Griffin-Grimes - French Girl Knits Accessories

Accessories

Modern Designs for a Beautiful Life

Kristeen Griffin-Grimes

2012 Kristeen Griffin-Grimes

Photography 2012 Rain Griffin Blond unless otherwise noted

Illustrations 2012 Interweave Press LLC

All right reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Griffin-Grimes, Kristeen, 1947

French girl accessories : modern designs for a beautiful life / Kristeen Griffin-Grimes.
pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59668-490-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-62033-000-7 (PDF.)
ISBN 978-1-62033-160-6 (epub)

1. Knitting--Patterns. 2. Dress accessories--Patterns. I. Title.
TT825.G68353 2012
746.432--dc23
2012002878

EDITOR Ann Budd

TECHNICAL EDITOR Lori Gayle

ART DIRECTOR Liz Quan

PHOTOGRAPHER Rain Griffin Blond

PHOTO STYLISTS Amanda Carter Gomes, Kristeen Griffin-Grimes

COVER & INTERIOR DESIGN Karla Baker

ILLUSTRATION Gayle Ford

HAIR & MAKEUP Lindsey Watkins

PRODUCTION Katherine Jackson

Thank you always seems like a meager phrase when expressing my gratitude for the stellar assemblage of artists that helped me compile this book. As always, Team Interweave has provided me with a rock-solid foundation on which to stand and let me take wing with my flights of fancymy debt to all of them is completely immeasurable! Extra special mille merci goes out to Allison Korleski and Marlene Blessing for rekindling my desire to put together this second book and for our wild brainstorming sessions, complete with literal and figurative woolgathering! Former Editorial Director Tricia Waddell will always hold a place in my heart for being the shepherd of my first book, French Girl Knits. Thank you to Steve Koenig and Marilyn Murphy for always believing in my off-the-cuff designing... merci! Huge hugs and thanks to Art Director Liz Quan, who was down in the trenches with us through all the photo-shoot madness (and still had energy to party with us afterward); you are always welcome to crash our family dinners under the fig tree! To the Interweave crew whom Ive yet to meet, the graphic designers, marketers, and those who labor daily without fanfare, my (knitted) chapeau is off to youwhat wonderful work you do!

I would have been seriously lost in this project without my editor, Ann Budd, whose calm hand has always guided me and smoothed off every rough edgeI can never repay you for your patience (perhaps a home-cooked meal la franaise here in Seattle). And what would I have done without my tech editor-to-end-all-tech-editors, Lori Gayle, who took the scribble and scraps of patterns that I offered and produced a cogent, clear, and dare I say, sublimely refined version that would be a joy for anyone to knit... thank you a thousand times over, Ann and Lori!

And speaking of family, for four riotous, joyful, supercharged days, my French Girl family put together a photo shoot at our little urban oasis in Seattle that was homegrown elegance at its best. We fluffed and curated, pinned and primped, wrangled and went more than the extra mile to make something enduring and beautiful.

I dont think I have ever seen my immensely talented daughter, Rain Griffin Blond, work so hard. She continued to amaze me with her strength of character and loving focus, not only through the eye of her camera as she took one exquisite photo after another, but in her passionate dedication to helping me achieve my vision. That she poured herself into the project with every ounce of energy she had and produced the dreamy images you see in this book, is a special talent, and I love her fiercely for itJe taime, chrie!

Our cohorts in this endeavor were many: the brilliant Amanda Carter Gomes who produced our photo shoot with such style and grace that it would not have been the same without her. Amanda has a quick mind and a generous heart, a combination that one does not find very often; her mark is on every photo you will see in this book and I am honored to call her a friend and sister artist. Lindsey Watkins, our hair and makeup guru, is a genius... that is all I have to say... and one of the most imaginative and playful creatures I have ever known (one Leo lady to another).

When we were musing about the models for the designs within these pages, we hit the jackpot! Sophie Barnett-Dyer with her depth of emotive expression and gentle elegance, Kim Crayton, whose calm energy and powerful presence was so welcome, and finally, the lovely Jordan Lily Alban-Vallat, whom our family has known since childhood, for bringing us a wise-beyond-her-years stillness and a true golden glow. You all made everything look even better than I could have imagined! Ladies, you rock!

My own dear family pulled out all the stops. Darling Adrienne who made sure we were well fed, our son Deva and beau-fils Jeremiah, who provided loads of behind-the-scenes moral support, and, finally, my one-and-only husband, Phil, a man who has always been there for me in so many ways, who unquestionably did whatever was asked and with a good spirit. How fortunate I am to be a part of this creative, impassioned group of people! Special love goes to Soni Dav-Schock and Henri Schock, owners of Bottlehouse in our Madrona neighborhood for the use of their charming wine bar during the photo shoot and to my sample knitters, Michelle Strakeljahn Mauer and Taryn Nikolic... merci, mes amis!

And finally, thanks to you, my faithful readers and knitters, for making up my designs and supporting me through my books, Etsy shoppes, and tours in La Belle France.

je vous remercie!

kristeen

Ask any French woman what she considers the most invaluable items in her closet and unfailingly the response is Les AccessoiresThe Accessories! In concert with a classic little black dress, vintage Chanel handbag, and perfectly tailored coat, youll find a treasure trove of scarves, wraps, bags, gloves, and, thankfully now, especially among the younger femmes franaises, a collection of knitted hats that run the gamut from trs chic berets to funky, slouchy Rasta-styled caps. My French friends scarves, shrugs, gloves, and socks alone would need a Dewey decimal system to catalog them, with names that reflect a more elegant timecharpe, gilet, chle, cache-coeur, foulard, mitaines, gants, chaussettes, toque, pantoufles, cloche, bonnets, snoodjust reading them makes one want to slip on a cache-coeur and sneak out for a martini at an elegant hotel.

We knitters are fortunate that handmade is cool again (although we always knitted through the cool and not-so-cool times as well) and that we have mastered a craft that gives us the freedom to create stunning one-of-a-kind garments. With just a few balls of delicious yarn and some perseverance, our handiwork can whip up a multitude of accessories that add the consummate finishing touch to our wardrobes. These days, we are party to an international community of brilliant and