Friday, July 15, 2011

Searching for Sophie!

 That Scarf!

On my recent trip to Paris,  I went searching for French designer
Sophie Digard's exquisite crochet scarves. 

I was seriously ready to splurge on one but never had the chance. 

I did email the Sophie Digard website before my trip inquiring on Paris retailers but didn't receive a reply.  So I was left on my own searching for Sophie's scarves in Paris and came up empty handed.

I did have a Sophie sighting in London though before arriving in Paris.

I spotted a lady with a beautiful and colorful crochet scarf at London's Portobello Road Antique Market. 
I stopped her to compliment her and ask her if she made her scarf?  She was so thrilled to have her scarf admired and proudly told me "I bought it an expensive boutique in Sweden".
I knew immediatley it just had to be a Sophie Digard scarf...
and, of course, it was!

I Can do That!

So now my latest idea is to crochet my own scarf  inspired by a Sophie Digard scarf. 

I've been searching on Ravelry for pattern ideas and  now I'm obsessed with Japanese flower scarves

 My Ravelry friend Teresa in England is crocheting Japanese flower scarves and suggested I check out Lucy's Attic24 blog for inspiration.  Thank you, Teresa!  Lucy's blog is very inspiring...so inspiring, she has a fan club of over 4,000 members (including me now) on Ravelry in the We Love Lucy group. 

I'm hoping to go to Japantown in San Francisco soon to buy some Japanese crochet books.  In the mean time, I picked up this I Taught Myself Crochet kit to help get me started. It's been over 40 years since my Great Grandmother G.G. taught me how to crochet a granny square. 

Wish me luck! 

PS:  I've just discovered that my favorite yarn store in London, Loop is carrying Sophie Digard scarves and accessories in their online shop..so you don't have to go all the way to Paris, afterall.


(Top photo credit Sophie Digard Creations)

16 comments:

Sue Pinner said...

Hi..also a fan of Shopie
Not sure if you know or not but she uses a blended mix of very fine yarns all mixed together to make a yarn thick enough to crochet with
in naturals
Good luck x

Unknown said...

Thanks for the info, Suz! xx

Voie de Vie said...

Her scarves are fabulous ... and I'm thrilled she's inspired you to learn how to crochet! Motif work is lots of fun and also occasionally challenging. :)

It is not surprising you also like Japanese flower work - they are also masters of motif work. :)

Annemieke said...

I too would love to improve my crochet skills. Maybe we can be crochet learning buddies.

Renée said...

Hey, I have that same book too! Of course I never seem to have the chance to sit down and seriously learn but I will soon! That is a lovely scarf!

Knittings Nice! said...

Just found your blog after my friend Teresa was telling me about it. We were out looking for Molly Makes today and I hadn't realized it was British mag duh!!!

Nice blog though, well written and fun to read. Have just spent 3 days in Bath myself, love the place...so everything and also visited Wool Shop and purchased some yarn which I must admit did feel guilty about as maybe should have purchased locally...ho hum. Will pop in again to see your blog...happy writing.

janice said...

Totally doable. Get a crochet motif stitch dictionary and try to match the shape. Practice with thick yarn until you like your result, than go for the threads in multiple colors

Unknown said...

Thank you everyone for all your nice comments and encouragement!

I plan on taking some crochet lessons so I can create my own "Sophie-style" scarf!

Anonymous said...

If you look on this blog http://www.zannestars.com/category/color/ and scroll down, you will see some Sophie Digard scarves. I have just finished an autumnish coloured scarf and I haven't seen one quite like it online, until today. My scarf resembles those on the right side in the first picture. I wasn't trying to make a scarf like hers but it is definitely similar - I have only seen it now I have finished mine.I used a small square motif, with a little flower in the middle, it is quite similar to the one in the pictures. Some of the motifs she uses are complex but a little square like this would be relatively easy while still looking lovely. I stitched them all together and put a picot border on. I am so pleased with it. It is not made of such fine yarn as a Sophie Digard but you can certainly get a passing resemblance using normal wool/cotton yarns. I liked doing it so much; it took 2.5 weeks working quite hard on it but even the sewing in of all the ends and stitching it together was enjoyable for me. I hope you are successful in making what you are after.

Laura Parsons said...

Just fyi, Ped Shoes carries a selection of Sophie Digard loveliness (usually more extensive in fall and winter). In fact, that photo at the top of the post is one of our product shots from years past. Come visit!

mrswoo said...

In Paris S.Digard sells her scarves at her own shop somewhere in the 17th arrondissement. Also, she used to sell them at the Au Bon Marche store.

In London you can find them at Fortnum and Mason, in Piccadilly, on the second floor.

Or online at the Selvedge shop or in their Archway Road shop.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hello,
did you make your Sophie inspired scarf? If so what kind and where did you get your yarn? thanks

Kerstin said...

In case anyone is interested in buying a Sophie Digard scarf in Paris, I came across a big selection of her scarves today at a cute boutique in Rue Princesse called Nadine Delepine. Strangely enough, the boutique's website does not mention them at all...

Anonymous said...

if you like the look of delicate multi-stranded crochet, the clothogancho site also uses this technique. She uses several strands of naturally dyed yarn and a fairly fine hook to make wonderful throws and blankets, which couls probably be adapted as scarves.