I have issues with big sleeves. Two to be precise: they get in the way (for example, when trying to eat) and they don’t fit under a coat. When I balance these two practical concerns against fashion, practicality usually wins. I am also not a fan of bobbles. Again for two reasons: they are a pain to make, and they look funny. So, mark me surprised when the new issue of Pom Pom Quarterly came out today and I found myself intrigued by two sweaters which have both big sleeves and bobbles.
The first is Osmunda by Boadicea Binnerts:

© Laura Morsman
I think this is super cool. It’s sleeves will get in the way of everything, it is full of bobbles, and furthermore I would roast in a sweater this heavy; nevertheless, I think it is great.
And then there’s Willowwood by Caitlin Hunter:

© Laura Morsman
This sweater is so not my type, and yet…..it’s rather appealing. This issue of Pom Pom is edited by the incomparable Norah Gaughan and contains some great designers. My first thought on seeing the sweaters was that they looked like armour. And then I read Pom Pom’s description of this edition: “The knits in this issue are imagined for the modern heroine. Create your own knitted armour with swirling cables and sculptural stitch details; it’s time to celebrate texture and sumptuous colours!”
By the way, even though I am not a big fan of bobbles, I do think that they look great with the right project. Here is a photo of Emma in a pullover which I knit for her in my pre-blogging days, Camden, by Ashley Adams Moncrief (from Knitty, Fall 2008):
And a final note on the blog: perhaps you noticed a new banner? Emma isn’t involved much in the blog these days (except as general muse and sounding board), but she has always done my banners (the photo splashed across the top). I have been bugging Emma for months to make a new one. She wrote me last night to say that she had created a new banner, and had set it up so that all of the banners (from seven years of this blog) will rotate randomly each time you visit the blog. Cool, no? I keep pushing the re-load button but have yet to see the new banner! I wonder what it is? Hope you like looking at these snapshots of my blog history as much as I do.