I’m always sort of surprised by what I can learn about myself through knitting. For example, I have just had it reinforced that I don’t take direction well. I don’t like being told what to do, and if coerced (even by myself) into doing something un-Stephanie-like, there will be consequences. During the knitting of the Snowdrop Shawl I was very un-Stephanie-like. You will note that during this time, I was remarkably monogamous with the shawl. I stuck with one project, I swatched, I kept notes…I used graph paper, and most remarkably…I finished the shawl. Most un-harloty.
Today, there are consequences.
This is what I’m working on now. Yesterday I just kept dragging out project after project and couldn’t control myself in the slightest. I started 2 new things, plus a square for the Mason-Dixon afghan-along plus hauled out the purple socks that need finishing, plus decided to risk The Claw and get back on the horse that threw me by pulling out Ken’s socks. Then I got the new Vogue Knitting and I wanted to make everything.
I take that back. I don’t want to make the bikini. Let’s not discuss why. The sun is shining, I’m close to being done the laundry, there’s every possibility that I’m going to get a nice job today and I’m just not going to wreck it by even starting with the multitude of reasons why me in a crocheted bikini is not a good idea. I think the model wearing it is the one woman in the world who could pull it off, and I dare her to get it wet. (Hell…it’s a slow day, I double dog dare her)
This,
is the object of my most intense lust. I labour under the delusion that I would look so slender and chic in it, and we all know how I feel about cardigans, and while the sample is knit in a powder blue, mine would be periwinkle (4179, they call it grape. Who names yarn? I could do a way better job). I was showing this to my mother, who has spent 35 years trying to teach me the rules of fashion. Things like “short women should wear all one colour to emphasize a long line”, or “women with small busts should draw attention to their faces” and “The taller you are, the longer you can set your hems”. Or the rule that apparently applies here…”If you are not very tall, you shouldn’t wear sweaters that come past your hips”.
I explained that even though I am not as tall as the woman in the photo, (I’m going to take a moment to give Ken a pre-emptive “shut up” here…since he is going to be compelled to make some kind of smart-ass remark about my height) I do think that sweater would look good on me, and that frankly, I don’t buy these rules and that I believe that she is making them up to stand between me and everything I have ever wanted to wear. My mother looked me in the eye and said “Darling…I have always wondered what you think you look like”.
Food for thought.
Yarn Harlot
One of the best things about turning 40 is that I stopped giving a rat’s arse about the rules or what other people think. I wear what I like – or at least I’m on the road to pure obliviousness. I figure I’ll be even better at it when I’m 50, as it’s a bit of a hard slog beating 40 years’ worth of ingrained Thou Must Nots out of my brain…
I say make the dang cardigan and love wearing it.
I was *going* to shut up, but I really hate being told to shut up. So. I just want you to do one thing for me. Measure the distance between the bottom of the model’s bust and the waistband of her pants. Now measure the same distance down from the bottom of your bust. How far down are your pants? I’m just askin’.
Hi! Found you from The Knitlette…
I’m ROTFLOL at Ken’s comment. On me, the ribbing at the bottom would start an inch past the waistband of my pants, LOL! To say I am short waisted is a huge understatement though…
That is a great sweater! I’m still waiting on my Spring Vogue and can’t wait to see it! I say go for it if you love it.
My mom does the same thing! “You’re too short to have long hair” is another of my favorites. But I love that cardigan. I think we should have a short girls knitalong for it.
I clearly need some stronger way to restrain Ken. Kristi, I don’t think being short waisted is a problem. I tend toward shortwaistedness myself (DOWN KEN). I was thinking more that the eyelet “V”s would *be* the waist.
Ahem.
Honk if you’re *not tall*.
One Stephanie to another, some of the rules make sense, some are guidelines and some you can toss. Just stand up reeeeeel straight when you wear that perfect cardi and everyone will think you’re tall!
Don’t feel bad. I have measure my legs and the length isn’t even 24 in long. I would love to make the sweater but it would look like I stole it from a giant.
Hey, I’m going to make that sweater and I’m not even 5’2″. However, I tower over my mother and sister. The trick is to stand next to shorter people.
Ooooo…beautiful sweater! Knit it and if you don’t like it, send it to me! 😉
Honk!
In a way, I’m thankful that my mother never saddled me with all those “short women shouldn’t….” rules. And I’m not sure I agree with all of them (dressing in all-black risks looking like an old Italian widow unless I watch what I’m wearing). But as beautiful as the sweater is, Ken’s got a point about the model…. 😉
I spent years telling everyone I was 5’4″. I’m not. Then I found out that the average height for women in North America is something like 5’1 and a half inches. (My husband says its all those short ladies in Guatemala that bring down the average…my answer is “so what?”) This means we are not short, we are slightly below average. Big difference.
Would you like the sweater? Would you enjoy making it? Will you like it in the colour you have chosen? If yes, make it, wear it, enjoy it. Be a rebel. I have been cursed (yes it is a curse) with a very generous bust. I wear stripes across my chest if I feel like it. I am “not tall”, and I wear long sweaters, long skirts, short skirts and whatever the heck I please. My older son has a saying that covers this nicely. Don’t like what you see? Don’t look. Don’t like me? Go hard. I’ll probably never meet you again anyway.
Barb
*Honk*. Actually, I’m 5’5″, pretty average, but next to my 6’8 husband and 6’9″ son, well… I once knew a woman who had only ever seen me with DH, and was stunned one day to pass by me in a hallway and do a double-take, suddenly realizing I was 3″ taller than her, not the other way around. That was my first lesson in ditching any rules on clothes and just going with what I like, because what the heck difference is it going to make: I will never look anything but tiny to anybody who knows my family, no matter what I may do.
Can I borrow that sweater when you’re not wearing it? It’s gorgeous. And you know you’ll have it all knitted up by the end of the week anyway.
I recently got an e-mail response to my blog entry about my mother’s insistence that her vest be exactly 30″ long — 29″ was too short, and 31 too long. The e-mailer told me that 27″ is THE correct length. ?????????? My mom is now under 5′ tall, my cousin is a gorgeous 5’10” — how can one number be right?
There IS something to be said for proportion. You may want to just figure out where on your figure you want the sweater to end, and adjust accordingly.
And am I the only one who thought that last remark of your mother’s was mean?
I’m going to ruminate on your mother’s comment all day now! “I have often wondered what you think you look like.” Hmmm. That’s a good one.
You could always cut up an old sheet into the rough dimensions of the sweater, pin it together and try it on to see if you want to adjust something. Then of course DON’T tell your mother you adjusted it. 😉
I think you should make the sweater. While (not being familiar with your body type other that you describe yourself as short) you wouldn’t look like the model (but then, who does 🙂 ) – I think its a pretty versitle pattern (remember, though – those pants are low slung – her waist is just south of the Vs section. )
I don’t buy the short people shouldn’t wear long sweaters thing – I have a rather short friend who does all the time – and its flattering on her. (she’s 4’11)
Honk, honk. Not tall and getting shorter by the day as my adolescent son grows. I so glad that Melissa vetoed the long sweaters rule! If my sweaters ended at the hip, well, the horizontal line thus created would be unflattering in the extreme. ALL my favorite sweaters are long.
If memory serves, Maggie Righetti has guidelines for which sweaters and lengths look best on which body types as well as length guidelines in relationship to height. She has figures with black and white “sweaters” on them to show what the effects are of breaking up your silhouette in different ways. But I think they are guidelines, NOT total rules.
If I were going to make this sweater (and I want to at some point AFTER I do the lacey cardigan — a.k.a. #11 — which I swatched immediately), I would use a provisional cast on at the beginning of the “skirt” portion, make the whole sweater from the bottom up as designed, and then knit that ribbed section DOWN. I do the bottom section of my sweaters last often for a couple of reasons. First it saves me from worry about running out of handspun — the sweater is done at the bottom when I have no more yarn. Second, if the amount of yarn is not an issue, I can check how the different lengths look on me as it develops. I just put the bottom stitches on a piece of scrap yarn and try the sweater on. This particular sweater is ideally suited to my peculiar process.
I shouldn’t be posting, as I am going to have a house of 11 little girls here for a birthday party in an hour and a half, and I’m NOT ready for it, but I’m throwing caution to the wind…
I would like to say that mothers should STUFF IT!!!! Being one myself, three times, I can say that. I am 5’9”+, and I have a chest the size of Texas. This is not a good thing. MY mother always told me that tall people never look cute pregnant, they just look fat. She also said how unfortunate it was that I got my paternal grandmother’s boobs and my maternal grandmother’s insufficient shoulders. Back when I was still listening to my mother’s opinion on my physical appearance, I slouched, felt like a cow, and envied all you SUPER-CUTE short people.
I have seen many short women in long, sweater-coat type things, and I think it is totally cute. There is no reason to try to disguise your height. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I think that short is feminine. I didn’t realize, until I saw a picture of us standing together, that my three closest friends are all about 6 inches shorter than me. I had no idea. I’ll just tell you that when I saw it, I didn’t look like the beautiful, tall one, I looked like the elephant.
Tall is beautiful, too. I know that, but the point is that it is in no way superior to short, (except I’ve been told that tall women can eat more calories, and while that is good and all, I’m still fat). Everyone is beautiful, even fat, tall, me, in their own way. And nothing is more beautiful than a woman, reguardless of her size, standing tall, (um, I couldn’t think of another way to say that, sorry), holding her head high, and knowing it.
Can I get a “hallelujah sister” for Laura!
Yes.Absolutely !
Hallelujah sister !!!
Mother’s are always doing that,starting sentances with ”Darling…”.I know it’s a slap down that’s coming.Every time !
I’m fat,I’m proud and I wander round the house singing Beautiful South’s ”Perfect 10”,very loudly.
It’s a beautiful jacket/cardigan.Knit it.
I prefer the term, “petite” (being of that sort, myself) & I’ve been lusting over that cardigan since I received my issue, too. I shared your concerns about how it would work on my frame, but based on the other feedback received, I’m in a mind to say, screw it! I’ll make mine if you’ll make yours….
I feel a little awkward at the moment, as I’m 5’10” and know that the sweater would work for me and with my proportions. I’m a tall girl who wears heels. Don’t hate me for my Amazonian stature.
As for the sweater, I always say, knit what you love. If you love it, as you seem to, go for it, Steph! If you need to make adjustments to the pattern so the proportions are right, what the hell! Knitting is a creative process. There are no pattern police who say you have to knit every stitch as laid out in Vogue Knitting (or anywhere else, for that matter). Mom means well, but she is not Master of the Universe. Water off a duck’s back, baby!
Stephanie, maybe it�s the full moon that�s propelling the return to harlotness?
As for the periwinkle cardi, I hope you go ahead with it as I�d love to enjoy it vicariously. I spent most of the weekend searching endlessly for a summer cardi (I was itching to knit something in Calmer) and got really fed up with all the skinny models posing for the patterns that interested me. (What is it with Rowan anyway!?) Maybe a belly dancing class would help change my attitude and let my 59 yr old belly hang out gloriously in such a sweater.
Roi
Steph: that sweater is absolutely gorgeous! You say it’s in the Spring Vogue magazine? so this would make the 6th “must make it for me” sweater I’ve found! Jen, stop laughing at me!
Dear Yarn Harlot-
I love your blog. I just started knitting about a month ago (I have three gorgeous garter stitch scarves behind me, the whole Purl thing still hasn’t happend, but I’m getting there) and I completely dig your site, although I’ve never posted a comment before.
Seriously, tell your Mom to stuff it on this one because your height really has nothing to do with how good this is going to look on you. If you wear the cardigan over a single color, like black pants and shirt, it will make you look taller. While there are SOME things you can do if you’re short to make yourself look better, some short women absolutely look fabulous in tunic-length and longer shirts and sweaters. It’s all about line and proportion, not arbitrary rules, and while there are some good guidelines to follow if you want to look fabulous no matter what you do, very few of them are related to height.
It’s all about proportion, not height. I, myself, am 5’10 and I can gaurentee you can fit that ring shawl through MY ring. If I followed fashion rules about how I SHOULD look, and dress, I would look boring and very un-Bippy like. I’m a huge woman, and according to the rules I should wear neutrals and pastels to make me look smaller and less bulky/threatening, and never wear prints because on a woman such as me I’d look like a Pinata, or perhaps a parade float. This is not what I wear and I look like hell whenever I try to (for lack of a better term) cramp my style because someone 100 years ago decided they knew what the best length for a skirt was. I wear loud, bright colors with a lot of black, and I always get complements on how I look because I pay attention to the line of garments, and how they affect my proportions, and I do a lot of very bold things. One of the scarves I’m making is white and over 9 feet long, which looks fantastic with a long, dark dress. I get complements every time I wear it, although if I was following the fashion rules I wouldn’t wear anything that would draw that much attention to my bulky self. Screw that! The scarf cuts my line in half or thirds down the front, which makes me look narrower (thinner), and draws the eye either to my tits or my face, depending on who’s looking, and since they’re both good points on me I don’t give a damn.
There’s a couple of books that are a good starting place for the whole proportion/line school of thought. The best are by Leah Feldon, a fashionista who is short and wears a lot of tunics and tunic-length things. As a bonus, you can then counter-point fashion rules with your mother after reading her books.
That cardigan is lovely, and if you want it I see no reason at all for you not to have it.
Ciao,
Bippy
Hmmm… if my mother had said that to me, i would have said something very nasty back. but then i don’t have a lot of self-control in that area. ;o)
That sweater was my favorite item in the magazine! Knit it, and if you feel self-conscious, wear some stack heels to give the illusion of tallness. Otherwise, if you’re comfortable, wear it barefooted if you like. You’re the one wearing it, so you make the rules. :o)
Hmm. Your mama sure knows where those buttons are.
When I look at that sweater, the issue for me is not length per se. IMHO, a stick-slim short person with no ass would look lovely in it, maybe with a bit of an adjustment to the ribbed bit. *I* wouldn’t make that sweater as is because that sweater would hit me at the widest part of my hips. No. Way. Jose.
What is more beautiful than a smiling happy woman? If I am wearing a huge grin, the kind of people *whose opinions I care about* will not notice the length of my hem.
HONK HONK
I must confess that I am a big nerdy dork who kneels and worships at the alter of What Not to Wear (the British version on BBC America, thank you very much).
We shorties can wear longer items, but the main issue is about the waist and hips of such an item. This is definately a slimming cardigan that would work because it’s not adding bulk at the waist or the hips — which is frightening for most women; but it’s sure to make a shortly look wider than she is tall.
You could even make it longer if you wished, and it would still work quite well.
I’m not short (5’8″) or slender. I have a SIGNIFICANT bust (no waist, hips or ass to speak of). I love the cardigan/jacket and I think the lines, the v-neck and the vertical ribs, could work well for me. However, the biggest size is not large enough to go around me. How do people feel about widening this garment? I can do the math part but what about the lines; will they be ruined if the garment is widened (I’ll probably need it to be about 46″ around at the bust)?
I’m so glad you made the doll clothes. I have some my mother made for my doll Maria in 1958 and they are among my most treasured possesions.
Love your blog which has become a daily fix. Literate and funny is a rare combination – please keep it up!
Susanna, I actually think that (in my mind at least) this would be a good sweater to widen. Could you maybe even do most of the widening at the centre front? Making the “v” decreases a little less often? Somebody else should chime in, since adding room for glorious breasts has never been needed around here.
I love that sweater! I saw it in Vogue too. I completely agree with the rest of the cheering squad – go for it! Coming from a person who wears whatever she damn well pleases. 🙂
You guys crack me up… yet again.
I’m not short (5’6″) but I’m definitely short-waisted (and hate, hate, hate pantyhose as a result — stop compressing my ribs!) and I think that sweater could work. I like the idea of working the part from the bust up first, then working the rest downward. Hey, why make our own sweaters if we can’t make them fit _us_? 🙂 Make the sweater — it’ll look fab, and so will you!
Susanna – I think its very widenable. Having become newly obsessed with this sweater (gee, thanks Stephanie… 🙂 ) I looked it up last night. The sweater shape is very basic. It even has schematic drawings in the Vogue. I’d start with my dimensions (yeah, you gotta measure yourself) and add the extra fabric where you need it. Especially since the sleeves are supposed to hit your shoulders right on… You might consider short-rowing a bustline in there (much like adding darts in sewing, for the same reasons) (I’m going to be doing something similar, because I have kinda broad shoulders, and want to make sure this will fit)