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Twist Collective BlogDesigner Post: Postcards from Buenos Aires
Today, Fiona Ellis gives us a peek into the yarn-iest parts of her vacation in Argentina! Ruddington is Fiona's contribution to our Winter issue, and she has thrown several wonderful designs into the Twist cauldron. Fiona also contributed an article about Framework Knitting to our most recent issue- check that out here.
Well hello Twisters! I'm joining you from Buenos Aires in sunny Argentina or as I now like to call it, Yarngentina. I am thrilled to see how many yarn bombed trees there are here. I tweeted about it and had a reply from a lovely knitter named Sheeri. She sent me the link to the blog post she had written about discovering the yarn district in BA. Yes there is such a thing.
 So based on her information, yesterday I hopped on one of the wild buses they have here to go check it out for myself. "Take me to the yarn stores" I said to the driver. No, not really but I might as well have. As I hopped off the bus I found myself right outside a beautiful, highly colourful yarn store. But there was more...I think I counted 15 such stores all within one city block.
The stores are very different from the ones we are used to in North America. Not the cozy home-y look with the comfy chairs at all. They are brightly lit and welcoming in their own way, they do entice you to go, but maybe it's all the yarn that was calling to me. The yarn was mostly cottons and plenty of shiny mercerized yarns, not a lot of wool but some alpaca. It is summer in South America so I'm not sure if that's a seasonal thing or not. Yarn is sold by weight in hanks of varying size that don't have ball bands. There were many shop assistants, about half of who were men, serving and it seemed like it was more of a consultative process than a browse around and fondle the product like I am used to.
 The brands appear to be specific to each shop and bear the same name as the store. I saw packing boxes labelled such that the product was made in Argentina; I'll have to research that a little more. What really struck me was the color ranges in every store. Each was a riot of bright and saturated colours, again I'm not sure if that's a South American or seasonal thing or not. Oh and one more thing I have never seen before - one store was selling yarn and bikinis - pretty sure that's not going to catch on in Canada in February any time soon.
If you would like to read Sheeri's account of her trip (with more pics) you can find it here.
Anyway I better get off as there is a nice bottle of Malbec & a nice juicy steak calling my name...but I wish you were here- really I do!
Happy Knitting!
Twist Style Friday: Quill
Every Friday we feature one of the garments from the magazine in a post about styling. We suggest different ways to wear the garment in question using mock-ups from Polyvore. We encourage readers to tell us what they think about these outfits via our Facebook page or Twitter, and if folks want to make their own outfits, please tweet them at us with the hashtag #twiststyle. You can find all of the Style Friday posts here.
I spent the last two days at a conference on health, and left with a terrible cold! Is that irony? I think it's Alanis Morisette irony, not irony as classically defined. The combo of totally blizzardy weather here in Toronto and the current state of my sinuses has me really craving springtime. You'll see it in my styling, trust me. Or maybe I subconsciously used the colors of the Olympic rings?
This week we're looking at Quill, Kate's contribution to the Winter issue. Though I am going to take a little tangent here in case you missed the release of Kate's newest pattern, lovely Lacet socks that reference the lacing of pointe shoes. Let me show you them.
Pretty, right?? I can't wait to start on a pair. Anyways, back to the topic at hand- fashion! Let's have a look at this fetching vest.
Quill is simple, but stands out. It'sa great layering piece for transitional weather, and can fit with lots of styles of dress! Make it in a sheepy wool, and it's a perfect vest to wear over collared shirts or flimsy dresses. In a softer fiber blend, wear it right next to your skin like the coziest camisole. Better yet, make two.
How will you wear Quill? Designer Post: Scrimshaw
I was looking at a lot icy images and winter cabin interiors at the time I was designing this hat, which definitely influenced the high contrast design. I really like the idea of embracing the stark contrast of winter and turning it into something modern.I even made a pinboard of some images that inspired this hat. You can look at the whole board if you like (here), but here are a few of my favorite images:
     I’ve been going through a bit of a black-and-white phase. Black jeans, black boots, white cardigans. Black and white patterned everything… stripes, polka dots, stranded sweaters. A strand of pearls. A faux-leather blazer.
And why not? It’s classic yet bold. Edgy or refined. Minimal, maybe. Everything and nothing.
In this case it’s also a hat, called Scrimshaw… and it’s reversible. Black and white, inside and out.
You can find the pattern in the Winter 2013 Twist Collective. Since I had never published with Twist before, I took these photos in preparation to publish Scrimshaw myself if it wasn't accepted, and I love how they turned out! I’m so excited to be able to share them with you now.
Is there anything better than black and white with a pop of red? Scrimshaw is sized for babies through adults, and is a quick knit in dk-weight yarn.
Twist Style Friday: Thorntower
Every Friday we feature one of the garments from the magazine in a post about styling. We suggest different ways to wear the garment in question using mock-ups from Polyvore. We encourage readers to tell us what they think about these outfits via our Facebook page or Twitter, and if folks want to make their own outfits, please tweet them at us with the hashtag #twiststyle. You can find all of the Style Friday posts here.
I have a tendency to get enamoured with things (and people, and projects, and ideas). So here for your viewing amusement, is my crushed out pro/con list about this week's stunning sweater, Thorntower (but first, some pics)!
PRO - Stunning cables - Elegant curved hems - Just the right amoung of squishy garter - Asymmetry - Gorgeous neckline - Pretty short-row collar - Sleeve cuff details
CON - I'm not currently wearing it.
I had a lot of fun styling this, because I think the shape and lines of it make it really wearable in a lot of ways. It can be a cozy weekend sweater, an officey blazer, or an evening jacket, depending what else you wear it with.
I put two shoe options with the outfit on the far left, because I think you could easily go cutesy with it, or the weird creepers take it to a kind of femme-punk place.
How will you wear Thorntower? Twist Style Friday: Tarian
Every Friday we feature one of the garments from the magazine in a post about styling. We suggest different ways to wear the garment in question using mock-ups from Polyvore. We encourage readers to tell us what they think about these outfits via our Facebook page or Twitter, and if folks want to make their own outfits, please tweet them at us with the hashtag #twiststyle. You can find all of the Style Friday posts here.
It looks like a snow-globe outside my window right now. On days where the temperature isn't colder than Mars (it really happened!), I actually sort of love winter. I love hot beverages and wool and velvet. I love snow and scarves and excuses to snuggle. My the middle of February, I'm usually ready for it to be over, but in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the sparkle-dusted streets and opportunity to flaunt my handknit accessories.
I finished my Burrard cardigan last weekend. I think I've worn it five of the last seven days. I don't have any great pics of me wearing it, or I'd post one here, but I think it's the best thing I have ever made for myself. It's also my fourteenth Twist project! I try to knit something from every issue, but that goal may be slightly beyond my reach.
Enough about me. Let's talk about texture-treat Tarian.
It's simple, but complicated! Plain, but not at all boring! Fun to make and easy to wear. This top is calling me, people.
I'm not knocking this white, I think it shows off the texture beautifully, and is super easy to wear. But folks... imagine the color possibilities!! I'm thinking about a tonal charcoal, or something saturated like a kelly green, or watermelon pink.
I think it's pretty easy to see how Tarian is the dreamiest thing to wear with sweats or jeans or whatever you happen to have on when you wake up, so I wanted to take her out a little. Someplace a little dressier. Someplace a little sexier.
How will you wear Tarian? More Articles...Subcategories
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Lacy Volk is the author of today's post, and you can also find it (and so much more) on her blog, 
