Showing Off The Show Off

I. Love. This. Skirt.

Kat Coyle's adorable Show Off Ruffle Skirt, published in Lace Style by Interweave. Knit from 8 skeins of Rowan Denim, color Nashville, 101 yards, 100% cotton.  I used approximately 750 yards to knit the smallest finished size of a 37.75 inch hip and a 28.25 inch waist. 

Knit on Addi Turbo 24 inch circulars, US size 4 at a gauge of 15 stitches and 18 rows over four inches in bobble stitch before washing and 15 stitches and 24 rows after machine washing.

Thoughts on Kat Coyle:
Kat Coyle's patterns have long caught my eye.  Her prolific and beautiful blog often skirts (pun absolutely intended) the delicate line between knitting art and art knitting.  With patterns in Knitty and Interweave she consistently brings an eye for detail to adorable, wearable garments.   This skirt in Lace Style is a great combination of tarty fun and grown up elegance.

Thoughts on the pattern:
Great pattern.  I knit it almost entirely as directed, and even recent readers will know that I almost never, ever do that.  My changes, detailed below, were mostly dictated by my yarn and my body type, and not quibbles with Kat's pattern.

In Lace Style, the skirt is photographed so poorly that it's almost impossible to see the beauty of the design- sleek, flattering and elegant.  With the model's poor posture and tucked in shirt, it's no wonder that the skirt looks as dumpy as it does.  When the trunk show arrived at Knit Happens, we were universally stunned.  More than any other garment in the book (yes, even Lacy Waves) Show Off Ruffle Skirt was surprisingly, supremely flattering.  On every body, of every height, of every size, the skirt looked absolutely fabulous.  The curvy were Ava Gardener, the leggy were Hippolyta.  Divorced from the model's flip flops, mismatched neon tanks and slouch, the skirt took a life of its own, rising from mildly unfortunate to charming, lovely and absolutely necessary.

Why did I change the yarn?
Rowan Demin is among my least favorite yarns to knit with- it dyes my hands electric blue, destroys my needles, requires a drop cloth wherever I knit and is absolute murder on my wrists.  But the final effect is resplendent: a great combination of well-worn firm (like my favorite "I look like I was poured into 'em" jeans) and modern day elegant.  The cotton is so easy care- machine wash! machine dry! the more you abuse it, the better it looks! and so easy wear- sweet with a tank, sa-weet! with a well chosen pair of heels.

Eunny Jang's great Indigo Ripples Skirt (another Kat Coyle goodie) in Denim started my whole fixation. Being short (not unlike Eunny) I loved that her skirt was so flattering, so easy to wear and blue!  I adore blue.  Even after realizing that I was conflating two different skirts, I still had my heart set on Denim.  The pattern for Show Off Ruffle was surprisingly easy to adapt, not in the least because my stitch gauge was absolutely spot on.  As for my different row gauge, since the pattern is written with row counts (designers, take note, this is a delightful feature) I could easily sub out.  All in all, it was an easy change and one I made because when it comes to hand wash only, I'm pretty lazy.

What did I change in the pattern?

Even though cotton has always been rough on my hands, this bout with Denim was particularly arduous.  As a fast knitter, I take a little bit of pride in being able to really crank things out.  You need a sweater in a week?  I can do that.  Socks in two days?  Absolutely.   But when it comes to me and cotton, all bets are off.

As written, the pattern calls for 9 bobble rows.  With those rows taking me nearly five hours a pop (not an exaggeration), I made a decision after the fifth completed row that we were finished with bobbles.  Not just because I couldn't stare down the barrel of another 20 hours of bobbling (my wrists were circulating a mutiny round robin), but also because I wanted a shorter, flippy-er skirt, I think the change was really important in making the skirt slightly more modest with a shorter sheer section and much more wearable though the extended twisted rib columns.  In addition to eliminating some bobble rows, I did all my bobbles on the same stitch, instead of staggering them as in the pattern.  The cascading bobbles in Kat's sample are sweet, but I wanted to force the hem into a stronger fishtail, and a column of bobbles was conducive to that and allowed me the option of stopping bobbling before the pattern directed.

The bobble method in the pattern also seemed unreasonably fiddly. Instead of knitting 5 and then purling 5 twice, I purled 5, knit 5 twice, knit across again and then did the decreasing.  This small change saved me time and was easier on my hands, since I didn't have to turn the work as often, but you may have better luck with your own, favorite method.  Having never done a garment with tons of bobbles before, this was a bit of a trial by fire, but I know now that bobbles and I aren't really meant to be friends unless it's for something as cute as this skirt.

Using Kat's row counts as a spring board, I shortened the bobble section and lengthened the twisted rib section to approximate the difference.  My finished skirt is about two inches longer than the one in the pattern, but I have long legs and I wanted a knee dusting length.  Any shorter and I'd be flashing more thigh than anyone ever needs to see.  Since I wanted a longer skirt but was hesitant to just slap in more rows, I tweaked the row counts between the hip decreases.  I have a fairly flat pair of hips in that there's not a lot of curve just bam! and then gone!  Being fairly angular (a quality high heels emphasize) I wanted to pull the skirt in faster around my hips.  Between the second and third decrease rounds, I worked ten plain rows; between the third and fourth, I did seven.  Before the final decreases, I worked five.  This had the unexpected though pleasant effect of compensation for cotton's tendency to sag with wear, even though this skirt has worn perfectly. 

Since finishing this skirt nearly six weeks ago and wearing it weekly, it's held up beautifully- no sagging! no drooping! no nothing!  It got a glowing reception at Sheep and Wool and even among the muggles, it's been the most adored knit yet.

I thought about changing the draw string to an elastic casing but decided that the drawstring made the length more flexible.  For dancing, I wear the skirt on my hips- it accentuates my curves and practically floats in turns.  In the picture above, with the hem dramatically flipped, I'm only walking.  Imagine what it does on a salsa floor!  For day time wear, I tie it at my natural waist, making it a delicate, fun alternative to my more common office wear. 

Final Thoughts:

With its fantastic movement and supreme comfort, this skirt is one of the most wearable, flattering things I've ever created.  I adore it!

Comments

[Marie]

it's gorgeous, and yes, so flattering!

[Carrie]

DUDE. I lovelovelove that skirt! I'm working on an Indigo Ripples skirt right now and really hope it comes out half as cute as that. You look fantastic in it!

[donna lee]

I have always been afraid of knitted skirts. I grew up in a family where having a round shape was not encouraged and since knits usually cling, they were not the clothing of choice. However, having said all that, I love that skirt on you. I would seriously think about making one and giving it a try.

[MichelleB]

I've been eager to see la skirt!! Just beautiful. It's on my list too - right after the indigo ripples, the Vogue cover Koigu skirt - I'm in a big skirt phase.

I see you're knitting Katharine Howard. I have all the original yarns to make that one. We should have a knit along ;)

[Gina]

Wowza! Yowza! This is amazing, and you look utterly sexy! Great job!

[dani]

The skirt is fabulous, but I'm LOVING the shoes. Great job, you!

[Liz K.]

Thanks for the "bagging" report. This is what keeps me from knitting the skirt. My trunk does not need bagging, believe me.

[Skylar]

Smokin' hot, girlfriend! Love the pics and that skirt is way hot! Great job!

[Ashley]

Gorgeous, girlie! I never gave that skirt a second thought after looking at in in Lace Style, but now, hmmmm....

Great photo shoot too, as always.

[kate]

cuuuuu-uuuute!

[Joanna]

Oh gosh that is so perfect! I am still a little weary of knitted skirts in general but I've seen so many cute ones recently... yours might be the one that finally puts me over the edge and convinces me to make one of my own.

[stacey]

wow! what a rave review! it definitely makes me think twice about a knitted skirt! it looks so flattering and amazing!

[Aimee]

I have to say we all feel hard for this skirt when the trunk show arrived at Knit Happens. Everyone modeled, everyone oh'ed and ah'ed and everyone looked stunning.

It may have even gone out on a little field trip so the rest of the non-knitting public could reveal in it's loveliness. Maybe. Possibly.

Thanks to Elspeth for succumbing to the call and giving this lovely skirt the photo shoot it so rightly deserves. It is beautious.

[Niki]

Gorgeous! Thanks for the reply about my initial questions. I am ABSOLUTELY going to have to give this one a go. You look fab!

[Amy]

Wowee wow. That skirt is phenomenal and after hearing that it doesn't sag... well, I might lift my personal ban on knitted skirts!

[4-Ply Katie]

Oh my GOD. I need one right now! It looks absolutely fantastic! Swingy and cute and perfect in the denim. Well worth all the effort!

[Gale]

It is beautiful and looks so great on you Elspeth. Love the shoes too.

[Rossana]

What a lovely write-up and accompanying fashion show! Kudos! And Welcome Home!

[Wanda]

Absolutely stunning!

[Julia]

Woo woo! I read this when you first posted, but didn't comment b/c I didn't have time to gush appropriately. I realized if I waited that long, however, I would never comment! So here it is - woo woo! You look great and the skirt is very sexy. I love your DC shots - they remind me of my good times there.
xox, J

[Sneaksleep]

I could be cynical and say that of course it looks good on you, because, well, what doesn't? But I truly believe you when you say that skirt looks good on everyone. It really sizzles on you, though!

[Norma]

What fantastic photos of you -- oh, yes, and the skirt, too! Such a GREAT and different finished object.

[genia]

fabo skirt and you're right (along with everyone else) it is very sexy and kicky at the same time!

now tell me about the shoes.

[Ava]

I love it! I have to make it now!

[nik]

how cute you are!!! That first picture is such a fun pic.

i'm in love with those shoes.