Diva?

jody

I met up with Kristy on Saturday. It was great to meet another knitter who lives nearby and have a *real* conversation about knitting.
After having our fill of strangers talking to us (seriously, what is it with people thinking it’s OK to inject themselves into your conversations when you’re knitting?), we took a walk down to Pins and Needles.
They had a Hanne Falkenberg trunk show going on, and I finally got to see Diva in person.


I’ve envied this sweater for a while now but always dismissed it, thinking the yarn would be super-scratchy and the garter stitch would be inflexible.
I was wrong.
The yarn is somewhat-scratchy — it’s no merino, but it’s not the scratchiest stuff out there either. And the drape — there’s serious drape! From what I could tell the gauge is slightly larger than what you’d expect for the yarn, so it created a nice drape. The collar was sculpted and lovely.
I’m still concerned that I would grow bored of all that garter stitch. It’s A LOT of garter stitch.
Have you knit a Hanne Falkenberg sweater? What do you think? Am I taking on the apparel version of the knitted blanket? And even if I am, will I be able to stop myself?

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26 thoughts on “Diva?”

  2. I MADE this sweater – was SO much fun – but – here’s the part you may not want to hear:
    it GREW so much I cant wear it – and I am large! and it is incredibly short- as in REALLY short and I had lengthened it.
    BUT – that said – was a fun knit and you will not get tired of garter – SO much shaping and the short row collar is FUN.
    I plan to make another of her sweaters SOMETIME.
    I made 3 of her STELLA beret pattern.
    If you love it – GO FOR IT. Remember – make a size smaller than you think you need and lengthen if you have any doubts re:length.
    Have any questions, let me know!
    Back to lurking…. Beth

  3. i’m in pins and needles at least twice a month and i was surprised last time i was there to see the falkenberg kits and some other new additions. i really need a job that’s not within walking distance of a yarn store!

  4. I haven’t knit any Hanne Falkenberg designs, but this one looks lovely! I have had bad luck with garter stitch growing in the past (look for Charm by Kim H in my blog), and I would swatch very carefully, and think a lot about Beth’s comment too.

  5. Oh my goodness. That is the cutest thing. I love the collar. The whole design is such a meld of old (is the collar shaping 1940s-ish?) and new (mod styling, no?). Love it.

  7. I’ve made the Tokyo and am working on the Mermaid. Beautiful sweaters and beautiful construction.
    Tokyo got done because I gave myself a timetable to finish.
    Have to do that with Mermaid now.
    You can get the Falkenberg kits for a much more reasonable price at Cucumberpatch or Sommerfuglen (not sure of spelling now but email if you cant find them).
    Go for it! You’ll be glad you did.
    Ronni

  8. I have a danish coworker whose DIL knits her any Hanne Falkenberg she wants. The DIL loves to knit but not for herself… so I regularly get to see the items up close and personal. I haven’t made up my mind yet which one I want to knit for myself though :)
    Cheers Eva

  9. Yep, I’ve knit one for my Mum -can’t remember the name of the apttern, but also mainly garter stitch, and she still wears it lots and gets masses of compliiments.
    Perhaos being careful to do a sizeable swatch and washing and abusing it first? Not that I did – just lucky, I think!

  13. I have Studio in my stash. I wear Granny’s La Strada all of the time. It is not itchy at all. Granny said the construction was fun and likened it to eating peanuts.

  15. This is a hard question to ask on a blog– of course everyone wants you to make it. It’s free to watch :)
    It *is* a lovely sweater!

  18. You should definitely make Diva. I made Pagode about two years ago, and it IS an awful lot of garter stitch. But the color changes and the construction keep you interested and the end product is fabulous. I am certain you will be as pleased with Diva as I am with Pagode. I’ll be watching for your progress!

  19. I have a Mermaid kit waiting for me to get up the nerve to knit it. Make sure you check out Cucumber Patch in the UK for great prices.

  22. Once I got over my intial “$250 is highway robbery!” reaction, I could admit it is indeed a lovely sweater. Making it would be an investment of time and money, so I think you need to ask yourself, Do you love it? Do you covet it? In reading your entry, it looks like the answers are “yes.”

  23. I’ve had my eye on that pattern, too – I love the olive and purple colorway. A friend made the Mermaid pattern, and it turned out really gorgeous! Mermaid also had a ton of short-row shaping, and she seemed to complete it fairly quickly. discount.

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