Maryann's Marvel

Though I didn't realize it at the time, around 1995 or so, this sweater, an Anny Blatt design, was the beginning of Forest House Fiberworks. It was made in consultation with its owner, for whom it was a gift, from determining what kind of garment it would be (in this case, a long, v-necked cardigan), through the sharing of sample swatches, to getting together to try on the finished product. It is made from one ply of dyed New Zealand Romney wool and one ply of almost identically-colored natural alpaca--the serendipity of a large fiber stash. The unique feature if the sweater is that the tops of the fronts, back, and sleeves are embellished with satin stitch embroidery on the knitted stockinette stitch background. There are an estimated 150 hours of work in this piece.