I remember when Cherie Amour first came out on Knitty. I knew hundreds of knitters wouldn't be able to resist. I mean, this was obviously good stuff. Deep V-neck? Check. Waist Cinching? Check? That certain Je ne sais quoi? Oiu Oiu!!!
I almost feel like I'm cheating because this pattern is so obviously flattering. Let's just get to the projects, shall we?
This version was knit by Joanna in Manos Wool Clasica on US 9s and 13s. The only mod she has listed was sewing up the front opening about 3 inches. I think that was a great move on her part because, although the waist is already cinched by the ribbed section in the middle, the shorter neckline moves the focal point up to her face. Beyond the ribbing, the top floats away from the mid section, giving proper attention to the smaller waist area.
Kim stated in her comments section on her Rav Project page that she should have knit a small instead of xs. I think this looks great on her. This version is knit in Woole Siena Big on US 9s and 13s. I don't think she made any mods. That's what's great about this top: very few mods required for it to look good. As an aside, if you are on Rav you really need to check out this woman's projects. Beautifully knit and artfully photographed. I think Kim is one of my newest knitting heroes.
And lastly, but certainly not leastly: Julia from Germany. The blog is in German, but it's worth a visit just to look at the great photos. Julia knit her Cherie in Lana Grossa Cento on US 10s and 13s. This particular top is a medium. She had to fiddle with the arms a bit, but we've all been there, right? This one looks a lot like the Knitty version. Were you a test knitter, Julia?Conclusions:
It's hard to go wrong with Cherie. The ribbing in the middle creates a slim waist even if you don't have one, and the v-neck (as usual) does great things for the bust while giving your face the attention it deserves. I'd like to see this in a lighter yarn and larger guage. I think that might decrease the bulk this sweater tends to have, but I'm not sure if the lighter yarn would still work the waist-illusion-action that the unmodified version has. You want to use a yarn with some body to hold the shape. I imagine cotton or silk would stretch out, again wasting the waist detail.
Speak Up:
Have any of you tried this in a lighter yarn? Why does this seem to look best in dark red? What mods might others be interested in? I'd like to see a collar variation. Anybody know of one?
Thanks for the tip on shortening the v-neck - I agree that a v-neck seems to be the best neck on everyone, but the original neck on this pattern scares a busty-me. I envision the sides of the v-neck falling off to the sides of the bust and accentuating what I already don't need accentuated :) A better deep-deep v-neck for busty-types like me needs to have a narrower opening so it doesn't slide off the bust.
ReplyDeleteOr something like this http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/yarn-over-steek-vest which I just found on ravelry.