Schiaparelli Baby Hat Homage

This is a project I actually decided to rip out, as I desperately needed the lilac Debbie Bliss cashmerino for a cardigan I'm trying to finish before Baby Girl Twin outgrows it (Baby Boy Twin's striped pullover hoodie is thankfully completed). But it can live on in cyberspace, and now that I've documented it, hopefully I can recreate it someday.



The intarsia bow design was inspired by a link a knitting friend sent around awhile back to this kit replicating Elsa Schiaparelli's 1927 trompe l'oeil bow sweater.



I was so charmed by the design I wanted to try my hand at something like it, though on a much smaller, more achievable scale. I apparently didn't aim small enough, as I started the hat a good two years ago and never saw the project through, but it was more about the process than the end product, as much of knitting is for me.

If you're interested in trying your own custom intarsia (color design knitted as part of the fabric), don't be shy - it's pretty easy. My low-tech method was to sketch out a grid approximating the scale of my stitches, then draw the design I wanted over it and count the stitches (grid boxes) of the two colors in each row. It took a little adjustment during the actual knitting process, but overall the design turned out pretty much as I'd imagined it. Next time, I'll knit it for keeps.