Blue Flowers

Now that I see it's no longer available, this sweater from Macy's isn't haunting me as much.  

I'm not generally a fan of flowery apparel, but something about this made me fall in love IMMEDIATELY.  The price was WAY out of my reach, though.  I hunted for a while for a pattern, convinced I might find at least a chart with similar design.  This will be one of those matches that isn't so much of a match.  However, I have to share what I did find, in case you are in as much love as I am. 

Serene by Martin Storey has a flower that looks close.  The sweater itself is far from being a match, but still cute! 

I also found Botticelli by Marie Wallin.  Again, the sweater itself isn't a match, but the flower is similar. There's much more detail in this one.  

Fingerless Mitts

I found these fantastic fingerless mitts - what Anthropologie calls "armwarmers." 

They look amazing, right?  Well, I was interested to see that the one review of them, wasn't so hot.  It was obviously written by a knitter.  See below for the full text.  

"

Just OK

October 30, 2012

Pros: beautiful vibrant colour true to photo, soft

Cons: thin, larger knit, not very long only halfway to elbow, overpriced

My title says it all. While the colours are extremely beautiful and I love the design, these armwarmers are not as thick and cushy as they appear in the picture. They are thinner than expected and not as long as I thought by looking at the product shot. The knit is actually a larger gauge than you would think by looking at them. While the design concept was a great idea, this item is not worth the price and should only cost half as much (seeing as I could have knit these myself for half the price). They will be warmish, but not as snuggly as I first thought on sight. Great idea/concept...but just 'meh' on the execution. These are more wrist/lower forearm warmers than armwarmers. I just think that they're ok, but maybe they'll grow on me."

So, while the price isn't bad for the product, it seems that making them yourself would be the way to go!  You'll be able to control gauge, length and fiber.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find a pattern for fingerless mitts that utilized this "bubbly" stitch pattern.  I did, however, find some leg warmers by Anna and Heidi Pickles that could EASILY be adapted! 

Kors Sweater

I kind of love this Michael Kors sweater I found on Net-A-Porter.  It's messy and a little deconstructed.  

I'm especially fond of the back.  Beautiful right?  Well, I couldn't find anything exact, but it did make me think of Forest Weave by Yumiko Alexander.  It definitely has the open, "messy" cables.  

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! 

Cat Hat

I found this Feline Beanie on Anthropolie's website the other day!

Super cute right?

Well, I found a similar pattern on Ravelry by Diane Serviss that can be found here.  Please excuse the creepy mannequin in the picture. :)  The only adjustment needed to make it exact would be the elimination of the ribbing and a color change.

Shawl Collar

I've been seeing a lot of shawl collared sweaters for the men lately.  Two in particular had great texture.  

Both sweaters refer to a "waffle" knit, however, I think the one on the right might actually be a broken cable.

You can find them here and here.

I dug for similarly textured, shawl collared cardigans and found two.  The first designed by Mari Lynn Patrick is available from Knit Simple Magazine.  Pattern and magazine issue details can be found on Ravelry, here. 

The second one, designed by Debbie Bliss is available for free here and features, in my opinion, the closest texture. 

Chunky Sweater

I came across the Theyskens' Theory sweater on Net-A-Porter the other day.

I'm kind of in love with mustard yellows, which is what initially caught my eye.  Then, I kind of fell in love with the simplicity of it.  It's obviously done in a bulkier yarn than you usually see.  I hunted for a close pattern match.

The Weekend Pullover by Diane Soucy seems to be right pretty darn close!  I think the collar, cuffs and bottom edge might be a bit thicker, but that's an easy adjustment!

Neiman Marcus Blankets

I'll definitely be focusing on knit wear, but sometimes I'll have to stray away to show you other lovelies!  I found these knitted blankets on Neiman Marcus's website.

 

This picture does them no justice.  If you navigate to the webpage, you can zoom in and drool over the yummy texture!

I managed to find patterns to match all three options on their site.  Listed in order of those pictured above from left to right.

#1. Lattice Carriage Blanket by Dorian Kershner.  It's a baby blanket, but if you can figure out the stitch repeat, you can make it bigger! 

Alternatively, you can find the stitch pattern here.

#2. Woven Cable Blanket by AmandeaK. It appears that this is adapted from a scarf.  The pattern for the scarf is available here.

#3. Cables and Bobbles Throw by Coats & Clark.  Stud not included.

Cardigan Wrap

Two days ago, it was 74 degrees in Iowa.  Today, it was 34.  Oh look!  I found The Red Twist!  It's a  combination of a cardigan and a wrap.  I hate to take away from a company with such a fabulous social conscience, however, $175 is a little steep for my budget, even if it's cashmere.

I actually found this on a Ravelry thread.  A woman was searching like mad for a pattern to match it's design.  Unfortunately, those hunting for her had little success.  I'm proud to say that I've found three feasible options!

#1. Cote D'Azur Wrap by Helen Hamann (who, by the way, has a plethora of fun, modern patterns on her Ravelry page found here).  This is a short sleeved option.

#2. Daedalus by Jodie Gordon Lucas.  A long sleeved option with added texture throughout and details along the bottom and cuffs.

#3. Elizabeth Wrap Cardigan by Lion Brand Yarn.  The winner, if you ask me, with an added bonus for being a free pattern!