a shrug in red
fiery bolero, elspeth and iris, which will be in calmer's red?
UPDATE: amilia has spoken, she wants iris from rowan35! great choice, i must say.
amilia, my dearest friend who is getting married next fall, will be getting one of these handknit shrugs from me. she will be picking one of these patterns and i will make them with rowan's calmer in red (the audrey red). though a stash busting knit, but they are nonetheless luxurious cotton yarns for the bride to be. USA
shrugs/boleros are great for a fashion-conscious lady who lives in the forever tropical island that is singapore. but any of them would look great with a tube top, a basic cami, or even a cute sundress.
my suggestions? i really love all of them. but i am a bit partial to iris. i'll probably make it with 3/4 sleeves and instead of using a shoe string (like what rowan model is using), i would close it with a hook & eye. in addition, a lovely brioche to match the outfit. the simplicity of this design is sophisticated for an urban girl like yourself.
elspeth may be lovely, too, you say. indeed it is lovely. i can see you wearing it while visiting santosa, bali or fiji island with a white linen dress. it has a romantic flair to it, you should love that.
but that fiery bolero. hmmm.... with this flaming red color, you can easily paired it with a pair of cropped jeans, kitten-heeled sandals and your cute LV cherry bag (yes, i know you at least have one). you will get noticed while shopping at your favorite boutiques.
i'm not helping, am i? you see, i took out the colors from those pictures so your decisions will not be biased by the models. so amilia, i know it is a tough choice but you will have to make it. readers, do you want to help?
Comments
I am partial to the fiery bolero, but that's only because I knit one myself (using flaming red cathay, just like in the magazine. Boring, I know). But I also like Iris. (By the way, I love reading your blog but have never commented before. You knit such beautiful things!)
posted by Cara on November 30, 2005 05:33 PM
choose iris - i made it a while ago and it always draws compliments.
posted by anna on November 30, 2005 05:40 PM
Where is Iris? I really like the pattern and don't recall seeing it anywhere. Have I missed it? They're all so lovely and you just can't go wrong in red!
posted by Stephanie on November 30, 2005 05:51 PM
I like Iris the best, too! I never thought of knitting this til I saw Kat's.
posted by Angela on November 30, 2005 05:58 PM
My vote is for Iris. It is such a nice bolero.
posted by Lisa on November 30, 2005 06:18 PM
Given the yarn, my eyes immediately went over to Iris. The pattern is simple so the fiery color can really stand out and get noticed. It would be gorgeous with a sarong type skirt, providing just a hint of warmth without overwhelming in such a tropical climate.
posted by Kathy on November 30, 2005 06:18 PM
Blossom, I love the way you think and write - kitten heels and cropped jeans, mmmm!I vote for the fiery bolero - I love that 40's structured look it has around the shoulders. Maybe with a bit of pretty, unfussy lace trim instead of ribbing?
posted by eunny on November 30, 2005 06:41 PM
Hi Bloss, I love boleros/ponchos/shrugs. How did you know that? I have quite a few boleros... I like the Iris (with 3/4 sleeves) or the Elspeth...But I think I'll still go for the Iris :o) I love the red colour too... I'm sure it's gonna look great! Thank you my dear friend!
posted by Lovely Tots on November 30, 2005 06:54 PM
I think Iris is the prettiest of them all. It'll look really nice in that red. What a great friend you are.
posted by Carin on November 30, 2005 06:55 PM
whoa, this is a tough choice, though Iris looks great I have to agree with Eunny and vote on the Fiery Bolero. Even the name is telling you to pick it!
posted by yahaira on November 30, 2005 07:03 PM
I really like Iris (3/4 sleeves) and this has been on my To-Do list for a while. But I like Elspeth too although I've read some sizing probs with this knit. As for the Fiery Bolero, the dolman-like sleeves may proove to be uncomfortable for tropical weather. Oh and Calmer red, mmmm... so gorgeous!
posted by knitties on November 30, 2005 07:07 PM
This is such fun for me since I'm from S'pore too and I would like to see which one you'll end up knitting. Plus, I loved reading your what-to-wear-with-it guide. You're my style guru :) My vote is for Iris.
posted by erin on November 30, 2005 07:45 PM
Oooh, they are all so pretty!! I vote for Iris! But I'm probably partial because I tried knitting the Fiery Bolero and I didn't like picking up a gazillion stitches for the border. But any one of the ones you have chosen will make a very special gift!
posted by caitlyn on November 30, 2005 08:08 PM
I'd vote for 'Iris' (and not because that's my name!). It might be that I had never seen this pattern before, so it has the whole 'oooh, a new pattern' - thing going for it, but I really like the simplicity of it. I never liked Elspeth as much as everyone else seems to (too fussy for my taste) and although I love the Firy Bolero, I think I still prefer Iris...
posted by Iris on December 1, 2005 01:46 AM
Love the b/w pictures against this gorgeous red...My number one choice is Fiery bolero, followed closely by Iris to leave Elspeth as last (never been too fond of it and reading other blogs, Calmer doesn't seem to be the right yarn choice for it).
posted by francoise on December 1, 2005 02:35 AM
I really like the Fiery Bolero. My friend made one, and it looks great with everything - dresses and casual. All are so pretty!
posted by Lolly on December 1, 2005 06:37 AM
Another Singapore girl voicing her preferences. =P Of the 3, I like Iris the best. However, elspeth might be more unique cos of the design. I like the simple fiery bolero too but I think that shrug design can be easily found in any clothing store.
posted by Jade on December 1, 2005 07:24 AM
Yeah - glad you picked that one. It is totally my fav.
posted by Lisa on December 1, 2005 12:50 PM
I think you both made a great choice! (And I heard Elspeth was a real PITA, anyway.):)
posted by Kathy on December 1, 2005 02:54 PM
Weirdly enough, I just got my hands on some Rowan Calmer, too. It's the color Chiffon...I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. But it will be the Rowan Air cardigan.
posted by Mac on December 2, 2005 01:16 PM
I know I'm getting to this discussion late, but I wanted to warn you against Elspeth. I made it and ripped it apart - and remade it as the fiery bolero. (There are notes on both projects on my blog). I love Iris - I'd go with that one - but I can also recommend the fiery bolero. An easy, enjoyable knit, and I wear the thing all the time.
posted by Elizabeth on December 11, 2005 02:56 PM