Knitting and your style guideposts

During one of our live calls last week in Club Crazy for Ewe, we were talking about what we like to wear and how we like to look.  This is a topic that’s always on my mind, because my goal is to help you build a handknit wardrobe full of things you love to wear.   But in order to do that, you have to be ruthless about what you choose to knit.  

Here are 4 not-so-great reasons knitters choose a pattern

• It looks really fun to knit
• I really want to try that technique
• It looks so good on the model
• All my friends/everyone on Ravelry/someone I admire is knitting it

You know I’m big into the concept of personal style, but it’s hard to put your finger on it..  Although I’ve written many blogs and done several podcasts about it, I am not an expert butJennifer Mackey-Mary is an expert.  I love her and her podcast, Your Everyday Style, in which she suggests you establishstyle guideposts.  These are three words you select, to define what you want your clothing to say about you. 

I love this concept because it steps back from the very specific neckline, sleeve length, fabric drape, etc. that I talk about,  and helps you get the bigger picture of how you want to look and be perceived.  It’s an interesting exercise.  Take a minute here, and jot down your thoughts.  

It’s harder than you think, isn’t it!  One thing to remember is that these words are aspirational.  You don’t have to be this already, it’s more your style goals.  She suggests filling in the blanks in this sentence. “I want to look,  ________, ________, and _______.” 

It’s nice to have three words because then you have some flexibility. You only have to match two of your three words.  For example, if your words are colorful, trendy, and fun, you could still do a black puff cuff sweater because it’s trendy and fun, even if it’s not colorful.  Since findingYour Everyday Style, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, and I came up with three words. But guess what - they all  mean basically the same thing LOL!  So I had to go back to the drawing board. 

Just for the heck of it, I took the Your Everyday Stylefree style quiz to get some guidance.  I even signed up for herSignature Style Master Class which I’m looking forward to starting this week.   

She also has a class ondressing your body shape, which I’ve purchased as well.  

There’s nothing more valuable than having a clear-cut set of parameters to help us make the right decisions about what sweaters to knit, every single time. It’s the first step in creating a handknit wardrobe you love to wear.  

I look forward to hearing what your style guidepost words are - just reply to the email and let me know.  It will be fun!

I look forward to seeing you in the shop and around the table.  You are always welcome here

Ellen

ps  If you wrote, comfortable, casual, or classic, you are not alone.  Those are the most frequently cited words for style guideposts, but they are also ones that Mackey-Mary doesn’t allow you to use!  I tried it with my group last week, and those were definitely among the words most often mentioned!   She did a great job explaining why these words don’t work as style guideposts in her most recent podcast. You can read the transcripthere, or you can listen to it here.