Lara At Last
When Lara was first finished a week ago and she just didn’t fit right I didn’t miss a beat until I started to frog her. The yarn and jacket style were too nice to ignore or turn into a UFO. The trip to the pond took her back to the top of the first sleeve and I began again from that point adding 10 rows to the width. This made a more comfortable fit and her warmth made the perfect companion for a trip into the mountains on Sunday.
At first I thought I’d show you pictures of her with a pin on the side as several others have shown. But it seemed the more I wore and played in her the more she seemed to be that cozy, jacket style sweater you throw on for some extra warmth any day and not an elegant item with jewels….at least not for me. She will be like my Everyday Cardi, a warm and cozy friend. I love the color with jeans and she was warm enough to wear, sans a coat, for the 'photo shoot' at the Silver Fork Lodge. The closure is a hair pick with a beaded tassel and I like the way it closes near the neckline and not at the waist. Thanks Alison for the idea. Lara enjoyed her trip the Great Salt Lake, too and I enjoyed her company as the day, while windless (see the water is like glass?), was on the chilly side. Lara is cozy and cuddly and will be a joy to wear this winter…a true blue friend.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Alpaca Silk, 18 balls Denim Blue LYS
Pattern: Alpaca Silk Book, Lara
Needles: 32” #8 Addi’s (slightly larger gauge than called for)
Time: 9-23-04 to 10-23-04
It's Melanie's birthday so make sure you tell her to make it a good one (candy corn is a good start, Mel!)
Goodness! It is simply stunning. The color is perfect on you!!! And it looks like a good day for a warm snuggly sweater too. :)
Posted by: Anne | October 26, 2004 at 04:37 AM
absolutely gorgeous! wonderful pics! you look fabulous in her.
Posted by: froggy | October 26, 2004 at 04:37 AM
Great photos. The sweater is lovely on you.
Posted by: Melissa | October 26, 2004 at 04:45 AM
I second Melissa. Lara looks so comfortable. The snow is pretty, but I'm sure not looking forward to it. Enjoy your newest F.O.!
Posted by: Kerstin | October 26, 2004 at 05:07 AM
M,
I don't know where to begin.
Yours is the first blog I read in the morning (yes, before Wendy!) but I skipped blog reading yesterday because I was eager to head back to work after my conference last week.
This morning, I read back over your entries.
Your Lara is stunning.
Utah is calling my name.
I'm living vicariously through your walks in the snow.
I prayed your prayer this morning and will do so every morning. I'm cutting it and putting it on my computer in my office.
Thanks for inspiring me in so many ways. You helped more than you can know.
Posted by: Christy | October 26, 2004 at 05:56 AM
It's gorgeous, Margene! And the photos are lovely, too. All hail the husband photographer!
Posted by: caroline | October 26, 2004 at 06:02 AM
Wow, Lara is gorgeous! I love that she made her debut in the snow. Congratulations on finishing (and tweaking) a gorgeous sweater -- you look comfortably elegant in it.
Posted by: Secret Pal | October 26, 2004 at 06:04 AM
Oh, Margene, Lara is gorgeous! I enjoyed yesterday's photos but was hoping that we'd get a better view of Lara at some point, and here she is. The color is just perfect for you! I'm not sure if you changed the pattern or not, but it seems the ribbed portion is wider on other Laras that I've seen than on yours. I didn't think I wanted to knit a sweater with all that horizontal rib across the chest, but now that I've seen yours I'm rethinking. Do you think that the DB Alpaca Silk would make a nice hat? I'm thinking that it would be really warm and soft, just the thing for a winter hat for the husband (for dog walking, etc), and it would probably knit up quickly given the gauge of this yarn.
Posted by: Susan | October 26, 2004 at 06:06 AM
oh, lara is so beautiful. she's the perfect snow bird! the lace gloves look great with her too. you must be so proud to have ripped back and gotten such a wonderful sweater out of it!
Posted by: jody | October 26, 2004 at 06:16 AM
It's beautiful! I really like the changes you made to it so that you'd get more wear out of it!
Posted by: monica | October 26, 2004 at 06:28 AM
what a beautiful sweater... that just may be the first sweater i make... i love how it looks on everyone!!!
the draw of winter is calling me!!! i miss the moutains and the snow!!!
Posted by: storm | October 26, 2004 at 06:42 AM
To echo everyone else, your Lara is just stunning and it looks gorgeous on you. That is definitely your color! Wow...a truly beautiful project you have there!
Posted by: kerry | October 26, 2004 at 06:57 AM
You look so lovely and cozy in Lara - and I love the pic of you in front of the lake. Beautiful!! I've been fondling the Alpaca Silk in every yarn store I see it, and am thinking of making a quick scarf with it just so I can fondle it all the time. Yummy!
Posted by: melanie | October 26, 2004 at 07:02 AM
What a perfect everyday cardie, as it looks perfect on you and is made from such a great yarn.
Posted by: Lauren | October 26, 2004 at 07:13 AM
I really must admit that I am falling for Lara...she is so pretty! I must ask...does the navy blue yarn pill? I used Debbie Bliss Chunky Merino and the amount of fluff that it shed was in record amounts...
I do have to say...after seeing yours...I think I want one of my own! :)
Posted by: Heather M | October 26, 2004 at 07:15 AM
Hi Margene,
What an incredible Lara! The dark blue suits you very well, and it looks so, so cozy. My favorite pic is the very bottom one, it's beautiful! Love the closure, and the more casual approach. I'm itching for more Alpaca Silk to make one of my own.
And thanks for these shots of snow!! We won't be getting any until late Nov. (if we're lucky) or well into Dec., and I cannot wait. Viva la precipitation! :P
Posted by: leila | October 26, 2004 at 07:33 AM
Margene, your Lara is beautiful! I love the way you choose to wear it~ as a comfy jacket/sweater. It truly is wonderful in every way. The color and fit are perfect for you. Great job, as usual!
Posted by: Annie | October 26, 2004 at 07:44 AM
Lovely sweater - the hair pin closure is really cool too.
Posted by: Cathy | October 26, 2004 at 08:34 AM
I have to say yours is my favorite I have seen so far, I like it worn open.. and I just adore the color and the fit. You did a splendid job!
Posted by: pixie | October 26, 2004 at 08:36 AM
Your photos always get my day off to a beautiful start, and these have really put me in the mood for winter - but only in a beautiful, cozy, well-fitting (well-worth-ripping-back) sweater of course. I love it!
Posted by: christina | October 26, 2004 at 08:45 AM
Great pics, Margene! See ya next week.
Posted by: Susan | October 26, 2004 at 08:55 AM
Really lovely sweater, and such nice photos! Kudos to the photographer.
I want to go play in snow...
Posted by: TAMARA | October 26, 2004 at 08:56 AM
Lara is beautiful, but that last picture of you, Margene, just amazing!
Posted by: Nathania | October 26, 2004 at 09:10 AM
Thanks everyone! I'm sitting here wearing Lara now and she is warm and soft. Christy you are so sweet and your comments touched me.
Susan, the A/S would make a PERFECT hat. It would be very warm and soft. I made my ribbing down the front actually a few rows more than the pattern because I am 'larger' than most people around the blogs...it just looks like less on a 6' frame.
Heather, I didn't have any more fluff than you would expect from alpaca. It didn't really shed as much as I would have thought. Only a few fibers 'up the nose' so to speak. It has a fuzzy texture but doesn't sluff off.
Thank you again everyone...it's a very fun sweater to wear and I do have a very sweet photographer!!
Posted by: Margene | October 26, 2004 at 09:17 AM
Beautiful sweater - lovely on you.
Posted by: Melissa | October 26, 2004 at 09:17 AM
The PERFECT photo shoot. And I just have to have one of those Laras. It is just lovely.
Posted by: Norma | October 26, 2004 at 09:18 AM
Margene, you look so lovely in Lara. The color and fit are perfect. I had decided against knitting it as all the finished photos seemed dressier than how I usually dress. But now Margene, I see it can also be worn in an everday kinda way. Goregous pics!!
Posted by: Kathleen | October 26, 2004 at 09:51 AM
Incredible sweater and incredible scenery! And SNOW!!!! My first experience with "real" mountains was at Snowbird in Utah ten years ago. I arrived in the dark. When I awoke, my husband pulled back the drapes and told me to look out the window up at the peaks. I stood there, breathless and cried (as I am now). Mountains call to me. My spirit wants to be in the mountains. I guess that's what I get for spending my entire 44 years on Long Island.
Thank You, Margene, for an ever inspiring blog!
Posted by: Melissa | October 26, 2004 at 09:52 AM
What a fabulous job, Margene - and it becomes you nicely. You have a wonderful knack for being able to adapt any particular piece to your specific needs.
And your mountains are beautiful (she said wistfully). If I had a full resolution of yesterday's header photo, I'd use it for wallpaper!
Posted by: Robbyn | October 26, 2004 at 09:58 AM
Margene, you look so HAPPY wearing it and that adds to its beauty! Plus you got some great haute couture style photos in the snow-photos worthy of IK. Congratulations!
Posted by: jenifleur | October 26, 2004 at 10:59 AM
Look at you looking all snuggly and warm in all that glorious snow. Yeah, I know...only a Southern Californian would call snow glorious! Well, I HAVE lived in it when I was in the USAF, in Colorado for 1 winter, and in England for 3 years, and I liked it THEN too. Of course, I was never the one having to shovel it or otherwise clear paths...but I digress. That color is perfect on you! Almost inspires me to try that sweater.
Posted by: La | October 26, 2004 at 11:15 AM
You look absolutely stunning in Lara!! I love it, the winter backdrop was a perfect setting! I just finished a hat in the same yarn and color so I know how snuggly you feel in it!! Beautiful work!!
Posted by: Kate | October 26, 2004 at 11:59 AM
Your Lara is wonderful, it looks like the perfect sweater for winter.
Posted by: Tiffany | October 26, 2004 at 12:41 PM
Thanks for sending people my way last week! You look absoulutely fabulous in that sweater...beautiful pics! Way to go!
Posted by: Stacey | October 26, 2004 at 01:25 PM
Lara is fabulous! She looks terrific on you. The hair pick is a great closure.
Posted by: Steph | October 26, 2004 at 01:44 PM
Margene, it's YOU! The sweater looks so great - thanks for inspiring us with another one of your special projects! (Thanks, too, for your kind comment on my site - I do try to keep it simple and it means a lot to hear your reflections on the topic!)
Posted by: Mary Beth | October 26, 2004 at 04:05 PM
Congratulations on a beautifully finished Lara. It's always so nice to have a cozy sweater that we actually love wearing! Your right...the color looks great with jeans. Enjoy wearing her!
Posted by: Eilene | October 26, 2004 at 04:53 PM
How cozy do you look in your beautiful Lara!! It's a perfect snow cardi. Glad to be of help with the pin, and I too like the more casual approach of it than a jewel. Beautiful colour on you!
Posted by: Alison | October 26, 2004 at 05:12 PM
WOW! It looks great on you! A kick in the pants to get moving on mine. Just lovely.
Posted by: Kristine | October 26, 2004 at 05:36 PM
Very nice Margene! I bet it becomes a favorite for years! Your pictures were great too!
Posted by: Karen | October 26, 2004 at 06:05 PM
You are sweet, sweet, sweet! (As was my candy corn this morning. :) ) What a surprise to check my email this evening and find so many nice birthday wishes from your readers.
Lara is beautiful. I love a sweater you can cozy in to and wear on a regular basis.
Posted by: Melanie | October 26, 2004 at 07:48 PM
Hi !
Lara looks great on you ! I like the blue colour especailly. You know you are tempting me to have a trail on the yarn. Well done !
Eva
Posted by: Eva Shiu | October 26, 2004 at 09:34 PM
Simply beautiful, Margene! The sweater, the scenery and you!
Posted by: Siow Chin | October 26, 2004 at 11:29 PM
Okay, I changed my mind. I do want to take another look at that DB Alpaca Silk book. Seeing you in that lovely Lara is rather inspiring, you know. Very lovely photographs--you going professional?
Posted by: Laurie | October 26, 2004 at 11:39 PM
You're beautiful!
Posted by: Wendy | October 27, 2004 at 08:59 AM
My gosh, Margene, you look stunning. I love the way Lara turned out and the sweater just looks beautiful with your eyes. It makes my mind of winter wander to thoughts of snow...
Posted by: Julia | October 27, 2004 at 10:33 AM
Beautiful Lara and beautiful snowy landscape! Awesome job on the sweater. Love the color! ;0)
Posted by: alison | October 27, 2004 at 11:33 AM
Just beautiful - this is the first Lara I've seen that makes me want to knit her!
Posted by: Jackie | October 27, 2004 at 06:13 PM
Gorgeous, Margene. And I'm simply bowled over by the snow photos. You're already having winter weather!
Posted by: Becky | October 29, 2004 at 10:45 AM