MetaChat - Knitting for Nieces

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24 October 2006

Knitting for Nieces Last night I spent quite a while on the net searching for ideas for the sweater I want to make my ballet-mad little niece "Peaches Swan" for Christmas. I thought it would be nice to make something with a ballet motif on it. But not anything too cutesy, as she is very nearly ten. So I rejected a bunch of sweaters with ballerinas on them (some had actual tulle attached for skirts), and think I will settle for this one. I'll do it in a slate blue with the slippers in cream and white, and change those rolled edgings to neckbands, cuffs and hem in a neater and more interesting textured stitch. You can see a few of the things I've made for Peaches in past years here. The pink tutu earned me a two-minute hug.

post by: Orange Swan at: 07:46 | 10 comments

I like it! I assume you're taking out whatever that weird blue dot is on the pointe shoes. The ribbons also appear to be attached only to the heels, but I'm willing to give the designer artistic license on that one.

Did you know that dancers glue on the shoes for performance? And sometimes they still come off.

posted by JanetLand 24 October | 08:24

Yes, I'd either not bother with the stupid blue dots or make them look better - put in a little bow or something. I don't know if I can fix the ribbons - might be kind of hard to get the definition. I should probably chart the pattern with reference to a picture of actual toe shoes.

I didn't know that. I don't actually know anything about dance. I can do a little ballroom, I enjoy the ballet, and I try to do what I can to enrich my niece's experience with it, and make it a little more fun so that she's more motivated to stay with it.

posted by Orange Swan 24 October | 08:36

I was an absolute ballet freak in my teen years, and still enjoy it a lot, although I never get to see much live anymore; thank goodness for Netflix.

posted by JanetLand 24 October | 09:21

I wanted dance lessons when I was little, but my mother put me in figure skating, which I hated. Peaches is actually the first girl in my very conservative, religious family to take dance (her older sisters didn't get to). My sister really leaned on my sister-in-law to get Peaches into it, and also there was no denying that Peaches was born to dance - she started dancing as soon as she could walk.

posted by Orange Swan 24 October | 10:02

Cool. I'll look for her in the NYCB roster in a few years. :)

posted by JanetLand 24 October | 12:35

Wow! Great stuff, OS. Will you be my aunt?

posted by jrossi4r 24 October | 13:28

I have an eligible nephew, jrossi4r. In fact he's so very eligible we'll pay you to marry him.

posted by Orange Swan 24 October | 14:09

I'm sure mr. rossi would be ok with that once I explain there's free knitwear to be had.

posted by jrossi4r 24 October | 17:07

I admire your knitting skills, OS. Those sweaters are gorgeous!

posted by redvixen 24 October | 18:46

As someone who hasn't even finished her first sweater yet - *squees*

posted by casarkos 24 October | 22:45

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