silver belle

Monday, September 17, 2007

It just so happened that I was traveling to the perfect location to wear my silver belle. Hence the ferocious knitting that took place here last week. My parents spend a couple of weeks every fall in Carmel, California. This year, they invited me to come out for a few days. (Or did I invite myself? I really can't remember.) It not only gave me an opportunity to be in one of my favorite parts of the country, it gave me precious time
alone with my parents. And you know once you start your own family, those times just seem to stop. You can steal a couple of hours here and there, but it just isn't the same. My husband explained to the children before I left, how important it is to spend time with your parents. We hope they will always want to spend time with us. He also does an amazing job at holding down the fort. Needless to say, the trip was everything I had hoped for. Of course there was knitting and of course silver belle photos were taken. These were actually taken at Pebble Beach.

Pattern: VOGUEknitting silver belle, or Romy from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Collection
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, color #205, 17 balls
Needles: Size 8
Size: small
Buttons: 3 of my grandmothers, using the back side
Start to Finish: July 31, 07 to September 12, 07
Notes:: I made a couple of modifications to this sweater. I made the smallest size but made the peplum the largest size in length, 12 inches. I wanted the fit a little longer. I also used three buttons instead of two, thinking that this would perhaps keep one button band on top of the other. Maybe it helps a little. Just a little.
I loved working on this sweater. The charts are easy to follow, and I loved how you increase in the sleeve to make the front and the back at the top. The yarn is great. Soft, warm, all that good stuff. I do think that the small size is not very small. I am sort of on the tall side, with longish arms, and I knit the correct length for the sleeves. I feel that if you are shorter, you will have to make adjustments on the sleeve.

Bottom line:: I love this sweater. It will definitely be worn, a lot!

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92 comments

  1. Your silver belle is AMAZING! It would be a favorite in my wardrobe too...

    So glad you got one-on-one time with your parents. I had a chance this summer to have mine all to myself and it was wonderful.

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  2. I've been waiting all day for your post. It was worth the wait...Your sweater is magnificent.WOW!!! I really do love it. The scenery helped...that one beautiful place. Glad you had some QT with the folks. That is alwas good for the souls. Great job on the sweater!!!!!!

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  3. SPECTACULAR!

    That is a wonderful piece of handknitting. The color is amazing and the details . . . loss for words. Great job.

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  4. It's stunning! It appears to fit you perfectly, too.

    I love Carmel. It's my favorite weekend getaway place without the kids.

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  5. Wow, wow, wow!! I am so impressed. This is gorgeous. The color, the fit--perfect!!! Gorgeous location also. And how sweet you were able to spend time alone with your parents.

    Can't wait to see your next project! I saw a sweater in the newest issue of Rebecca Magazine and it reminded me to this a bit, a pullover though. I thought immediately of you. I'd never be able to make it, but I bet you could whip it up in a flash. :)

    Sheree

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  6. The sweater is beautiful!!

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  7. your sweater is BEAUTIFUL! it fits you very well...and the photos are wonderful. nice job! enjoy the rest of your time with your parents.

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  8. What an amazing knitter you are. It's beautiful! Congrats. What's next on the needles?

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  9. Totally gorgeous, Leslie. Stunning.

    And I agree that it is so important to be able to spend time with your parents without the rest of the family, lucky you!

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  10. Anonymous9/17/2007

    It is stunning. So elegant and comfortable and beautiful!

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  11. It is beautiful and looks great on you, congratulations!

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  12. Absolutely gorgeous!! that is one fabulous piece of knitting!

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  13. Anonymous9/17/2007

    It is soooo very beautiful!! The color is lovely on you too.

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  14. What an amazing sweater! I was in Carmel with my mom in July and I agree, such a beautiful place.

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  15. Anonymous9/17/2007

    oh my goodnes....that is one beauty! and carmel...one of my favorite places, too. i just love it there. well done, leslie!

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  16. Anonymous9/17/2007

    Oh, Leslie, that is just lovely. It fits you beautifully and hangs just right. It is by far the nicest one I've seen so far.

    How nice that you were able to spend time with your parents in such a perfect location. What a luxury and a treat!

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  17. AH-MAZ-ING. I think I actually lost my breath for a few moments. You make it look far, far better than the magazine ever could. Gorgeous. What a great color for you too!

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  18. Great sweater, Les! Such a talented knitter. Glad you had a good time in California.

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  19. Anonymous9/17/2007

    You are an amazing woman! This is gorgeous in every way.

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  20. That is incredible!!! It's perfection.

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  21. The Silver Belle, the Mermaid, the sea . . . so AMAZING! I love your photos and the sweater is gorgeous

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  22. Anonymous9/17/2007

    Gorgeous. Truly. I love everything about it, you did a great job!

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  23. Anonymous9/17/2007

    Your sweater is fabulous and the pictures are beautiful! They look like they're from a magazine.

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  24. Anonymous9/17/2007

    Completely SPEECHLESS! What a stunner your silver belle is! The color is fantastic too.

    p.s. The photos are truly fantastic! I just love staring at them!

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  25. Holy crapola. You are seriously so talented woman! It's fantastic.

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  26. IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  27. Stunning sweater! Love the color! You are an inspiration!

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  28. Stunning! Your Silver Belle is amazing and the photos show it off beautifully!

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  29. This is drop dead gorgeous. Oh Leslie, you are SO good . . I don't even know what to say. You and your sweater look like you've walked right out of a fashion mag. I'm so happy for you . . that you're proud of your work (you should be) and that you have the most beautiful sweater to wear. I do not doubt you will be stopped everywhere you go with tons of compliments. You deserve every one of them!!

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  30. Anonymous9/17/2007

    Silver Belle is beautiful. You look better in it than the model did. I didn't even like it until I saw yours. Now I'm considering making it. I can actually see myself in it. Great photo shoot! I agree with you, Carmel is one of my all-time favorite spots.

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  31. it looks fantastic. wonderful job.

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  32. Stunningly beautiful, as always.

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  33. You've got the magic touch, Leslie. You lengthened just right, tweaked the button band, et voila!

    Beautifully done.

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  34. OMG, super. what a beautiful Silver Belle.

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  35. That is just absolutely lovely. I haven't seen many knitted yet but yours definitely made me put it in place for the knitting queue. Congrats!

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  36. Wow! Your sweater looks amazing--the detail is just gorgeous.

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  37. Absolutely GORGEOUS!!

    Now that is some venue to have an awesome photo shoot!

    Thanks for all the tips about your mods. Interesting it took you 17 balls even with you knitting it a little longer...where did you get your yarn from?? (crimsondiva1999@yahoo.com)

    I plan to knit this up soon! :o)

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  38. That sweater is a work of art - looks outstanding. Great job! It fits you to a T. I'd never be able to knit to fit so perfectly. Enjoy that one - I believe it will be worn and worn a lot :) The color is divine.

    Tanya

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  39. jaw on the floor. speechless. it is perfection made of yarn. how do you do it??

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  40. Leslie, what a beautiful sweater. It certainly looked perfect for a visit by the ocean. I have read all of your prior posts too. I always file your experiences with your kids into my memory so I can use them with my own children. Thank you for all the good parenting tips. The zucchini bread looks yummy. I am not sure how long my computer will be out of commission, but I will try to keep up when I can long onto my husbands work laptop.

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  41. That is one of the most beautiful sweaters I've ever seen. I was not at all interested in it when I saw it in VK, but I LOVE your version! I think the added length in the body is key, and I like the extra buttons. Just perfect.

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  42. It turned out so beautiful and you shot it in such a lovely location too. Thanks for the warning about the sleeve length!

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  43. Anonymous9/18/2007

    This is the best photoshoot ever! Lovely lovely lovely!!! Now I want this sweater.

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  44. The Silver Belle is just gorgeous, and the photos turned out great. It is nice to have time to spend with your parents too, without the children taking up all your time.

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  45. Wow - what a gorgeous sweater. I have been thinking about knitting this one but have always put it to one side. Not now - I will be making a start on it soon.

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  46. What can I say that you don't already know? It is gorgeous! and the photo shoot was in the perfect place.

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  47. BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love all the different cables and textures and the color makes them pop.

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  48. Oh my gosh, that is gorgeous!!!!! You did an AMAZING job! Wow, just BEAUTIFUL and looks GREAT on you! :)

    Wonderful setting and photos to go with too!

    Glad you had a nice time with your parents. I cherish my times with my parents as well.
    Jill

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  49. BEAUTIFUL. it fits so perfect and the colour is so nice.

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  50. Anonymous9/18/2007

    the sweater. is beautiful. i'm so ignorant when it comes to knitting. but this looks difficult. you are amazing.

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  51. oh wow! the sweater is amazing! and the photos take my breath away! this looks like a photoshoot for a debbie bliss catalogue!!! stunning! and i am glad you got some needed time with your parents sans kids. you can tell by the number of trips i take with my parents that i really appreciate the need for this!

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  52. Ditto every single one of these comments! The sweater and the pictures are just breathtaking.

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  53. Absolutely gorgeous! You did a fantastic job, Leslie!

    So glad you had some time with your family. I know those times are very important and should be cherished. I am sure your parents love it too!

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  54. Wow, Leslie, you did an amazing job on your silver belle. But of course you would; you're an amazing knitter!! It's just beautiful. When I grow up and am a big knitter, I hope I can create things like you.;-)

    Glad you also got time with your parents. Too bad you couldn't trek inland a bit; Carmel is only a few hours away...

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  55. Oh my cabley goodness the pics showcase your SB beautifully.

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  56. Anonymous9/18/2007

    One of the most beautiful knits I've seen in such a long time. Amazing sweater & you look great in it. What a nice color you chose. Beautiful!

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  57. What a stunner! It looks amazing against the rocky shore. You did such a fab job.

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  58. So beautiful, and I think it defintely look better a little bit longer.

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  59. Very helpful to see the back of the sweater. Good job!

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  60. That's beautiful! What a great jacket!

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  61. SO unbelieveably gorgeous.

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  62. Geez, this is simply amazing! I thought I was looking at magazine photos at first - the pictures are gorgeous, and the sweater is impeccable!

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  63. you have done great job!
    It's beatiful!
    Images are good as well!

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  64. Wow, wow, w.o.w! You look stunning in the belle, and I love that you modified it to be a little longer, very flattering on your tall and slim frame!

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  65. Beautiful sweater and yay for visiting the west coast! :)

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  66. Oh my GOSH. I LOVE that sweater. LOVE. Like, I might come steal it, since I think we're not that far away at the moment. So if it goes missing, you'll have to come track me down in Colorado to find it.

    :D

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  67. Wow, that is really beautiful! How do you knit so quickly??

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  68. Anonymous9/19/2007

    Wow! You did a fantastic job!! I hope to knit the Silver Belle on day!! The color is absolutely perfect for you!

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  69. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  70. Anonymous9/19/2007

    Sorry - I removed the comment because I used an old log in... thought it would go away entirely...wasn't trying to be secretive...

    I just wanted to comment that it is indeed an AWESOME sweater... very lovely!

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  71. I would wear it A LOT if I were you, too. It is just amazingly wonderful and you look great in it!

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  72. Absolutly beautiful!!

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  73. Oh it is gorgeous, really spectacular and the fit is perfect, I like how you made it longer, more flattering.

    I have a question re: the yarn. I am stalking Debbie Bliss's Ruby pattern at the moment which is a cabled coat in the same yarn, it is pretty expensive to knit so I don't want to be disappointed. How do you like the yarn? I noticed another blog, felt the yarn too heavy for a cabled knit and wondered if you have any thoughts. Sorry to ask so many questions...

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  74. You have inspired me to do my own version of this. I like that you lenghtened the peplin a bit, I'm planning on doing the same. I had to run out today & get the yarn but I couldn't find enough of the Debbie Bliss yarn in a colour I liked so I'm using a similar yarn.

    Any suggestions for those just starting out?

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  75. That is a fantastic sweater - I am going send a link to your blog to a friend who would look super in it also and I know she would really enjoy knitting it too.

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  76. Anonymous9/20/2007

    Absolutely stunning!! I found your blog via the SB KAL and I'm so glad! Beautiful location, amazing photos too. Thanks for sharing your joy in such a wonderful FO.

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  77. Anonymous9/21/2007

    I think I can honestly and without exaggeration say that this is the most beautiful sweater I've seen - EVER! I'm totally stunned by the beauty of the pattern as well as the wonderful colorway you've knit it in! This is a masterpiece for sure - absolutely magnificent!!!

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  78. It is such a beautiful sweater - i had the book with this pattern in it delivered this week and it's nice to see the real thing knit up. Stunning, really stunning, the sweater and the view.

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  79. Anonymous9/22/2007

    Hello, I am one of the french Silver Belles's knitters of the french Kal and I was wondering if you could help us with the pattern. Your Belle is actually so great that I have no doubts you can. Well, we have a problem with the peplum which seems to be tooooooo much larger regard as the indications on the patern (30" for the first size and we have more than 60" on the bottom part). Do you rememerber having this problem ? Do you know if the parttern is wrong ? Thanks for your help.

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  80. you know, i saw this in the mag and loved it, but then waffled--wasn't sure it would really look that great on me or be worth the money for the yarn. i saw yours on the kal blog just now and i am SOLD! it is so so beautiful--when i make it (now i'm sure it's a when) i'm going to make the same mods so that mine looks as good on me as yours does on you! it's perfect!

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  81. Anonymous9/23/2007

    trop beau!

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  82. Wow silver belle looks absolutely amazing. You do such beautiful work!

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  83. Anonymous9/26/2007

    Elle est très belle, BRAVO !!!

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  84. I love the cardigan.... really love it. makes me want to be daring with my knitting. looks great on you too.

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  85. I am so impressed with your speed! And the outcome is incredibly gorgeous. Thanks for sharing all the pics!

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  86. What a beautiful piece of work! The color and cables and fit...perfect:)

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  87. Anonymous10/04/2007

    wow! this is truly a work of art.

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  88. Really gorgeous. I bookmarked that sweater way back when it first came out. Hmm, I may just have to pull it out again . . .

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  89. As everyone before me has said, you did an amazing job on this sweater. It looks fantastic on you, and what a perfect setting for wearing it. The fact is, your body type (tall and thin) perfectly showcases the design of this sweater. I found the link here from Ravelry. Nice job!

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  90. Anonymous1/28/2008

    Lovely job. And can I say thank you for providing clear, multiview images of the sweater? You know how DB is with their photos.

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