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February 08, 2006
Olympic Project Finalized and WIP status
After weeks and weeks of swatching the choice is out of my hands~ I received some yarn with which to design a sweater. So thats gonna be my challenge: design and knit the sample for a new sweater. Lorraine had a post today about designing and I found it very interesting because she works with color whereas I work with texture. I like to call myself color blind but really its more a matter of not being very confident in mixing colors. I once knit a baby sweater in blue and picked out a purple for trim. My fave LYS happens to have a former painter on the staff and she informed me that the colors did not go together so whatever little experiments I was willing to make were kinda thwarted. And I still think they look ok together but no I am not gonna show you. Anyway my process is to first knit a st st swatch. I do this to determine what needle gives me the drape I want and to see how the fabric shows knits vs purls. Stitch definition for lack of better terms. If its all fuzzy wuzzy then I am going with a st st based fabric and if everything is crisp then I consider a more complex knit/purl combo. Then the weight and drape effect how take in-ish I am willing to have the knit/purl combos. A heavy yarn, and by this I mean yardage per weight in relation to suitable gauge, can't be further weighted down IMO by a lot of take in. Ugh clear as mud but say you are dealing with a loosely spun or hollow cored WW wool vs a cabled WW cotton~ the wool is good for cables or ribs but the cotton might have a little textural interest but not allover. Anyway I haven't gotten to that point yet and am still swatching for drape right now~ working only in st st to decide what size needle gives me the feel I want before even swatching any stitch patterns. Of course my mind is thinking hmmmm maybe a cabley pattern or maybe a real in your face 3D pattern. Thats where I am leaning but I certainly have not even looked at my pattern books and started drafting. Are you excited about watching me struggle through the design process? yah I know its not as exciting as doing a norgie in 16 days but I have knit half a sweater and then decided I was ever so confoozled and restarted so there might be drama!
I have worked the heel on my Jaywalker socks. Not turned the heel but the heel flap alone. I keep telling myself its Sunday Socks so I needn't stress but I am a bit concerned about the growing pile of WIPS and the incoming ordered projects which I am so jazzed to do mainly cause they are color stuff which I adore but am too chicken to design on own. I also am just a wee bit under the mitten top shaping on Maimu. Nothing to show with either of those yet IMO but progress is being made.
OK toodles and don't forget~ yarny days and knitterly eveings to all ;^>
Posted by Elka at February 8, 2006 09:05 PM
Comments
Goodness gracious! You're going to design AND knit a sweater? In sixteen days? (or however long the Olympics last)? That is madness. I salute you. ;-)
Posted by: Beth S. at February 9, 2006 09:38 AM
Elka- My goodness, girl, don't you know that having published patterns that people buy is success? How do you define it? Kaffe Fassett was told, by another "artist", that he had no color theory! Thank goodness he didn't listen. If it pleases you, then that's all you need. Don't let the man keep you down. Do what's in your heart. We're all cheering you on!
Posted by: Lorraine The Knitting Hammy at February 9, 2006 12:13 PM