changing tack...

To get away from the hand-transferred stuff, I’m going to try other stitch techniques for the tank top – looking at my list of ‘youngsters’ who might like one, I have some knitting to do!
I like that ‘skin’ print that I did the jacket in (was that only last month?) - going to try it out for my niece, Wendy, who loves animal print even more than I do. Knitting in fairisle takes a different amount of yarn. Still trying to use up my leftovers of WCD, I have 250g sand dune (tan) (plus several swatches that could be undone) and 100g of a pretty rusty brown, leftover from Wild Side https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2009/07/same-but-different.html
I dug out Boondoggle https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2013/08/perfect-pockets.html (fairisle, weights 420g) and my remake of Frill Ride minus the frills (stockinette, weight 430g) https://knitwords.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-new-decade.html
They are about the same size, same sleeve length but what does that tell me? Nothing that makes me feel better about how far the yarn will go!
Light bulb moment! I could do the first piece and weight it before knowing if I could proceed with a second skin print or make the other side solid – you see that all the time in ready-made stuff! Wendy is much smaller than me, so, less yarn and overall a good thing as I tend to covet things and if it were my size, she might not get! ;)
By the time I did the hem, I’d convinced myself that trying to get 2 pieces of fairisle out of 100g of the rust was just plain dumb. Another option would be a better choice and now, armed with a full, brand-new cone of lovely carob, a deep, dark chocolate WCD, going for it!

it really wasn't a secret...

But for some reason, I never told you about this.  In the last published issue of KnitStyle magazine, #194, July 2014, my mid gauge design 'Bold Shoulder' appeared. I had used a ribbon yarn knit quite loosely  in a manual-selected 1X1 tuck stitch. I felt I had a 'history' with the design (blogpost http://knitwords.blogspot.ca/2014/07/bad-news.html )and I was pleased with how it turned out. They did eventually return it to me but as it was a 34" finished size, it certainly didn't work for me so I gave it to my niece Lauren as a birthday gift last year. She loved it.
Anyway, in the meantime, I had decided to make it for myself but on the standard gauge machine. Main reason, although I like using the LK150 mid gauge, I don't particularly like the finished weight of the garments, especially for an 'indoor-wear' design - too thick and heavy for my short, curvy (read chubby  ;-)) body! I had some of this marsh-print Wool Crepe Deluxe that I decided would do for the experiment, meaning that I should have enough to complete the garment without stressing out about running out, but not a big deal if I did as I had plenty of old swatches that I could possibly salvage if necessary. Also I wanted to use the loose-knit tuck stitch (same needle tucking every other row with a plain knit row between which I programmed in instead of hand selecting, of course!) that was my original design. On the KS/mid gauge version, I had wanted the extra width that the tuck stitch would provide and the stability that it would add to the loose gauge (eliminate any potential for biasing of the fabric). The added bonus - either side could be used as the right side. In the mid gauge version, I did use the knit side as the outside but with this one, the variegated yarn looked nicer to me on the purl side so mine has the purl side as the right side. In the accompanying article in KnitStyle, I had given a few other similar manual patterns as options and also advice on seaming and edges depending on which side was the outside of your garment.
I used the shape from the mid gauge pattern (in my size, of course) but instead of the elliptical hemline (curved lines, shorter in front, longer in back using shortrowing) I simply made mine straight across, back and front the same which created the dipped points at the side seams - I love that look and it seems to work for me (in my mind anyway!). Also I had given the finished pieces a really hard press to flatten and widen the fabric.
My friend Cathy came by the other day with her camera and I got her to snap a few photos just for you! I don't even mind the diamond pattern that appeared in the yarn automatically - at least they are consistent! I think it's a really fun top, I've enjoyed wearing it and had lots of compliments! I do plan to reknit it in a solid colour WCD and use the knit side!

a sleeve pandemic

I’ve got 3 sleeves done...let me explain...actually, the first one was chocolate brown and took forever! Now, the sleeve is supposed to be purl stitches background with a single, braided, knit-stitch cable running up the centre of it. For the body of the garment, on my swatches, the cables are on the main bed and the purl stitches are on the rib bed (side away is right/outside), so it made sense to do the same thing for the sleeve. Actually, let me back up a bit again.
Often, I start by making the sleeves of a garment - for a couple of reasons. First, when trying out new techniques, it is usually easier to master new stuff on the sleeve rather than the back which is a whole big, piece. The sleeve, being smaller, allows you to work out the quirks of the technique or the design without it being a major deal, like for example, figuring out how to change from one needle arrangement to the next, between the cuff area and the main part. And if it doesn’t go well, not too much is lost, time-wise. And if you do make a few changes, it will be less obtrusive on the sleeve and you can usually get away with minor stuff.
So, I was using the chocolate brown and though I did get a perfect sleeve off, it took forever. Turns out that shaping on the rib bed is much more time consuming than if you were working the other way around. My end stitches were on the ribber, so the increases and sleeve cap shaping were all ribber stitches. I did shortrow some of the sleeve cap, but it was tricky. I was going to make the second sleeve in brown, the other way, using the main bed for the purl stitches and the rib bed for the cable (side facing is right side), but when I looked at the finished chocolate brown sleeve I decided that with this much work involved, I wanted people to be able to see the detail from more than 6 inches away!
I switched back to the mushroom grey and whipped off 2 perfect sleeves with the cable done on the ribber in half the time!
Funny how things come back to haunt you - I remember once saying that I’d never turn cables on the rib bed....turns out, it was quite easy...
I know, I know...remind me later to tell you how to re-use that chocolate brown, after all, it is real wool crepe deluxe!

caught stealing again...

 I’m back home and re-bonding with my metal bed machine - swatching madly...I saw the cutest jacket/cardigan - by the way, what’s the difference? What makes it a jacket? What makes it a cardigan? Anyway, this knitted thing that opened in the front - I tried it on and loved the style but it was made out of junk (in my opinion) but with a price tag of $79, I guess, what do you really expect? So I studied it and tried to commit to memory the details and when I got home, dashed off a sketch - I really wish I had learned to draw properly but at least I can sort of put down enough stuff to help remember the real thing - I don’t have a cell phone and I’ve never worked up enough nerve to carry my digital camera, so I have to rely on this method...



swatch1



swatch2

The jacket - it did seem heavy enough to be more like an outdoor-weight and with the big collar, I’ve now decided it was a jacket/coat - had tons of stuff going on, but it all came together. It was a dark charcoal tweedy yarn and I put it on with a black pencil skirt and even with bare legs, I thought I looked okay and of course, the clerk, hoping to make sales is telling me how stunning I look - who wouldn’t believe her? In my mind’s eye, I’m narrowing the bottom of the sleeve and, thinking the hem is sort of bulky - it was 1X1 rib, folded under, doubled, to add weight to it, maybe, but to someone as discerning as moi, it was crude - I could do better...and forget the outdoor version, I’m going to use Wool Crepe Deluxe and work on changing the big collar...

So, with my swatches, working first on the hem, I did full needle rib and then went to 1X1 on main bed only - now, how to get to the

9 X 8 wide rib without too much trouble? Some experimenting with bringing needles back to work quickly - I think I have it worked out by the 4th swatch...then, trying cables - Here, I chose 9 sts for the knit part where I was doing 3X3X3 braided cable, making the cables every 4 rows - too much work and too tight and with bringing up the extra needle on the rib bed on the row before, it makes too big a loop that shows...

swatch3

swatch4

Next swatch, change up the rib and have the 1X1 part knitting only every other row - nah, that’s not what I want -

8X7 needle arrangement works better, but 6 rows between elongates the cables out too much.

No 3 swatch:  narrowed the cast-on and went back to 1X1 look for hem, tried 3 different cables - too much going on and I lost track...

No 4 - changed colour, tried a racking cast on (yes!) , did my own braided cable 3X2X3 and by gosh I think I’ve got it!! See you in the ribber class at Newtons!!!