mahaila knitted shorts...FINALLY

I ALWAYS feel anxious when sending post from Germany. Once I made some booties for my cousin and they ended up flying around the world for so long that by the time it reached the kid, they didn't fit. Then I sent one of my knitted birds to a friend in London and it is still flying around or it died on the journey. 
So when I sent my many months long project, the mahaila knitted shorts to Kaye in Aus, I was EXTREMELY anxious. We decided to take photos just in case they  didn't make the long trip. AND I spent so much time with them that I had to give them a good send off. Michael had access to a photography studio and we decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Plus the weather is still really cold here in Berlin, so I was happy to stay toasty and warm indoors. 

After deciding to take some photos with the shorts, I felt that I needed to make a top for them. I ended up with this little blouse. I am generally not a fan of the 'no waist definition' blouses and I must say I am still not very happy with them, but I did enjoy using the lace curtaining on the yoked section. I am also a fan of utilising tucks and pleats in garments, and I will continue to experiment with these techniques.  I flared the back section and I believe that this was a bit of a mistake. Overall, I think the top turned out OK.

Before knitting the final pair of shorts, I knitted a sample. The orange thing around my neck is what I created. Kind of like a pair or shorts if you were a pole. If you look closely, you can just see the pattern which I later decided to scrap. It was a really nice complicated pattern, but I was scared that it would distort the shape of the shorts and pull in all the wrong places. So I ended up with some more cabling. I LOVE cabling.... makes garments look so interesting and it is so easy to do..... if you can count.

Bye bye shorts. Have fun in Aus with Kaye! Kaye I hope you like them. They look great on you!

Making of the shorts blogged here

Photos: Michael Dooney