Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Copycat Reese Witherspoon Wrap

I am finally, after five starts, making progress on the wrap I promised younger daughter in exchange for her putting all that mohair fringe on my wrap when she was here in July.

This is the first project I have ever made without a pattern, but with, instead, just an idea: the wrap worn by Reese Witherspoon in one scene in Sweet Home Alabama. I started out knitting it completely in garter stitch, but that was boring and kind of plain. Then I went through sizes 7, 8, 9, and now size 10 needles until I got a fabric I liked. On tens the fabric drapes nicely. I took the whole thing to last week's Knit-Night and asked for help. Thank goodness for kindred knitters!

Lucille (thanks Lucille!) showed me a project she had started using a stockinette border, seed stitch body, and increases to get the angled side. On my first attempt, I used a knit or purl into the front and back of the next-to-the last stitch on the front side for the increases and ended up with a wobbly edge. Lucille suggested a yarnover increase, and that has worked beautifully - giving the edge a tiny bit of the look of lace.

The yarn is Cascade Pastaza (50% Llama and 50% wool) in color 289, a really pretty sort of blue/gray. I started with three stitches and increased on the front side until I had forty-five stitches. The wrap will be about fourteen inches wide. I'm not sure how to do the decreases on the other end in order to have the same lace appearance, but I'm very sure that Lucille will know!

3 comments:

Sigrun said...

It's neat to make something without a pattern. I saw a nice sweater in church this morning, and I'm going to adapt (not copy) it.

hey pebbles said...

I just came across your bog today while I was looking for a closeup picture of that same (resse witherspoon) wrap to show my friend -- who's going to help me try to knit it. did you finish your wrap? if so would you post a photo of it?

also... leonard cohen is one of the most prolific and amazing songwriter of our time. If you haven't heard these next songs already check them out:
everybody knows
i'm your man (very romantic)
democracy is coming to the USA

thanks again,
lynne

knittergran said...

Hi Lynne-
Thanks for the note and I will definitely post the picture of the finished wrap-probably in the next couple of weeks. I'm working on four projects at once, so each takes a while. If it turns out to be what you want, send me your e-mail address and I'll type up some instructions.
And thanks for the suggestions for Cohen numbers-I have heard two of the three and love them; I'll check out the third.