My Bed of Roses Bed Jacket & Other Silk Pretties

This horrible cold is still horrible but my good friend Jane brought me a big kettle of her wonderful homemade chicken soup with matzo balls and it has perked me up a bit. So I figured it was time I posted the little bit of knitting I did this summer. All three projects were made with silk or silk blends so they are beautifully lusterous and shimmery.

The first one is a long, rectangular shawl knit in a Haitian Silk called Gemstone. It is a combination of silk and rayon, thick and thin and quite "slubby" and very soft when finished. The finished piece measures 76" by 24". It was knit on size 7 needles and has a crocheted edge.

The second one is also a long, rectangular stole knit from 100% raw silk that I reclaimed from a thrift store sweater. The sweater had the original label in it and it was very easy to unravel. The yarn was very thick and very thin and has the most gorgeous sheen to it (see the closeup). I knit it on size 10.5 needles using a basic Old Shale stitch. I just love this as it goes with everything and looks so elegant.

The third piece is my new favorite-garment-I-own. It is a bed jacket style sweater made from KnitPick's 100% Pima Cotton Crayon in Pink and a scrumptious hand-dyed silk eyelash yarn I bought on eBay.. This is the softest thing you can imagine and it is warmer than I thought it would be. The only thing is, it does "grow" as cotton often does but it tightens back up when it is washed. I just knit a basic V-neck cardigan holding one strand of each yarn together on size 10 needles. I knit from the top down and, when I got to the appropriate place I started a lace stitch. i don't even know what this lace pattern is called. I got it off the Internet.

The sleeves are 3/4 length, which I love. The overall garment comes down to mid-thigh. Every time I wear it people stop and ask me where I got it. The color is just scrumptious and the combination of cotton and eyelash silk looks like old-fashioned chenille. As usual, I just made it up as I went along. I call it my Bed of Roses bed jacket because of the softness and the color.

I love this bed jacket so much I am making another one in a slightly different lace pattern out of Crayon in Periwinkle. I'll keep you posted.

Stay warm --- it is very windy and cold here in Gloucester. Br-r-r-r.....

Thanks for reading.