Or so Shania Twain said, and that's what the latest Annie Modesitt book, Romantic Knits, makes me think.
This book makes me want to put on a gauzy top with a lace wrap and find an opera to go to...somewhere, or knit a lovely top and wear it for a picnic on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. Are either of these are realistic possibility in my life in the near future? No. But that doesn't take the joy out of thinking about it, and that's the feeling I get from this book.
There are some lovely, lovely skirts and dresses in this book that I will never, ever make because the type of skirt that looks best on me is an A-line skirt and no knitted skirt will ever successfully form an A-line, but if you do wear knitted skirts, some of these are lovely. There are some dresses that I would consider chopping off at the midriff and making tops out of, that could work rather nicely, I think.
Now, let's get down to the good bits. There are some good, basic tutorials in here for crochet, embroidery, lace and millinery - yep, I said millinery. If you're a hat person, there's some very pretty hats in here that I would imagine women in flowing skirts chasing after through meadows of lavender...or maybe in a sundress walking down a city street, but then the hat would blow into traffic - and that would be much more dangerous and seriously unadvisable, definitely fields of green for these babies.
There are nice big charts and good schematics, the patterns give the finished garment size and the intended bust size, which is so helpful b/c now I don't have to guess how much ease (slim to none in most cases here) there should be. This is not a beginning knitting book, but there is no reason that your first big project couldn't be from this book, some of the things are advanced, but for the most part it's just knitting, purling and increasing/decreasing to make shaping. If you can follow instructions and want to try something new, go for it!
ANYWAY. I adore Saratoga - people have told me I have nice collarbones (? and more than one person too - like multiples - 5+ at least), so I think this would work for me.
The Heiress is just sweet enough without being over the top - but for me, I would probably make the lace in the same color or a shade of the same color and leave off the embroidery - I tend not to go for overly girly things.
And this one - Dark Victory - in Malabrigo, this one I know I will make, and soon.
Ooh, how about a little Jezebel? You've got to get the book to see that one! What was that song from the Producers? If you've got it - flaunt it!
There are also opera gloves, some delicate fingerless gloves, a shawl, a scarf, and a delectable pair of silk stockings - for me these are lots more fun to think about than to make, but sometimes that's enough.
I'm going to stick to practical things, like shirts and sweaters - and Annie, genius that she is, does a good job of reminding us that these things can be romantic and pretty too - it's all about the details. (Photography from the book - by Thayer Allyson Gowdy)
