Design Preview #7 - Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Well, we are about a week away from Christmas and at the penultimate design in the previews from the Leather, Lace, Grit & Grace collection. 

No design collection honoring the early females of flight could omit a trip to France to honor the woman who received licence #36 from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale  (F.A.I.) - the first woman to be issued a pilot's license - Elise DeRoche. The first 35 licenses went to the male heavy hitters of early aviation (including one issued to each of the Wright Brothers). 

DeRoche would later become known as the Baroness Raymonde de la Roche (the baroness title bestowed upon her by the Russian Czar after watching her fly), and she openly encouraged use of the title. She was - by accounts of the time - beautiful, smart and gifted in the cockpit. Trained as an artist and sculptor, DeRoche had ambitions to be an actress but turned her back on all of it once she was bitten by the flight bug. 

Just look at all that great Starry sparkle.

So in honor of this groundbreaking female, I present the Cracked Glass Cowl. Worked up in Dream in Color Starry in the cocoa kiss colorway, you can see how the textured play of lace just sparkles. The body of this slightly asymmetrically shaped cowl is actually worked flat, top-down through the bottom edging; then, after blocking, the front lace inset is worked and acts as the cowl's closure. Buttons at the side of the neck allow for ease over the head.

It comes in two sizes, so it should fit over the shoulders of most women, but the bottom photo also shows it bunched around the shoulders for a relaxed look.

I absolutely love how this design turned out, and the wonderfully tonal, sparkly Dream in Color yarn adds so much depth and personality. I think the Baroness would have quite liked this cowl.

Until next time ...

Design Preview #6 - Amelia Gets Her Due

Alright, everyone, you knew we'd get to that big name sooner or later: Amelia Earhart. A huge personality in life, and an even larger myth in death, she continues to hold our collective fascination. Of all the women profiled in Leather, Lace, Grit & Grace, she is perhaps the one I learned the most about; to be more specific, I gained greater insight into Earhart. Critics have used modern day standards to denounce her flying ability and willingness to take risks (and to be certain, many of the precautions she ousted from the plane on her last ill-fated voyage could have been the difference between a successful flight and going missing at sea), yet there are parts of Amelia that get very little notice: the role her family played in her formative years; how early poverty may have affected her decision-making in later life; her deep humanitarian drive; her self-described "non-feminist" approach; her ability to unite female pilots into the still-surviving non-profit The Ninety-Nines.  

One of the things we need to remember about these early pilots: many of them flew in open cockpits. Amelia was always commenting on how cold a particular flight was; as a result, I thought a stole in order to help keep the chill at bay.

My first knit design of the book (but not my last!), this is all about one amazing cable that runs through it. Literally from the bottom right corner, it organically meanders across the main body of the stole to end at the top left corner. I cannnot tell you how much I love this riff on a French braid, and in Neighborhood Fiber Co.'s Studio Sport, the wonderful tonal qualities of Karida's dyeing magic is on full display. While many beginning knitters may be intimidated by cables, I would absolutely consider this a project worthy for an adventurous beginner - once you establish the cable pattern, it becomes fairly rote. 

More importantly, it has luxurious dimensions that are great for wrapping around shoulders and/or neck. Of course I'm biased, but I firmly believe Amelia would have loved this design and would have made it a staple accessory in her wardrobe.

I also note that many of these early pilots (including Earhart) had planes retrofitted for the ability to make landings at sea. It was this knowledge that led me to Kenmore Air. It's why I show as many current seaplanes as I can. The personnel at Kenmore have been nothing but fantastically accommodating; their facilities, planes and personnel are the main supporting cast of the book.

We only have two more design previews left! I hope you are enjoying these previews as much as I am enjoying writing them.

Until next time ...

Beyond the Halfway Point in the Design Previews

Well it's the end of another week, and time for another design preview.

This Friday I'm turning my attention to Bessie Coleman. In case you weren't aware, she is the first African-American female to receive a pilot's license, earning her Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) license in France in June of 1921. She learned French specifically so she could travel overseas and take flying lessons since she could find no person in the states who would accept her as a student. She then stayed a few additional months in Paris, taking more lessons to sharpen her skills, and sailed back to New York and much acclaim.

Coleman fought tirelessly for her race and gender, so I wanted to design something that had a lush element, and this piece definitely does:

The Bomber-inspired Hoodie Vest is a luxuriously tactile piece and deceptively easy to create. Worked bottom-up in Berroco Blackstone Tweed and the oh-so-soft Berroco Marmot, the hood, done half in fur, frames the neck in uber-warmth. While it can be worn up, it is rather more for keeping your neck, shoulders and back framed in luxurious good looks. I opted for actual small fur clasps with a leather element positioned at the top of the hoodie front for a completely functional if somewhat understated notions element. I did not want to detract from the hood, which is the star of the piece.

This vest is not only easy to work up, but easy to wear. It can quickly become that go-to piece to throw on when walking out the door for anything from a day hike to a day of shopping. I am convinced that Bessie, who worked as a manicurist in order to save money for her trip to France, would have loved this design.

Pre-ordering the soft-cover book from my Big Cartel online store for $24.99 + shipping before the end of the year will get you (1) a free electronic .pdf version; and (2) a book signed by yours truly. Ordering both together after January 1st will cost more. The book will also be available for purchase in the new year from various other distribution channels, which I'll announce as they become available. I do hope you'll consider purchasing the book directly from the author, as more of your money will go directly to support more designing.

And that's always a good thing in my book.

I hope you are getting through this holiday season in style. Until next time ...