op art

Posted on Posted in patterns

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i’m pretty confident in saying that spring is here for sure now—even though it snowed all day on tuesday, the rest of the days this week have been wonderfully sunny, if not consistent in temperature.

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yes, it’s that time of year when we just can’t predict what the weather will bring, though we want to be outside as much as possible. anything from a sleeveless shell to a heavy knit wrap might be right, depending on the time of day.

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and that’s why this versatile textured loop is destined to become your next best friend—versatility. just like the art genre it’s named for, this piece shape shifts to fill whatever role you need it to at whatever time.

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my personal favorite is the medium size, which does triple duty as a hefty cowl, a torso warmer, or—best of all—a fanny band over leggings. how cute is that??

(and it sure redefines the prospect getting into a cold car in the morning, eh?)

you can even start out the day wearing it on one level and scoot it up or down to work elsewhere.

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sarah and barb are all over this thing as a torso layer to wear under a shirt or over a transparent T or two.

and that’s another thing—knit it longer or shorter, heavier or lighter weight as you wish. the pattern is just a jumping off place, really. we’ve got finished bands in two yarn weights here—DK and worsted—but i’m knitting the largest size in a heavy fingering yarn and i think it’s going to be fab for doubling up.

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(ps: this is about the best photo i’ve been able to get of this deep pink, which is spirit trail sunna in colorway va va voom!).

this is also a good detail shot of the texture—you can see that the pattern changes scale between the hem and the body area, similar to the optical effects found in certain vasarely paintings, like vega. to enhance this change in scale, the piece actually does increase in size around the middle section, creating a sort of “spare tire” that contributes to its beautiful drape.

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and soon we’ll have arm warmers to match, with little spare tires of their own down the forearm; won’t that be adorable?

but if you prefer something more traditional, the band also coordinates awfully well with the lacunae fingerless mitts and hat.

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shown above, the band in size S, knit up in spirit trail verdande, a bouncy, worsted weight merino/cashmere/silk blend. the color is wild blueberry and it’s simply stunning in person, with deep tones highlighted by subtle bright blue shimmers.

shown below, the same blue band paired with a fanny band in size M, knit in spirit trail birte merino/cashmere/silk DK, colorway va va voom!

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helena looks so cute in both pieces! she and sarah really love this idea of using the knitted band as an extra layer over leggings or jeggings, either for warmth or more coverage or to give the impression of wearing a skirt.

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sarah is wearing one in size M knit from bare naked wools breakfast blend DK in bakery rye. the shaping in the piece works a treat for hips or torso—a bit more room throughout the center with smaller upper and lower hems keeps it in place just so.

when knit in a fairly springy yarn, the stretchy motif has great body with the ability to expand and contract over and over without losing its shape; it’s the perfect combination.

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to purchase patterns or view complete pattern information, please click here to visit the op art page in the knitspot pattern shop or visit the op art page in our ravelry pattern shop.

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many, many thanks to everyone who made this design happen! our great friend jen at spirit trail fiberworks is always such a treat to work with, ready to climb on board for whatever design adventure i dream up (thank you jen!). she understood right away about using all the different weights of her house blend yarns to play around with the scale of the texture in these pieces. i can’t wait til the matching arm warmers are ready to show off; we’ll be putting some of her sunna to use in those.

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and thank you to all of the beautiful models we were fortunate to have involved in the photos shoot—karen, helena, brooke, and sarah—your patience and generosity of time are truly appreciated; you make us look SOoo good!

and thank all of YOU too, for the well-wishies on my run last sunday! sorry it has taken me all week to update you, but well, it was a helluva week around here; lots of SNAFUs to deal with.

anyway, with so many people keeping me in their thoughts, i managed to pull out a third place in my class.

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(is this trophy hilarious or what?? i love it).

mister knitspot was on hand to take pictures and cheer me on from start

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to finish. that guy in green above, right? i ran just behind him the whole way, haha; i kept my pace by making up chants about our “green team”. (ok, i know that solidly classifies me as a dork, but i don’t care; it got me through 13.1 miles of running).

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though the day was hot and very windy (thus slowing all the runners down a bit), i place MUCH higher than i ever have before overall. very surprising; it will be interesting to see if i can keep that up all season.

i think good finish deserves flowers, don’t you?

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and we just happen to have some! the hyacinths are all in bloom in an absolute riot of scent.

happy holidays to all, whatever it is you’re celebrating. we’ll be back on sunday perhaps with a  catchup post and then monday, we will release the kiltie kits that we said we would release last week (sorry about that; see above excise)

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doesn’t this just say it all . . .

17 thoughts on “op art

  1. Congratulations Anne on a terrific finish! Go Anne!

    Wonderful designs as always, I can see making quite a few of these for gifting, super cool! Of course all the models are beautiful too!

  2. Congratulations on finishing third, woohoo! That deserves CHOCOLATE! (The hyacinths are lovely, too. I had some in my office last week, and they are so fragrant.) Love the op art pattern, and the photoshoot, your models always look so cool in their knitwear!

  3. Congrats, Anne! You are so inspiring. I just love the look of the Op Art cowl. My daughter would get a kick out of it – a fanny band, who would have thought? It’s perfect for all the girls who wear leggings. Thanks for the burst of color, your flowers are always so pretty. No blooming up here yet. Hopefully soon!
    Have a wonderful weekend.

  4. Thirteen miles – third place!! Wow, am I impressed. Congratulations. Where on earth do you get all your energy?

    The fanny band of the Op Art cowl is pure genius. Great for the younger set – not us old grannies. But I think it looks really cool. And worn under a shirt looks good, too – anyone could wear that. So versatile – I love that.

  5. The shot of flowers blooming with a side of melting snow says it all…you are having all kinds of weather! Congratulations on the run!

  6. I love this pattern! Easy to knit. Knitting the fanny band….thought not for my age…but when finished I’m going for it longer to wear over leggings. It is adorable. Thank you Anne for another great one.
    Congrats on your trophy! Happy Easter!

  7. Congrats on a magnificent run, LOVE the statue! The “fanny bands” are, might I say, “Bootyliscious”!!! Happy Easter to all.

  8. Great pattern! I’ve been searching for something to make for my niece. This is perfect! If she doesn’t want to wear a cowl, she can wear it as a shoulder shrug or fanny shrug. Hard to make stuff for teenagers. Thanks – and good job on your run!

  9. You just finished your remodel, now you’re going to need an extra room for all your rnning trophies! I love the cowl design–would it hold up my old lady butt lol?

  10. Great job PRing that race! Kudos! Picking out a pacer does make things easier. Whatever it takes to get you through it, dorky or not!

  11. The Op Art would make a fabulous travel piece, so many great options, I love it. Love the trophy too. You are amazing, way to go! Happy Spring and Happy Holiday weekend to you and David.

  12. Congratulations on your great finish!!!
    P.S.-If you and Mr. Knitspot were not at Dulles Airport today, y’all have a set of twins walking around. I passed your look-alikes twice but did not have the courage to say hello, just in case I was wrong….

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