11.18.2011

My First Skirt FO

I've never spent much time wondering whether or not to knit any of kind of garment before...sweaters, scarves, mitts...what's to wonder about? Knit 'em, wear 'em. Easy!

But a knitted skirt? Really? As I posted yesterday, while the knitting of a tube is simple enough, whether it would/could stay up, be too clingy,stretch out of shape - these were the questions I had to just wait until now, with a knitted skirt finished, I would be able to answer for myself.  Here's what I've found...
" I wonder if I actually have the nerve to wear this thing in public?"
Source; Knitting 24/7 by Veronique Avery
Yarn: All of 3 balls Diamond Galway Heather
Colour: Chocolate
Needles: 4.5mm Addi Circular
Start: October 13 Finish: November 3, 2011
Modifications: Lengthened Waist Band, Added 2 strands Elastic Thread

Well here it is from the back...
"Hmmm it looks like my rear end is an almost perfect square"
...from the side...

... 'must perpetually turn so not to expose "The Square" to anyone for more time than necessary, hopefully minimizing their impression of same. 
...from above...
"Hey this is actually pretty comfortable!"

Despite 3 inches of negative ease (why it stays up!) its comfortable to sit in and there's no feeling of binding or that it's unduly stretching while I'm sitting. In the shot below I just sat down, didn't fuss with the skirt at all except to lift it a wee bit in the back so as not to "put a seat in it" as my grandmother used to say.
"I like the way it covers my knees when sitting." 
I added the belt to cover the purple part of the waist band. (Why is it purple? 'Short answer... "I'm cheap". Longer answer here.) I had planned to fold the waistband over, enclosing a piece of elastic but just doubling the band from 1.5" to 3" really made a difference in how well the thing seems to fit.  Just to be sure though, I threaded two strands of elastic cord through the waistband as well.
So the knitting was easy.  The wearing is going to honestly take a bit of nerve.  There is no where to hide in this thing! A proper undergarment is going to keep stretching of the skirt and bulging of the knitter to a minimum but it can't do everything (See note on Square Rear above.)

I heard the Passionknit Skirt ladies made the point in their DKC presentation that...
 ...the style of skirt is very important to the success of the effort because it has to suit the figure of the wearer.
I'm not sure whether this pencil-style is the one for me but on "What Not To Wear" Stacey and Clinton are always telling women to invest in a classic pencil skirt aren't they? So I figured, why not me too? As I mentioned in yesterday's post my wardrobe is one of extremes but a knee length wool skirt is a great middle-of-the-road piece and I hope to wear a lot in the coming weeks and months. I'll have to try it with a more casual top, chunky tights and flats or ankle boots to make it more wearable more often.

At just over $20.00 worth of yarn and a couple of weeks of easy knitting it's the bargain of the century - even with the cost of the belt thrown in!.

Hey I think I might be coming around to see firsthand that knitting a skirt isn't so ridiculous after all!

Thanks for dropping by!

13 comments:

Amy said...

It looks great and, frankly, everyone has a rear - round, triangle, square.... Wear it proudly for you knit it. That's my opinion.

LaurieM said...

I'm with Amy. You look fabulous in it.

Jessica said...

I think it looks lovely and you should wear it with pride.

Personally, I don't wear skirts above mid-calve which could be an issue if I were to knit myself one.

I think yours is great though and I would wear it with pride if I were you.

Brendaknits said...

It certainly looks great on you. I need still a bit more time to work up nerve to knit and wear one. But I too have been interested for years. I like the few vertical lines that seem to follow the shape of the skirt. Keep us posted about whether after a few wearings the skirt has 'seated'.

Sandra said...

no worries - it looks great! Nice job. I keep meaning to try Lanesplitter from Knitty...

Rue said...

The skirt looks great! You should definitely wear it. I'm not sure I'm up for a knitted skirt yet. At least while I'm still nursing (and carrying the last bit of baby weight to make that happen) I'm going to stick with my more structured woven wool pencil skirts. But you're right- pencil skirts are fabulous!

Anonymous said...

VERY flattering!!!

Needles said...

What Amy says. It looks great on you!

Stephanie said...

Yep - looks great. :) What I'd be worried about is whether it stretches after a few wears?? Well, I need to get better at sweaters before I worry too much about that! So - looking good!

Lorraine said...

Well, I would say it was a success all around, and it looks great on you.

Acorn to Oak said...

It looks great on you! What a cute pattern. I like the details on it. I understand the thing about having courage to wear it...I'm the same way about figure hugging clothing. I always chicken out. You already had the courage to post pictures and you look great. Keep the courage and wear it somewhere. I'm sure you'll get nothing but compliments. :-)

Julia said...

You're right that knitted skirts give you nowhere to hide - but you've got nothing to hide! You are ROCKING that knit skirt! Please where it!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous! I hope to see this at the DKC Show Of Hands fashion show!?!?!