Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Chauntecler; Or, How I Get My Test Knit On

Here's that post #500!

Pattern: Chauntecler
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette, in Oyster Heather (7 balls)

This is a call out for any and all interested in lending a hand.
I'd like to offer this pattern for sale - but in order to do that, I'd appreciate a few generous test knitters!
You can check out the deets here on the Rav group.
Please message me there with your info if you'd like to be a tester, and if you have any questions at all.

I had a lot of fun designing this dress.
It's my first attempt at such a garment - and I'm really rather pleased!
As noted in earlier posts, I enjoy me my Knit Picks Palette.
And truly, it was no easy task choosing which colour I'd knit with. I was rather tempted by Serrano, Pimento and Tumeric, but in the end settled on Oyster Heather.

Chauntecler has a top-down, mainly-in-the-round construction, with most of the visual interest focussed on the back lace panels. I tried to keep all other aspects of the design simple, so as not to compete with the skirt details.

I was inspired by the beautiful plumage of some fancy roosters - hence the Chauntecler name. Jealous of their lovely, extravagant feathers, I wanted to create a tail of my own.
In yarn.
On a dress.

And, with the prodigious amounts of fun that I had creating this knit, I can certainly say that there will be more dresses in my designing future!

11 comments:

Fel said...

I like it! I'm definitely not fast enough a knitter to be a test (or dress) knitter, but I like the colour and the lace. :)

Andi said...

This is a gorgeous design!

LittleCanoe said...

Wow! It's gorgeous! I wish I had time.

Jane Richmond said...

This is so gorgeous! It's so feminine and flatters you so well!

Thea said...

That skirt is gorgeous! It looks amazing on you.

I only wish I could rock the fitted, knitted dress - but alas, those days are past....

Hilary said...

That. Is. STUNNING. Oh my gosh. It has such a pretty shape and that lace "tail" is genius! Knitting it in Palette was a great idea...the small gauge, I bet, will keep it from getting saggy. Congrats on an AMAZING design. And seriously, you should wear that dress every day because you look amazing in it!!

Kathleen Dames said...

Really pretty! And I love the color choice - it shows off the lace nicely. If I weren't so busy with my own stuff, I'd offer to test knit.

juicyknits said...

So cute. But I am also amongst those to whom it is forbidden to wear knitted dresses. I'm quite tempted to try it, though. You rock it!h

Julie said...

oh wow, it's gorgeous!!! I'd love to test knit, if you're still looking for folks. I've been obsessed with wanting knitted dresses lately.

Ilix said...

Looks great! Congrats on another design done! Hope that your testers have a great time... I sadly can also not wear knit dresses.... trust me it's for the best. LOL

Kai said...

Absolutely stunning!! And the dress is gorgeous too!!! :D I love it. I love the simplicity and if I was halfway able to carry it off myself, I would be contacting you in a jiffy.