8.6.13

rainbow girl




I try very hard not to be extravagant, you know. But sometimes it has to be done and most certainly in the case of Little Miss Rainbow. When I saw these adorable little French girls in their Demoiselle Arc-en-Ciel cardigans on Ravelry, I just had to join in. But, you know, on reflection perhaps it wasn't so very out of order. The kit comes with all the yarns you need, as well as the pattern of course. Had I bought a skein for each strand of rainbow colour, plus the yarn needed for the larger part, the price would doubtless have been higher still, no? Justified!

I made this cardi up on the quiet, as I wanted to surprise my girl. I knew there was a risk attached to it though. Firstly it isn't pink or purple but I figured the rainbow would see me through that issue. And secondly because a while back the girl shattered my dreams of churning out pretty knits for her when she announced she didn't want me to do so. She said the same about my sewing for her too, come to think of it, until her friends began admiring her clothing and her best buddy asked her mother to make pretty dresses for her. Suddenly it was acceptable!

The drawback of making a surprise is that it isn't made to measure and since giving her the cardi I've had to go back and take some rows out of the sleeves. Aside from that it is a great fit, a little bit of room is no bad thing, particularly since it won't really come into its own till Autumn. But it's good for the cooler days we have from time to time now and Vancouver evenings, I've been told, can be a little chilly.

The sweet little buttons, from Maiwa in Vancouver, have been hand carved by Nepalese craftsmen out of buffalo horn which died of natural causes. An ethical cardigan through and through .. I like that!

By the way, my daughter LOVES it .. and of course, so do I. More details and photos are over here on Ravelry.

Can you see that sad looking bean in the photos? Poor, long suffering thing has been repotted twice and moved from one place to another during its short life. It was part of the Model's environmental club project at school and didn't take kindly to all the fuss it's had to endure. I think it's starting to pick up now happily, there are teeny tiny little beans and new fresh, healthy looking leaves thank goodness. Long may it reign!

Happy weekend everyone. What are you up to, I wonder?

23 comments:

  1. Perfectly justified, especially when it comes to daughters.

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  2. that is the jersey thats going to make me pick up those needles again i suspect-total gorgeousness and wondering if they have an adult-sized version...

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  3. Absolutely lovely - the cardigan, your daughter AND the bean! Well done x Jane

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  4. It's a lovely little cardy, makes me want to be able to knit!!! :) x

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  5. very cute! i'm sure she loves it :)

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  6. Absolutely justified Kate, it's gorgeous ! :)
    Enjoy your weekend,
    V xxx

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  7. when I saw your sneak peek on FB, I knew she would love it! Gorgeous cardi, what a treasure and I am so glad that she changed her mind about stitching and knitting clothes for her, because she wears them so well!
    PS Is she still keeping a diary about the bean?:)!

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  8. Beautiful Kate! It looks so comfortable too, lovely and warm and pretty, what more could a kid want?

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  9. That is the most beautiful cardie. I wish my Mum would knit me one!

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  10. Oh how I want a rainbow cardy! It's beautiful Kate and I am so pleased your girly likes it. My mum used to sew all mine and my sisters clothes till we were about 11/12 when we definitely did not want to be seen anywhere in them! Alice is a little like that now, she would rather die than be seen in one of her homemade skirts I think :o) Thank goodness we all come round eventually and start to re-love home made-ness. If it wasn't for my mum I would have not sewed most of my hippy clothes through University and to this day most skirts I make are sewn by the likes of me!
    Love ethical, perfectly justified and delicious yarny cardy, could I possibly adopt you as mum for a while ? xxx Happy bean growing x Penny

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  11. Absolutely justified! And it's made a very sweet knit.

    Wait 'til she's sewing her own clothes, then the fun really starts!

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  12. The simplicity and the colour combinations are gorgeous in the cardi. My daughter unlike yours would have my hands knitting at the speed of light if she could with all the things that she asks me to make her!!:)
    Rosie

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  13. Cute!!!! It looks great on her :-)

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  14. Beautiful cardi. Your daughter looks great wearing it. Would love one myself! Definitely worth the effort.

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  15. Gorgeous cardi! I love the narrow rainbow stripes and the whole effect is delightful! A kit for this kind of pattern is perfect as you say as you only need small amounts of yarn for the stripes. Your daughter looks so pretty too.....and I'm so glad her bean plant is growing happily now.
    Helen x

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  16. Gorgeous cardigan! Im delighted to have found your blog, enjoyed reading about what you have been up to since leaving London! Minnie still talks about the Model all the time!

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  17. what a beautiful cardigan, I love surprises. The striping colors are just the perfect touch at the yoke :) Fits her perfectly!!!

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  18. How could she not love it. It looks beautiful on her! Well done you Mom. Gorgeous knit!

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  19. Ahh, making clothes for your kids can be a tricky thing, but you did well. That cardi is absolutely lovely! And that rainbow is sure to bring some cheer on those cooler, rainy days :-)

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  20. ~ Its beautiful, Kate, just fitting for your little princess! I remember my dear Nana used to knit for us when we were small and we nearly always had to have a slight roll up of the sleeve! they were made with LOVE though from the heart~ and I wish I could knit! hehe! ~ Take time to dream, lovely YOU! I love your new header too! Hugs Maria x

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  21. It's a lovely sweater for an even lovelier little girl.

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There's nothing like a comment to stop me feeling like I'm talking to myself. If you leave one here I'll pop one back here too, so don't forget to come back and continue the conversation ..

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