Lion Brand Notebook ®
In my life I’ve modeled for Lion Brand a total of three times. The first two times I was a little girl and I didn’t care much about the garments I modeled. I really love the floppy hat I wore when I was seven-ish but the bobbly cardigan before that — not so much.
The third time, just recently as a fashion-conscious adult, I had the opportunity to give input into the garments beforehand and let me tell you, I’m thrilled with the results. Today, I’m ecstatic to share the new Curvy Girl collection! With Susan Haviland, Lion Brand’s Design Editor, the Design team and some of my own clothes as inspiration, I really believe we hit the nail on the head with this fabulous collection.
There are four new patterns designed especially for women like us, women who have curves — two knit and two crochet — and I think you’ll be excited to knit and crochet these garments. We’re confident you’ll feel good and comfortable in your finished products. Since I was the fit model as well, they were designed to look great on a real-world curvy girl, not just a size 10-12 the fashion industry often uses for plus-size garment modeling.
| Curvy Girl Knit Tunic Made with Textures® |
Curvy Girl Crochet Rufled Collar Cardigan Made with Heartland® |
Curvy Girl Knit Cabled Cardigan Made with Heartland® |
Curvy Girl Crochet Tunic Made with Heartland® |
I love the tunic and the open shoulder tops. The tunic is crochet and the open shoulder is knit. It was also really important in this process to make the patterns easy, yet intricate. The patterns are simple enough for beginners while allowing for pro- knitters and crocheters to add pizzazz with more complex finishing touches!
:: these are some of my favorite action shots from the shoot ::
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CarOakMuse
awesome! thank you!
Lee
These would not look good on my curvy short figure! They look too large and frankly “sloppy!” At five foot five these will not work at all. They will give a chopped off appearance. I would like to see things in thinner yarns that are shorter. Very disappointed! Ditto for the past several months of Weekly Stitch!
Elizabeth Sheehy
As a yarn crafter, Lee, you can adapt the fit of a pattern to suit YOUR figure. After years of expanding size XL or 1X to 3X, I’m enjoying these new items.
i’
lizandrsn
Look into the Big Girl Knits books — they may be more of what you have in mind 😉
MomGrandma
Use a thinner yarn w/ appropriate needle size and don’t knit the full length.
The ladies look lovely in these beautiful garments.
; )
Pat Dadd Orton Duker
as a cuddly 5ft 2 I thought these designs were great.
Bridy Madill
These look amazing!
Please make a knit version of the crochet Tunic.
I am short, at 5’3, but I certainly can adapt the length for my needs.
Stephanie Asbridge
You are beautiful Shira, these garments are beautiful and you really make them come to life! I think it’s fantastic that you’ve been with Lion Brand for all these years! Wow!
lizandrsn
I’m a little surprised with all the horizontal stripping and construction —- it’s something I avoid like diets and exercise!!!
J'Marinde Shephard
There is a really good book called, “Breaking all the rules,” that guides larger women in superseding all the old tales and caveats of dress for larger women – – and looking gorgeous while doing so. LOVE IT and I often give it as gifts. Maybe take a look at it;
Suzanne Barrow
That’s because you’re still stuck on the lie that horizontal stripes make us look bigger.
It’s actually the other way around. Horizontal stripes are slimming, vertical stripes give the illusion of being larger.
Tarsa13
I found that out recently when I was gifted with a horizontal striped t~shirt. I was terrified that I would look like a beach ball~~I was happily surprised to find that it was very slimming (and comfy~~I love that shirt).
Kathryn Pless
I like the fact you included two jackets in the patterns. I have very large hips and it’s hard for me to get a decent looking top to fit without bagging near my bust. So glad to see some plus size patterns!
Emily
Sorry, but I’m not impressed. I really don’t understand the constant parade of tunics in plus sized clothing. A lot of big women look like blobs in tunics. Not flattering. Also, two jackets and all four garments have long sleeves? In the middle of summer? How about something I can make and wear now? I’m really glad you’re trying to bring some plus-sized options to your pattern collection, but keep working on it.
Gloria
I completely agree! I think long tunics emphasize my hips and are very unflattering. They feel sloppy to me.
Sharlene L Rowett
It’s just in time for our winter which has arrived with a vengeance. And I am a little big and they are beautiful.
mary
Need a crochet pattern for the purple sweater. Please. 🙂
Sunnie Mitchell
I’m going to do the crochet ruffled cardi but leave off the ruffles and insert crochet cable strips instead. I’m also thinking about figuring out a way to use Tunisian Knit Stitch to get the knit look for the cardi body.
I think what I’m trying to say is it looks as though the crochet version is adaptable:)
Theresa Kearns
Ooh! Yes! I’m not into ruffles and that sounds interesting!
Sunnie Mitchell
Yes, ruffles and I don’t get along well at all;) I’ve been looking at different crochet ‘insert’ cable patterns – I really like the ‘rope’ or ‘twist’ on the knit cardi. I’ve actually found an easy-ish pattern in one of the Leisure Arts Little Book series on crochet stitches. Takes some practice but definitely do-able!
Deb Anderson Silvers
Thank you so much for the patterns! I’m going to cast on pretty soon on the open shoulder for my eldest – at 20, that’s a great look for her when she goes back to the dorm this fall. I hope you continue this line, until a wasting illness I was also plus sized and it was so hard to find figure flattering clothing for both of us, and now that she is starting student teaching, she almost needs two separate wardrobes! Bring on the curvy girl patterns!
Heather Hammond
I agree with Lee, not every curvy girl is 6″ tall and what is with all the HORIZONTAL STRIPES?! No-one should wear stripes across the body unless they want to look wider. Please please please someone design a slightly fitted outfit with vertical lines.
Sunnie Mitchell
Awesome indeed! I learned to crochet whilst living in the US and am so glad to get the Lion Brand newsletters ‘over here’ now I’m back in the UK!
I’ve progressed to the point of wanting to crochet jumpers (BritSpeak for pullover sweaters) but have had a very difficult time finding patterns rated ‘easy’ for the first one – while I would have been completely over the moon to find a ‘side-to-side’ vertical stitched pattern (horizontal not exactly flattering to my hips, wow!) I’m still super happy with the two crochet patterns. As I have been reading this news and watching the vid, I’m already mentally digging through my yarn stash and calculating my budget to see if I can stretch it to cover purchasing Heartland from my fav UK stockist!
Shira, you were adorable as a child, and you’re gorgeous as an adult – great model and I love the action shots showing how the executed patterns drape when on a living breathing moving person, thank-you!
Linda
I appreciate what you’re trying to do with these patterns, but just because I’m curvy doesn’t mean I want to wear loose or nearly shapeless clothing like the cardigans. The tunics aren’t bad in that regard but they’re rather plain otherwise, I’d be bored making them and I’d be bored wearing them.
Copper Bailey
Love these with all 5’2″ of my curviness! Thank you! So nice to see fun curvy clothes.
Theresa Kearns
Ladies if you don’t like stripes just use a different yarn, duh! I’m 5’5″ and I love tunics that cover my big but! Working on the open shoulder in a creamy white right now!
Diane
Wow, Shira! You really rock those outfits.
Mz Lemony
I love these glad to see Curvy Girl
ladykazumi
any way to get Curvy Girl Knit Tunic
into a crochet pattern ?
Cynthia Burrell
Thank you so much!
Cheryl
I love the Knit Tunic with shoulder cut outs unfortunatly I don’t knit. Would love a crochet version of this one.
Denise
I love the idea, but I am truly “curvy”– I was a size 24 on the top and a size 12 on the bottom when I was a teenager. Curves do not necessarily mean big. Now that I have had a breast reduction, I am more proportional, but I still tend to be about a size 14. The “curvy girl” name is not really very descriptive. I understand that there are many larger women who need attractive patterns, but these would not look good on me. I would love to see some designs that really are made with curves in mind. For one thing, curves often come with a small waist.
angela1a
OMG, boy do I ever agree with you. I too have curves, true curves, I have the hour glass with a big bootie. I really wish they would stop calling plus sized curvy because they are not remotely the same thing. AND, what happens is that curvy women are still being ignored.
Denise
Exactly! I don’t want to sound mean because larger women also have needs, but those of us who are not so apple-shaped don’t deserve to be treated like we don’t exist. I can’t buy clothes that fit now, and it was so bad that I looked like a caricature before my breast reduction.
Bev Rowe
These could be great for fall but like some of the other comments, I’ m only 5 foot so make me look like a blob or box too.Bev
Tara Ember Williams
SHIRA: don’t listen to any of the negative comments below! Both you and your patterns you model are beautiful! Not every pattern is going to fit everybody so somebody is always going to gripe. Your work looks great.
Shira
Hey everyone! I can’t begin to thank you for ALL of your feedback. I know that some felt that some of the garments were too long or wouldn’t look good on them. Just so you all can get the full picture I am 5’5” and I am a size 16. So for all of you that thought I was 6′ or like super skinny… thank you 😉 but I’m not. I am an average girl. Now that you now this about me you might be able to relate to the patterns. Looking forward to seeing you all sport these amazing Curvy Girl patters.
Cheryl
Really short Girls we have been altering our clothes all our lives all of these look to be stitched Horizontally how hard is is to take out a few rows in the middle area. And as for the lucky ones who have a small waist did you not see the belt she used on the Blue Cardi in the video. We are crafters we make things so just make the changes you need and stop complaining. We finally don’t have to add which is a lot harder than subtracting in my opinion. Thank you and keep the patterns coming.
Janet
THANK YOU! I’m a curvy girl that has made some very nice projects to give away but none for myself because I had no idea where to get a pattern that would fit properly. You’ve solved that issue. THANK YOU! Can’t say it enough.
Lorena Nunley
Frankly I want to say that I love the curvy girl line. I am tall and curvy and look forward to making all of the patterns. Right now I am working on the ruffled cardigan and the pattern is very easy to follow. I love the video and look forward to seeing more patterns.
Sue McLachlan
would love a bolero pattern to wear in the office. enjoying the larger size patterns. No adjusting 50 years of adapting patterns is getting exhausting. Thanks