Off the Needles || Loope

So remember that tunic I finished a few weeks ago?  I'm sure you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for me to post some proof, so I'll take an edge off the suspense and indulge you.  This is the Loope Tunic, designed by the Berroco Design Team, and published in Berroco #289 Lustra.  It's a great pattern book with a  couple of others I'd like to try... at some point.
I started this tunic about a year and a half ago, and as it usually goes with large projects, I got through all the knitted sections and then got lazy about seaming so it sat in a tote bag on a shelf for months and months.  As a byproduct of my rejuvenation-by-sock, I decided it was time to finish up this wool/tencel fiber beauty.
Initially I fell in love with the color in Loops, and then was drawn to the book and then left the store after impulse buying everything to finish this project.  Lustra is a gorgeous yarn that is part animal fiber and part plant fiber.  The tunic is slightly itchy, but the sheen is luxurious.  Since knitting this pattern, Lustra has become a favorite of mine for knitting loose cowls too.
When my grandfather passed away a few years back, I inherited his ties that he used to wear when he and my grandma went square dancing.  They've been sitting in my closet since then, waiting for the perfect new purpose.  For the neck ribbon of the tunic I saw the perfect opportunity to use one and threaded it through to secure the neckline.  I love how it turned out!
If only the weather were conducive to wearing sweaters at this point in the year.  In case you can't tell, I'm seriously burning up during this photo shoot.  It. is. way. too. hot.  in Oklahoma.  Soon enough.....
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Off the Needles || Urbanite Garland

Fairly often, I will look through my stash baskets and fawn over the gorgeous single skeins I bought just for the satisfaction of having yarn so beautiful, or perhaps for another project that lost steam long ago and never regained its momentum.  I have a few skeins of Berroco Seduce for reasons closely related to the latter - I need to revise a pattern but can't manage to sit down and just do it, so there they lie. The other day my eyes set on one skein of Seduce in particular that was a rich, copper color (one of my favorite colors) and I suddenly had a brilliant idea on how to use it.  I sat down, started knitting and jotting down pattern notes and behold--  a few days later I have this headband that I am absolutely in love with.

It reminds me of a number of things: the "Roaring Twenties" flapper hair pieces, a bohemian clover garland, an 80's sweat band (let's forget about that one), and the ever modern hipster headband that rivals the fedora in every way.  So, hence comes the name, "Urbanite Garland", a combination of those things... a little bit boho and a little bit glam.  a little bit hip and a little bit... functional?  (damn those 80's)

I'm planning to get the pattern typed up to share here and on Ravelry (for free!), but in the meantime here are some photos of the finished product.  I knitted some small twists into the main fabric, which only show up when you look very closely because of how ornate the yarn is.  I like how subtle they are though.  The thin strip on the back of the head is also cabled into a series of twists.  This might be a great pattern for a stylish work out headband too if you knit it up in some organic cotton.. I intend to experiment a little bit with a few different yarns, so I'll post about how it goes!

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