There were suggestions about the fate of Erin.
Formerprincess asked whether I might not wear Erin after all if I finished her. Yes, I certainly would. That’s the problem. I will wear anything. If you have ever seen the program “What Not to Wear,” you will have seen people with my approach to clothing. I am the schlump saying “But it’s comfortable” in a bewildered voice.
That is why I am thinking that it might be better if I not finish it.
Erin is this type of sweater — a frumpy sweater, as Chanthaboune says. 
You can see from these pictures that when you make a rectangular Fair Isle sweater, however beautiful, the wearer looks like a small, colorful refrigerator with a head perched on top. The model at left is young and lovely, the happy woman at right looks delightful, but neither looks the least bit soignee, does she?
Ozarque had the happy thought of quitting the fancy stuff now and simplifying the sweater from this point on.
If I were knitting from the top down, that might work.
You do see sweaters like this one with the pattern bands at the shoulder and some shaping in the plain bits. The sweater Pipes that I made for #2 daughter is like that.
It has a single pattern band and then a foot or so of ribbing at the waist.
#2 daughter is a model-sized girl, but she still won’t wear shapeless things with horizontal stripes.
But I am working from the bottom up, and am now about five rows from the division for the arms. Switching to plain now might make me look like the cartoons of people wearing barrels.
I did, however, as I was searching around for some way to take Ozarque’s advice, see this vest approach. A deep V neck and no sleeves might be a possibility.
Have any of you ever made such a thing? And if so, was it a plain boxy rectangle up to the armscye? And if so, did you feel like a person in a barrel when you wore it? It looks to me as though there was some shaping in the example garment, here, but it is a model, so it also possible that they safety pinned it at the back.
I have a new schedule for Back to School. I will be doing computer work from home and then driving up to the store for eight hours, four days a week. In return for the extra hours, I will have three days off each week. This is one of my days off.
Yesterday’s intensive sewing afternoon resulted in a finished pair of pants
and a skirt that would have been finished if I hadn’t run out of hem tapes. I should be able to finish it today.
Both are from Tencel, so there is that liquid aspect that keeps them from looking like clothing. You will just have to trust me on it, I guess. Both are made from Simplicity 4950, and they are pieces 7 and 8 of my SWAP Part II.
I love this verdigris color.
Here they are in a heap with some other pieces from the SWAP so you can see the interesting color combinations.
I may be going with #1 son to his orientation today.
If not, I may get a bunch more sewing done. I have pieces 9 and 10 cut out already, and have decided about number 11, so the end of the SWAP Part II is actually in sight.
However, I also have a deadline on amendments to my current encyclopedia article, and lots of neglected housework, so we shall see.
Here’s something else you can do with cucumbers, by the way.
There is a plate of them, just sliced with various kinds of onions.
There is also a sauce of plain yogurt, diced peeled cucumber, and a chiffonade of cilantro and mint. This goes with the tandoori chicken. There is also a nice squash casserole and some plain steamed green beans. In recognition of their valor in tolerating all these vegetables, the boys insisted on white rice.
Couldn’t you steek it up the sides and resew it, with some shaping?
That sweater looks grand on #2.
We usually eat brown rice, but a friend of mine told me recently that white rice is better for pitta — the fire dosha, which I am. So I am thinking of switching back. I know that sounds very woo woo, but I find some truth in these things. Ayurveda
RYC: Nope, I just came up different houses on different quizzes. I think it probably says more about the quizzes than myself.
Although, I sometimes come up unplottable on personality quizzes. I once took a workshop where the participants were sorted by their astrological birth charts, and mine was so balanced, I didn’t have a breakout group to go to. My signs (sun, moon and rising) make a triangle, and they are earth, fire, and water — in an air house or something. Anyhoo, I’m special, just ask me. LOL.
As you know, I crochet rather than knit, so this suggestion may be totally irrelevant — but I pass it along on the off chance that it might be useful. If I were crocheting something like Erin, and had the problem you describe, I’d just make the rest of it as a separate piece in a solid color, and then I’d sew the two pieces together at their final rows of stitching, and no one would ever know the garment hadn’t been made as a single piece.
Cucumbers… I recommend making tatziki with them. You take a 16-ounce container of plain yogurt, a cup of grated cucumbers, a TSP of olive oil, 2 or 3 chopped garlic cloves (or equivalent amount of garlic powder), 3 TBSP of lemon juice, and salt to taste (we use 1/4 TSP), blend it all together, and chill it well. This is the Greek sauce that’s served with gyros sandwiches; it’s wonderful over salad (including pasta salads), and over plates of raw vegetables. Highly recommended.
LOVE tatziki sauce
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Ok – if it’s confortable go on with it! You will most likely want something comforting to cuddle up into on cool fall and winter days to read or nap and the heck with anyone else if they don’t like it! hmmph!
RYC: I AGREE
If you decide on the vest, there are ways of creating the “pinned in the back” effect.
First, there is a jewelry-type device similar to a sweater clip that is made to clip onto the back of a sweater/jacket to create some waist shaping. There is a flat clip on each end attached by a short chain. Those are hard to find, though.
You could attach two ties at the sides, or slightly back further and tie them at the back to give it some shape. An alternative to tying is to use a light plastic buckle. A big, heavy buckle might be too much.
You’re right about the boxy nature of Erin. I have a similar sweater I got from LL Bean last winter (kind of that Dale of Norway look without the $400 price tag) and it was decidedly boxy. I took to wearing it as a jacket more than anything. I was a warm fridge with a head.
My Grandma had a similar cucumber salad recipe. But the dressing stuff was actually on the cucumbers and onions.
How much time do you get for a SWAP!? I like the vest idea for Erin. A question – can you frog it a little and end the sweater at your hips instead of your middle-butt? That may make it look less boxy. I have a Fair Isle sweater that ends at my hips and I’m short in stature – I don’t look boxy at all.