Einstein Coat

#1

I just picked up from the library The Knitting Experience Book 1: The Knit Stitch by Sally Melville. I’ve been avoiding this book because I kept thinking, “Awww … it’s just a bunch of stuff in garter stitch. How boring.”

Well, poke me with a stick!!! This book is fabulous, and I now have it at the top of my wishlist on Amazon.com. Sally Melville has done some wonderous things with garter stitch. I had no idea!

Now, I am determined to make myself an Einstein Coat, and my DD wants one, too.

Now, I just need to find the right yarn for it. Sally uses ISTEX Lopi. I found what she used at Camilla Valley Farms. The cost of the coat would be approx. $63 + s&h. I guess that’s not too terribly unreasonable, but my purpose for posting this is to see if anyone had any other suggestions for yarn.

Once we get the yarn issue settled, perhaps a Knit-Along is in order??

Thanks!

#2

What does the einstein coat look like? Is there a picture?

#3

Is that the price in USD or CAD? Either way, it is quite reasonable for a coat’s worth of wool. Even though I haven’t ordered from her myself, I do know of people that have, and were very pleased. One of my crochet groups that has a crochet-in every year for the tent sale at Spinrite always make a side trip there as well.

#4

i just googled and here is the first link on the page for it…has a perfect picture! :slight_smile:

#5

How much yarn does the pattern call for? Smiley’s has Reynolds Lopi and Lite Lopi for $2.50 and $4 a ball, respectively.

#6

Oh that is lovely! I think $63 plus s/h is very good price for a coat like that. Most people would pay over $100 and much more for “hand-made”.

#7

I have always admired that coat. It not only looks good on that skinny minny model, but it also looks good on all sorts of body shapes and sizes.
If there is a place to get the yarn more inexpensively, I might give it a try. It might take me awhile, but it would be fun!

kimmie

#8

Carmen here’s the picture that won me over! :wink:

And, yes, I think that $63 is a pretty good price, really, but just thought it would be good to look around and see what all was available. I’m also interested to hear if anyone else on this forum has knit one of these. It seems like a rather huge project, but with the bulky yarn and different pieces, it would probably not seem all that tedious.

#9

Thanks, Julie! I’ll check into that!!

#10

Oh I just love it! I wish I had seen this two days ago before I ordered knitting books. I would have bought that one instead! My library does not offer as extensive a collection as it should.

#11

I know what you mean, Carmen. I had no idea this book had such great patterns in it. I wish I hadn’t ignored it for so long!!

There are also some really cute sweater and bag patterns.

#12

Julie, notice my to do list :wink:
I bought this book awhile ago. It’s wonderful!!
I’ve been eyeing Einstein for a long time, but acquiring the yarn has been what has delayed it. A woman in my guild made one (it’s soooo gorgeous), she got a huge cone of yarn from WEBS online for what seemed to be a pretty good price. I’ve been looking on their website to try to find something, I need to ask her exactly what it was. It was the perfect yarn for it.

KAL is a definite must!!! I would loooooove to participate!

#13

Thanks to the other Julie, I may be purchasing from Smiley’s…I’m not sure what size to make, but with what I’m playing around with, it should only cost around $60 with S & H! Not bad!

#14

Well, that’s a great price @ Smiley’s on the Lopi!! W/ shipping it would be just under $60.

Of course, now I’m wondering what it would be like in a different type of yarn, too. What would it be like in Chenille? Would that be too icky?? Would it wear well?

What about L.B. KoolWool?? I’ve never used it, but I like the smooth look & the colors.

I’ve also checked out bulky yarns @ KnitPicks, and the only thing they have that looks like it would work would be Decadence. Not too sure I want to go that route.

I’m interested to see what everyone else is coming up with! Andrea, what are you looking at?

#15

Omg Julie! I just recently got fascinated with this coat and am determined to make it. Let me tell you what I found: when I went for my disastrous job interview at this yarn store downtown… I was checking out their finished pieces hanging around the walls. And there was the most beautiful coat I had ever ever seen. It was a dark reddish brown with bits of metallic bronze placed strategically throughout, not much just little dashes here and there.

I asked what the yarn was and they said Manos del Uruguay. They didn’t mentioned the name of the metallic yarn but I’ll find it. The two combined just looked so fantastic, I have to do that. And then I did a little research on the Einstein coat and found the following link. In that, they discuss about how a coat can get distorted if its weight is too much and putting in a bit of other yarn here and there (like this shop did) will reinforce the knitting and prevent that. I’m sure you don’t HAVE to do that if you have the right yarn but I liked that extra effect.

I think I’m going to use the Manos if I can afford it. And last but not least, I have a hankering to make the “waistline” which is not really a waistline she says, a little higher, kind of more like an empire style coat. just a weee bit higher.

Just put he book on order from the library.

Keep us posted! Oh, here’s the link:

http://www.ample-knitters.com/einstein_hints.html

#16

I think I may have to do Smileys…KP for once is more expensive! Unless I check out the KoolWOol too…I’m definitely going to get the dark brown color (then I can wear it with Tubey!! :rofling: ). I :heart: brown!

ETA: I just went to the LB website and they say KoolWool is discontinued :thinking: Although, what about Wool Ease Chunky? I still think the Smileys price is the best I’ve seen

#17

Vic — Thanks for all that great info!!! A great site to go to w/ questions that will surely arise!

Andrea – I’m afraid that the WoolEase would pill … does anyone have any experience w/ this? And I had no idea the Kool Wool was discontinued. Why does L.B. discontinue the yarns I like? (e.g., CottonEase) :??

I’m thinking I’d probably go w/ the Lopi, too, though just cause it would be the first major garment I made, and I would want to use something as close to the pattern as I could. I did see some neat and colorful bulky yarn over there, though (Smiley’s, that is), that DD might like, although she really wants to have the rust color they show in the book. She has good taste. :wink:

#18

I like that coat! :inlove:

#19

Julie, that’s the color I’m going for!! I’ll think I’ll order tomorrow (or some time when the DH isn’t looking!!) :smiley:

#20

Never mind—I just ordered 14 balls of Lopi from Smileys!! :cheering: :cheering: :cheering: :cheering: