Am I the only knitter who spends as much time unpicking as knitting?
When Elle UK was launched in the late 80s, I bought it religiously. One of my favourite features was the designer knitting pattern in the back and I cut out and kept each one. Over years of successive house moves and subsequent clear outs, my collection was whittled down, but one pattern I did keep was a stunning Azzedine Alaia jumper. As 80s styles made a comeback of sorts I decided last year, at long last, it was a good time to knit it. Unfortunately, as is often the case with old patterns, it required an obsolete mohair yarn, doubled. So I used a beautiful mohair / alpaca mix instead that roughly knitted to the same tension. The result was a rather beautiful geometrical garment, soft as a sleeping kitten to touch, but totally impractical. As the wool sheds rather a lot of hairs, I was told I could only wear it in the car if I wore a coat over it – impossible due to the wideness of the sleeves. It was also incredibly warm but rather short so prone to ride up and leave you with a chilly back. So after a few outings, mainly round the house, it became consigned to the further reaches of the wardrobe. Reluctantly I am now unravelling it. I’ve found a pattern for a cardigan jacket style that is more practical (I hope!) ironically in the same broken rib. Still, at least for a time, albeit a short one, I had an Alaia original. And no, I haven’t had the heart to throw the pattern away yet.
