a hot trend among hand knitters.

What about crocheters though? I wonder why it's not such a hot trend to crochet cowls? Crochet is perfect--fast, easy, soft and warm!

I have the brand-new Cowlgirls book of cowl designs by Cathy Carron, which are all knit. It pushed me over the edge (into blogging LOL). It's an inspiring book and I'm eyeing all my yarns and crochet stitches with new cowls, infinity scarves, eternity scarves, gaiters, wimples, smoke rings and "snoods" in mind.

Is it my imagination? Am I missing a 'Crochet the New Cowls!' book or pattern booklet on the market? When patterns for knit cowls are offered, I almost never see crochet options also.** Why not the same sense of excitement about all the crochet cowl design possibilities?

Mr. Stretchy (a Slip Stitch Tube) as "gaiter"

OK, so crochet cowl patterns do exist. I did a search in Ravelry and turned up 290 results. That's a lot! For some perspective, when I searched for knit cowl patterns....2135 results. Wow. Well, crocheters are off to a good start.

Mr. Stretchy as a more relaxed cowl; also works as a hood

I'm tempted to start a blog just for cowl crocheters. Here are a few notables: Check out Robyn Chachula's Tusculum! Amy Houck's superfine yak fiber Cosmopolitan Cowl. And OMG, Danielle Kassner's Cloister Cowl!
My own slip stitch "Mr. Stretchy" is available as a downloadable PDF crochet pattern at my website, and coming soon to my Ravelry Store. The others pictured here (Chainmaille, Slathered, Pallas) are being written. I think Pallas will stay a traditional long scarf with an "infinity scarf" option in the pattern.

(I know that a lot of people probably want a super fast, easy, and free crochet cowl pattern option so try this one or Melissa Mall's or this one.)

Pallas Scarf as an "infinity scarf" experiment

I found a very new Flickr Group for crochet cowls. There's a Ravelry forum "Cowls" that includes crochet, has almost 3700 members, and has very helpful information. For example, someone who has made many cowls recommends a 26-inch or so circumference and minimum of about 18 inches in height if you wish to comfortably have the option of wearing it as a hood.

*It seems that as of last year, "snood," which historically has been a hairnet--like a bag to hold long hair at the back of the head--now also means what I normally would use the term "cowl" or "wimple" for. Do a Google search for "snood" images to see what I mean.

**Funny coincidence, right after I posted this entry, I received the latest Caron Connections newsletter and it features two new crocheted cowls and a knitted one!

Crochet on the Runway for Fall 2009: The Links

Here are links that relate to last night's fashion crochet podcast.

(You can download it if you missed it; also scroll down to Comments, esp. if you are Eleanor in FL!)

The dress pictured here is by Wasson for RVCA and is a great example of the inky black crocheted lace looks for Fall 2009 (source): 

Check out Aquascutum's black Irish crochet lace stockings here. Another designer featuring black crochet lace textures for fall is A 

Detacher, and for 2009 Spring and Resort collections, see Just Cavalli and Diane von Furstenberg. You can find photos of these and many more crochet looks in this slideshow --Catherine Malandrino, Ports 1961, Nanette Lepore, Douglas Hannant, and more.

I also mentioned seeing freeform knit and crochet on the runway for 2009. I found both the more solid, classic scrumbling look (see Rodarte miniskirts) as well as in-your-face freeform crochet lace, for example Kenzo (Spring collection, see dress also; photo source). 

Very exciting! Of course I instantly thought of Myra Wood's new book--you're ahead of the runway designers, Myra! Maybe you inspired them or their contract crocheters?

I'm also swooning over Sonia Rykiel's deep-v black and white diagonal gown with colorwork virtuosity, and Alberta Feretti's pewter skirt of crocheted pineapples worn over the beautiful silver satin dress. (Silver/gray is my favorite neutral.) The traditional pineapple stitch pattern looks modern and chic; same with the examples of classic Irish crochet lace draped all over, sometimes in huge swaths reminding me of crochet's 

heyday with Queen Victoria. That's Aquascutum's coat you see here. Here's a classic gold crochet motif cardi with fresh styling by Dries van Noten. Don't miss Douglas Hannant's Spring '09 traditional yet over-the-top dress.

I mentioned PPQ's geometric crochet motif epaulets, but neglected to mention the accompanying ruffled crochet shorts!(same pic)

Last but not least, I tried to describe the unusual must-see crochet-covered ring embellishments that On Aura Tout Vu used on sunglasses and clothing. You just need to see for yourself. This blog seems to be the original source for the photos that I saw on other blogs.

Want to Talk Fashion and Crochet?

That's the topic I'll be discussing with Mary Beth Temple for her Getting Loopy podcast this Monday evening (you can download it if you missed it). Please feel free to call in any questions or comments you have during the show at this number: 646-915-8371. It is deliciously fun to join the chat room also, which is open during the podcasts every Monday. 

You're welcome to email me with any questions or comments: vashtiramaATgmail.com (replace 'AT' with @). And if you miss the live show, you can do what hundreds and hundreds of listeners do, they download the podcast from the archives.

I love talking with Mary Beth--years ago our very first phone convo was 4 or so hours long :-) -- and I love fashion and crochet. 

Crochet and the Obamas

I'm watching televised coverage of the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Day. As the cameras scan the massive crowd, I notice crochet-textured hats and scarves. Occasionally I can identify actual crochet stitches, as in the case of the gentleman who salutes throughout President Obama's inaugural speech: he wears a heathery purple hat crocheted of stacked shells that changes to plain-textured stitches toward the crown. Someone else wears a cream-colored hat with widely-spaced vertical ribs of post stitches.

Like many people I've been enjoying First Lady Michelle Obama's fresh and adventurous fashion style and if today's inaugural dress is a signal, it is exciting for me as a crochet designer.

Mrs. Obama wears a sumptuous sheath dress and matching coat ensemble designed by Isabel Toledo. I thrill to the rich texture of the fabric, which is reminiscent of fine crocheted lace over a silk satin lining. It speaks volumes in subliminal texture-speak.

Crochet designing trains the eye to read textures of fabrics, not just their colors or fiber content or cut and shaping. This is because texture is one of the central defining elements of every crochet stitch; one can either design with it or around it.

I'm seeing more rich textures displayed by the Obamas and their extended family than in the rest of the politicians and audience at large. The lady whom I believe is Mrs. Obama's mother wears a chunky-textured red hat and scarf set that has a handknit or crocheted look. Another possible relative wears a dark red furry scarf that reminds me of a knitting and crochet yarn like Bernat Boa or Sullivan's Sashay. President Obama himself chose a solid red necktie with distinctive texture as its design statement, rather than the matte satin ties I'm used to seeing politicians wear.

Textures like these communicate on an emotional level because they are visually warming and cozy; they look (ideally are, as all crochet is) handmade, which conveys loving care. They reassure because they are visual reminders of traditional and practical basic skills that are used to build something new and real, stitch by well-placed stitch.

So far (the day is still young), comments about the inaugural dress have to my mind been texture-deaf. It is extraordinary that a solid lace dress ensemble was chosen for this day; even more remarkable is what it communicates. In addition to the usual constructive and nurturing messages that texture can signal, Mrs. Obama wears the power lace of queens: an assertive depth of texture and play of light created by the painstaking work of artisans. (See Isabel Toledo's description.)

Taken all together, it manages to empower the wearer, the role, and the country simultaneously.

Big Glasses: Hot or Not?

I can't turn down an invitation from Drew, Kim, and Amy to examine a fashion trend. What a fabulous support group! School photos from 1980 and 1981:








I remember grooving on the tinted self-darkening lenses for the ethno-hippie look I was going for in Wisconsin in 1980. I slept with my hair in 16 braids to get that crimp, people. I wore moccasins to school and macramed the sphinx necklace in the pic.

In 1981 I moved to Iowa and apparently chose bigger Big Glasses to complete my fresh, almost sporty look. It feels good to get some closure around this personal fashion issue so here's a Homecoming pic, still 1981:


Yeah. It's a Gunne Sax dress. I knew in my heart that the Big Glasses had reached a dead end for me. Soon after I got my first pair of contacts.

Mailorder Catalogs for Design Inspiration

Happy New Year! I have a few newly published designs to blog about but today, a bit about January clean-up for designers: I'm staring at mailorder catalogs that have piled up over the holidays. Before I throw them out, I go through some of them for crochet design inspiration. Below are my favorites.

So much copyright infringement goes on and so many people seem fuzzy about what makes a design original that I feel I must say: I'm in no way encouraging or recommending that people copy designs, nor do I do it myself.

When I say "design inspiration", I mean that:
-- the way someone pairs a particular shade of brown with a shade of blue can spark a creative journey that ends in a design that might not even have anything to do with that brown or that blue or the way they are paired or the object on which they are displayed.

-- the way the border of a garment contrasts with lacy panels is exciting in a general kind of way.

-- the way a traditional crochet stitch pattern is rendered in a nontraditional color or fiber or gauge or wardrobe piece frees me to see familiar crochet a new way.

-- when I imagine something made of metal or glass in crocheted fiber instead, the radical change in style, subtext, and other effects can be startling.

-- the direction of sewn seams, pleats, knitted rows, or contrasting fabric nap sparks ideas for using crochet shortrowing decoratively rather than just for shaping or random free-form.

-- a toy in a catalog, or just a fabric print in a kid's decor item, might remind me of the general principle that a cool toy results from anthropomorphizing anything; and then my own imagination soars.

-- sometimes when I look at a woven rug, I see crocheted motifs that aren't really there, and the motifs would make a great bag or afghan or jacket. Sometimes when I look at leather belts I see crocheted bag straps or headbands, or when I look at metal jewelry I see lace garment edgings or headbands.

Women's fashion catalogs:

anthropologie--the ultimate in sweater art! I know many would agree with me because there's a Ravelry forum devoted to anthropologie knits. (The Ravelry links might not work for you yet if you're not a Raveler but I've provided them because Ravelry will eventually go fully public, and some forums already show up in my Google searches.)
Newport News--many crocheters would agree with me on this one too! This company tracks fashion fads and trends closely so a designer can use it like a trends newsletter--right down to the super-trendy catchphrases (see above photo). Usually lots of real crochet for dessert.

Peruvian Connection--for more ethnic and folkloric looks, textures, & color combos.

For jewelry, bags, other accessories:

Sundance--Rustic, western looks. I've been inspired most by the jewelry and sometimes the bags.

Chicos--Chico's fashions used to have more artistic, artisanal, and/or ethnic flair. I still scan the clothing but now am more likely to be inspired by their belts, and occasionally the jewelry.
Peruvian Connection and anthropologie can also be great for accessories.

For home decor:

Chiasso--My favorite for modernist chic. Also, West Elm.

Pottery Barn--The overall style is generally inspiring. (I guess that could be said of many catalog companies such as J.Crew, Crate and Barrel, Spiegel, etc.)

Home Decorator's Collection--mainly the rugs.

For kitsch, kids, useful items, etc:

Flax Art & Design--Fun, creative, and colorful designs, especially for kids. See also Chiasso.

There must be some good ones missing from this list so please mention them in the comments if you have a favorite. I have other favorites that I visit online rather than receive in the mail; but for a list of those you'd need to take my Trendy Crochet class at the next CGOA Chain Link conference!

German Crochet Magazines: Hakelmode

The new Diana magazine is on the newsstands in Europe for 2008; the two Lea magazines pictured are from 2004 and 2005. My friends are visiting from Switzerland right now and they were kind enough to bring me these three issues, after much sifting through knitting magazines in yarn shops. One of them was found at the last minute in the Zurich airport!
The yarns used are brands like Austermann, Junghans, Lana Grossa, Lang, Online, Schachenmayr, and Schoeller + Stahl. The Diana issue has 15 women's fashions, about 9 of them crocheted. The average hook size is 5-6mm and the garments look chunky and more casual, bringing to mind American crochet patterns. The poncho in the second photo, for example, is described as youthful and trendy; it calls for a 12mm hook.
The 2004 Lea issue (top photo, far left) has 34 designs, all of them crochet, most also in medium-weight yarns. There's a pullover in tunisian (Tunesischer Hakelei) and two wraps in "schlingenmuster"--it looks like drop stitch rather than loop stitch, so maybe it uses a broomstick? (not pictured)

One of the magazines is mostly stitch patterns with fashion sketches offering ideas for how to use the stitch pattern in one's own design.
I'm happy to add these Lea and Diana magazines to my collection of Sandra and Sabrina issues. If there are any Rebecca issues with more crochet than knit in them, please let me know!

Free Yarn Company E-Newsletters

I subscribe by email to free newsletters published by yarn companies and yesterday I received five. FIVE. Usually they're spread out throughout the month. Hearing from so many yarn companies in one day brings out the blogger in me. In case you aren't aware of these newsletters, I'll list them below in alphabetical order.

Why sub?
-Trendwatching: I keep up with what floats knitters' boats because it's interesting to me when it differs from crocheters; for example, both groups fell for felting, but the next big thing for knitters seems to be lace knitting, whereas I'm not seeing crocheters go whole hog for lace crochet. (More than usual, I mean. It's hard to ever fully separate lace from crochet.)

-To learn about new yarns, patterns, colors, and color combos.

-Many newsletters provide helpful tips that are often as useful to crocheters as to knitters, even if the tip is written only with knitters in mind.

-The suspense of never knowing when some GREAT crochet will show up in the knitcentric newsletters. I'd like to thank the yarn companies that do remember the crocheters and don't make us sigh and whimper and beg and cajole!

The list:
Berroco's KnitBits (every Friday)
Caron Yarn's Caron Connections (daily for 12 days in Dec.)
Classic Elite's CEY Web-Letters (3-4 times a month)
Coats and Clark's Keep in the Loop (monthly)
Garnstudio's Drops Design Newsletter
K1C2's Knit One Crochet Too Newsletter (monthly)
Lion Brand's Lion Brand Newsletter (weekly)

If you know of one that should be on this list, please let me know in the comments, thanks!

Pop Tops and Crochet: A Fashion Alliance?

Feast your eyes upon this actual runway design by Ronaldo Fraga for the 2006 Brasilia fashion week!
There's something about pop tops that makes people want to crochet them together, like here and here. A remarkable Brazilian site (in English) offers stylish bags of pop tops crocheted together. The same site offers a poptopflower tutorial here and you've GOT to see these pop top fashions of the '70's!

I'm speechless, almost; I just have to point out that ok yeah, "being green" (in the eco-recycling sense) might be the in thing now, but crocheters have always had an irascible green streak--we crochet plastic bags into coasters, totes, rugs, ropes, hats, welcome mats, outdoor decor, incredible objets d'art, and even indestructible mattresses for the homeless (some with built-in air pockets)! We crochet fabric strips into rugs, video and cassette tape into evening purses and doll clothes, butcher's twine or other reclaimed string into market bags, clothesline into baskets, bottlecaps into trivets (video here), Christmas cards into boxes and ornaments, and used CD's into room dividers (Jen Hansen's), coasters, hotpads, and bottoms for purses and baskets. Crocheters were cool long before the planet got too hot.
Now I'm speechless.

Color Fun for Designing & Stashbusting

I own more than one book about color and this one is my favorite. It's an inspiration recharge for me because the subjective effects of the color schemes are included. As I flip through it, some schemes grab me and put me in a mood, which then unlocks a cascade of designs.
The book seems to be geared toward interior decorating, so of course it would be wonderful for those who design home decor, but it works for me for fashion too. The newish home decor magazine, Domino, tends to tie in fashion and accessory trends.

Flipping through this book is a fun way to use up your yarn stash with updated color combinations. If you have 2 colors in your stash and you find an inspiring color scheme using them, then just bring the yarn and book with you to shop for a few balls of these colors, an you've got yourself a very stylish project (afghan or whatever).

Keeping a folder of multicolor stitch patterns near this book would result in some fresh, exciting swatches!

Designing Lingerie

I fantasize about designing crocheted lingerie so I've started reading about that fashion sector. Three trends I've noticed so far (though I'm still learning about the territory) are:

-standards for how bras are supposed to fit are being overhauled to the point that a consumer education campaign is necessary

-more attention is going to the designers and design possibilities of lingerie

-In the larger fashion world, lingerie colors, styles, construction, and detailing are being applied to outerwear as the latest development in a longterm trend of reconceiving traditional lingerie as part of outerwear layering.

As a kid I wondered what the meaningful difference was between a bikini and a bra & panties set. Probably every girl wonders that at some point. Often, Madonna's Gaultier corsets are cited as the send-off for this last trend, but to me, once bikinis became accepted beachwear, the writing was on the wall.

My favorite lingerie blogger: Danae Shell of Knickers. Knickers has some great articles; see for example, "How to Become a Lingerie Designer" and "Top 5 Bra-Sizing Myths".

Of the bikini retrospectives I've scanned so far, I like Slate's; I saw another good one last year at a fashion site but can't find the link now.

A "Salon international de la lingerie" is held yearly in Paris. There's also an American lingerie show held in NYC and Las Vegas but I'd love to attend the Paris expo!

Today's story at Fashion Wire Daily rounds out this blog-worthy list of cool links to share with you:
"It's What's on the Inside that Counts Lingerie Awards"

Pesky Irregularities in Handknits?

Check out the knitting machine that expects to usher in a paradigm shift in the way knitwear is mass produced: it's called "Complete Garment Knitting". Shima Seiki calls it Wholegarment:

A whole 3D sweater can be made at once by the machine--no seams, no waste from from cutting pieces, and no inconvenient irregularities hand-worked into the garment. A sweater could also be made only on an on-demand basis.

As a crocheter I read this and think, "Huh--so the marketing edge for this company is: all the benefits of a handknit with none of the perceived drawbacks." (Handknitters can already create on-demand 3D garments with no seams and no cutting.)

You might wonder why this topic is on a crochet designer's blog. Crocheted fashions can be mass-produced at times, but never machine-made like mass-produced knits are. Well, at bare minimum, I've always been fascinated by how two manufacturing markets within the fashion industry compete: the Knits vs. the Wovens. ("Knits" here meaning the mass-produced, machine-made kind.)

We yarnies, even those of us who don't knit, are impacted anyway. For example, I've seen hand knitters evaluate their knitting using a machine-knitted standard of regularity, especially when it comes to stockinette and maybe garter, I guess where "irregularities" are easiest to spot; even the term "irregularities" seems imported from a machine-knitting aesthetic.

You know what? Crocheters just don't do that. This is a luxury that I think many of us crocheters take for granted. Good crocheters do aim for a consistent gauge, but are far less likely to have a perfectionistic goal for their stitching. After all, crocheters don't have machine-made stitches with which to compare their handmade stitches.

But what if they did? I look to knitters for clues to how machine automation affects the handmade experience. This is a significant, experiential difference between handknitting and crocheting.

It's good to keep an eye on the Knitwear industry's innovations, sometimes for design ideas, sometimes for a view of the future of knitwear, sometimes just for a fashion industry perspective on knits (and by extension, crochet at times).

What about "Gaugeless Knitting"? The benefit of having a machine with this capability is that it "helps the knitting industry to not only free itself from the standard notion of knitwear being mainly for the Autumn and Winter seasons, but to shed seasonal perceptions toward knitwear period, so that more collections can be made throughout the year and consequently attain a larger share of the textile market."
(Please note: italicizing throughout this blog post is mine)

As a crocheter, I easily forget to what degree knitwear is tied to certain seasons because crochet isn't, except when uneducated people conflate it with knitting. In fact, if you had to tie crochet to any season, a case for summer could easily be made.

Here's another way for knits to compete against the wovens:
"Thanks to WHOLEGARMENT^® technology, the term "knitwear" is no longer reserved for thick and bulky, clumsy sweaters reserved for casual occasions. New materials, especially fancy yarns combined with fine gauge capability and new knitting techniques result in a variety of fresh new items which at first glance seem like wovens."

In the fashion world the knitwear industry apparently labors under the same stereotype that crochet does in the yarn industry: does the criticism of "thick and bulky, clumsy sweaters" sound familiar?! Too funny!

Here's one more, special to designers: "Unlike conventionally knitted sweaters whose seams tend to break up the continuity of the garment design, the seamless process allows patterns and designs to remain uninterrupted across the entire garment-- front-to-back, over-the-shoulder and down-the-sleeves. And it looks much nicer, too. Also without seams there is the opportunity to create single-knit garments which feature truly functional reversibility without the added weight and bulk of double-knits."

Maybe this is a breakthrough in knitting, I don't know; for machine knitting anyway. In crochet, many stitch patterns are already reversible, as well as seam-free. Maybe that's why so many crochet designs in magazines are photographed inside out!

Pringle of Scotland: Not Your Mom's Cashmere

"Knitwear has become the statement piece."
--Clare Waight Keller of Pringle

The Pringle design house first got my attention in Fall'06 when this beauty cropped up in every fashion magazine:

The Autumn Winter 2007 Preview (see links at top of page) is available now. With their new knitwear collection Pringle has managed to rejuvenate the bobble for me, packing them in like peas and keeping them sophisticated in deep somber colors. The Pringle treatment of giant luxurious cables is refreshing too because the colors are so shadowy that the cables emerge from the murk where you don't expect them. This isn't your traditional aran knitting!

Pringle has a new Creative Director, Clare Waight Keller, and it's looking like she's going to take the Pringle look to great new heights.

Even though I see no actual crochet in the Pringle designs, the looks easily translate.