The Anjou

The first time I wore it was to the symphony. I styled it with a black column using my black Palazzo pants and a black cotton Cami, both of which I also made.

In 2009, Interweave Press published, French Girl Knits by Kristen Griffin Grimes. The designs were very romantic and a few were vintage-looking. I didn’t get the book at the time, but a few years later I picked it up second-hand because it turned out that I did like a few of the designs.

Fast forward another six or so years and I finally knitted one!

The Anjou top appealed to me because I wanted to knit lace but wanted an easy lace, even to the point of totally overlooking the impracticality of the design.

There was one other thing that sealed the deal for me. Looking on eBay for some yarn to knit it up in, there was one lot of Louet Kidlin Lace Weight in Woodland. As far as fiber content, KidLin is 49% linen, 35% kid mohair, and 19% nylon. This was the very same yarn (and color) that the designer used for the sample in the book. That was a sign! This yarn had been discontinued for a few years.

There are two strands in Kidlin, one strand of linen which is a lighter shade of the color, and then a darker strand of the kid mohair/nylon of the color. It has to be one of the most interesting fiber compositions that I’ve ever worked with.

With this pattern’s large gauge, it is very drapey and light.

General Impressions

The Anjou is knitted top down, which was a first for me. The lace pattern was simple enough for a Leftie (me) to interpret the pattern. For the sleeves and band, a set pattern is knitted over and over, which makes it easy to get into a rhythm.

The yolk was a bit harder and it was time-consuming picking up the stitches for the body, which was knitted in the round. But once the stitches were picked up, things went quickly.

There is so much Kitchener Stitch in this project. The final step is using the Kitchener to attach the sleeves and band to the bodice. Once upon a time, I had trouble remembering how to do this stitch. After this project, I think it is branded on my brain!

Because of the lace (easy as it is), picking up all those yolk stitches, and the endless Kitchener stitches, this is an intermediate project.

Not Your Most Practical Sweater

As I was knitting, my mind was trying to figure out how I would wear the thing. I’m not the one for over romantic looks but I like vintage when I can pull it off. So far, I have worn it two times, once to the symphony and then to a 20’s theme event. This is not something I am going to wear every day. It will spend a great deal of time living in the cedar chest. I knew this going into the project, but it seems that I just really didn’t care.

I esperimented to see if The Anjou could work for a vintage outing. We went to a 20″s Night at our local museum. I don’t have a true mid-twenties outfit and built a pseudo-20s look. Everyone else, except a couple of other ladies, was in what you typically expect for this event.

I went with a going out to a nice dinner ensemble. Other things that I added for this were a green satin long ago thrifted skirt and my handmade cami that has been a work-horse since I made it.

As far as accessories, I wore a very old felt cloche but made a new band for it from bits and bobs from my stash.

The quarter-length gloves are true vintage found a few years ago on eBay. The vintage Rodo bag was found on eBay for a previous vintage event. The necklace was thrifted and finally, there are the shoes. Our photographer didn’t manage to get my shoes in but, they are perfect for anything twenties or thirties. In fact, another guest has the same shoes. They are The Lucille Dress Pumps and can still be found on Amazon, after all these years.

And yes, Michael has jeans on. I made a deal that if he came with me and wore the vest I made him a couple of years ago, he could go very casual on the bottom. In the end, he really enjoyed himself. The food was great and I didn’t think I would ever get him out of the museum proper.

This is a makers post so I wanted to show the new hat band that I made for my old cloche. There are sequins on vintage gloves so I decided to do something that would tie the hat to them. I broke the list down when I put the hat in IG and here it is:

Black satin self-made bias tape that was left over from some sewing project.



Black embroidery floss



Just enough black corded trim to go around



Black velvet scraps from the 80’s when every other thing I made seemed to be out of velvet.



A metal-covered button (actually have a package of those)



A beaded appliqué (no idea where that came from-just have always seemed to have it)



Black glass beads, more than likely from Joanne’s because there was a time when I couldn’t resist when their findings and beads were on sale

And Finally, a Close-Up

As you can see, this is a very loose gauge. I think I used an #8 needle. Looking back, I think I could have sized down to a #7 or even a #6. The weird thing was that my stockinette stitch (used on the body) was a perfect gauge. My lace gauge seemed to be larger than the pattern so I knitted fewer repeats.

I am also suspicious that this yarn stretches because my ties are now longer than when I finished the piece. I probably will only wear this with things that are longer so I can live with that fact.

Will I Make More From This Book?

There is one more sweater that I just love. It is Simone. I would love to knit it from some of my own merino/alpaca mix. However, I would have to spin the yarn first and that would be a major project. As I write, my fiber is at the mill being processed.

The Beautiful Simone, those sleeves (again, not the most practical)

That’s it for this one. My knitting articles are always a bit shorter, more or less a journal of me finishing a project. Since I finished my top, I knitted my friend Debby and scarf (HERE) and knitted a cute doggie coat for Lynnie. I will eventually get her to model it and get on here. It is so cute!

LinksTo buy the French Girl Knits-new and used

Kidlin yarn-eBay

Kidlin yarn-ETSY

Ralvery Link to reviews of other knitters about French Girl Knits

That’s it, Take care.