I’ll admit to being hooked on the Netflix series “The Crown,” which focuses on Queen Elizabeth II and those around her. It’s well done, even if certain scenes and details are fictionalized, and it does a terrific job of showing the humanity of the members of the Royal Family–plus fantastic acting, costuming, sets, and cinematography.
In later life, Diana became a fashion icon. One of her most popular fashion choices was the “black sheep” sweater, designed by Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir:
“Since Diana’s first public appearance in one of our bright red sheep jumpers… she and the design have been inextricably linked. As Princess of Wales, she wore the sweater on several other occasions, eliciting a great deal of press commentary and making the design incredibly popular, not only here in the UK but around the world.”
Royal-watchers speculated whether the sweater carried a symbolic message, that Diana was considered (or considered herself) the black sheep of the royal family.
Fun news: the “black sheep” sweater is being manufactured again. Due to its popularity, the sweater has already sold out but preorders are being taken (you’ll have to shell out $275, though).
Although it’s fascinating to see recreations of Princess Diana’s life, I can’t help but wonder how her sons feel about this. The resemblance between teevee’s Diana and the real one, and the versimilitude of the staging, must be eerie for them, not to mention learning intimate details about their parents’ relationship. Heavy is the head that wears the crown indeed.
If you want to knit it yourself, the pattern, which was originally published in McCall’s magazine in 1984, can be downloaded on Ravelry!
Wow — thanks so much for pointing this out!
Also this one- out of print, but had been printed about 2 years before I joined CEY. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-elite-sheep-sweater
I actually knit that sweater back in the 1980s when it was first published in McCalls. I remember my MIL looking at the wrong side of my work that had the bobbins of white (and one black) hanging off it and saying “look at the little unborn lambs!”