Grey area.

So I mentioned Fashion Plates in my last post and I've had a few questions about long sleeves on the Gallery Jacket. It was absolutely meant to be long-sleeved! I was basically trying to recreate a favorite sweater (seen here in all it's ribby wrappy glory) and ran out of time. Luckily, the time constraint forced me to cut corners (in a good way, IMHO) by picking up stitches around the armsyce and knitting down until they yelled "CUT! Put it on. Look pretty!" I plan to make mine long-sleeved and it will be easy for all of you to do so--just keep knitting! It might make sense to work some decrease rows past the elbow. I'll cast on for my version soon and share those numbers with you (and Webs, so they can put it on the pattern) soon.

About "re-interpreting" sweaters...a Ravelry thread about design/pattern theft got pretty heated recently. It's always an interesting discussion and I've even taught a colloquium about the contested nature of originality. We explored the possibility that it might not be possible anymore, and looked at it from a number of angles (planned communities like Celebration, FL, media mash-ups, iconography and semiotics, mimicry and homage, etc.). You can read my thoughts on this here. For non-Ravelers, I will just say that letting go of a fetishized notion of "originality" was the first step I had to take before engaging design and setting my creative output loose into the world.

The store-bought sweater uses a different rib pattern and of course, a different sleeve. Mine is practically seamless, which the store version isn't. It also incorporates some clunky, very visible decreases that I nixed. I would never claim to have dreamed up this sweater out of thin air--it's more like a jazz standard. Fun fact about me--I used to work at the Acton Jazz Cafe and have heard approximately 312 versions of "Stella by Starlight." Ooh, another--I still don't know the words! My mother used to sing professionally and my father is a jazz drummer but I am notoriously bad at learning lyrics.

The STR Sock Club accepts enrollments today. Hate to say, it was easy to resist signing up. I've signed up for two, yes TWO seasons of the Sundara Season's club and I have billion skeins of STR in my stash anyway. Working as a Stitches vendor is it's own little sock club...you get to shop the amazing booth before the attendees! Heck, Deb and Kaci will tell you that I shop the booth while they're UNPACKING. Yes, I am annoying. I can't help it, look at this!!

Anyhow, I'm saving my BMFA $$ for the Raven series. I'm oh-so-curious to see the BMFA non-brights, and Kaci tells me that the patterns are fantastic.

It's deliciously grey today. Does anyone else love these damp, foggy fall days? They get no love!

CR

P.S. Whoa. I just searched my blog to see if I've mentioned the colloquium before. I have--look at the title. SEE-nothing is original!