Zaz

haute-couture designs

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

knitting jogless stripes in the round

here

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

trumpet oya





i wanted to knit a flower that would look good either hanging down from a knit or facing one, so i chose trumpet, a long flower which i think looks like a morning glory, so dear to the scotts.

it is very elegant, knit with lace mohair, all of it. a small culture sweet water pearl forms the pistil end.
i will be making more of this, perhaps as hatpins, perhaps as oya in a row but then i'd have to make the flowers much smaller...
this is a rather big flower, almost 8 cms (around 4 inches minus...)

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Marie-Antoinette bigoudis béret











i have used the instructions for this from "knitting nature", by norah gaughan.
her look for it is very rustic, like a "sunflower tam" as she named it and you'd imagine a girl running in wheat fields.
my take on it is very sophisticated looking yet without frills.
the first thing i noticed is the tam looked interesting only to the guy behind you, and nothing happened near the face for you to see.
and that is what i changed. i charted a mosaic pattern of a flower, as good as can be done using "mosaics knitting", thus "squares" instead of circles.
i used two colors, one for the top and it's yellow to keep the sunflower reminder cabling, and blue near the face to highlight it. the mosaic flowers are in yellow on that blue background.
i also introduced a baby blue color satin ribbon and made a little bow on the ribbing because it would be a shame to have this sliding off one's head.

the look is very "versailles" and "monarchy" then.
it's just that a Marie-Antoinette is so coquette that she'd probably have worn it to keep her rollers (bigoudis) in place till her hair took on curls. she would not be caught dead "decoiffée", without a hair adornment.

i'd wear the bow at the back, but then it's a personal preference.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

tulipe hatpin


i've always loved hatpins, i prefer the system to that of brooches, they're long and elegant.
this one is my first, i used a shape that resembles a tulip, put a pearl above and tied a baby blue ribbon, glued them all.
the pin even has a "stopper" at the end. it's an old matt gold color, just right for this yarn that's knit in the back.
you can make one yourself, you need:

  • a hatpin in yellow brass with a closure end


  • some metal/wood/all purpose glue in a tube


  • a flower shape finding in matt old gold


  • a fake or culture water pearl just a tiny bit bigger in diameter than the flower


  • about 4 inches (10 cms) length of 0.20 inch (0.5 cms) wide blue satin ribbon
i suggest you take your knit item with you when shopping to best match the colors, shapes, motifs if any.
my knit piece had flowers on it. and the yellow in it looked like old gold, mottled.

put glue on the tip of the pin, enough for the height of the pearl and pearl you'll be putting in it together.
i suggest you try those on it before deciding how long your glue streak should be.

take your piece of ribbon and fasten it around the pin under the flower you just made, knot tight but not too tight, satin will slip and you will always be able to tighten later. do that a bit down from the flower, you always can put higher.
now make a nice knot do not pull too tight yet.
put a dot of glue right under your flower and pull the ribbon bow on top of it.
now you can tighten real hard, keep your hand firmly on for 5 mns till dry.

the best part: get your good sewing cissors ant cut both ends on each side at an angle, much nicer, no?
now a trick: get a box of matches and bring the flame in a parallel motion to the end to keep it from fraying.
this will form a bit of a "seal" to your satin fabric.

wear with pride, give away, enjoy!
put some glue the hight of the


put some glue on the top of the pin for about a

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Monday, October 12, 2009

bubble stitch

here's the link to a video tutorial on the bubble stitch over 4 rows.

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Marie-Antoinette's Guillotine Cuff









it is said that Marie-Antoinette had her jeweller design her guillotine cuff links after her favorite castle chef’s dessert: a chocolate “biscuit” drizzled with a “crème à la pistache” and topped with a “cerise confite”.

this is my crochet version of it, in homage to my gourmet sense of taste and let's hope for the best for me.
you will notice that the cuffs, having been on the woman's neck formed a "ribbon of blood" that was silky
yes, death "is sweeter" on the more gracious necks.



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