5 posts from 2006

Knitting is meditation for me but I've made the common error of thinking that meditation is easy.  I've been so tired lately due to health issues that just holding the needles up quickly exhausts me.  But I miss it and notice that I'm not as grounded when I don't knit.  As well, the little I achieve on my far-too-many in process projects makes me tense rather than calm.  Especially the scarves -- they seem to be the same (short) length they were a month ago. 

Which brings me to my scarf rant.  Why are these seen as great beginner projects?  I understand the theory that knitting a large repetitive project writes the movements into your body but I also think undertaking something that takes a slow knitter a long time to finish leads to abandoning knitting altogether.  Oddly, I have thought that one approach that might help me deal with my scarf block is to add more knitting to each scarf by knitting them in the round.  Sounds crazy to knit twice as much, right?  But I find I can go for much longer if I don't have to flip the project over after each row.  It has nothing to do with not wanting to purl -- I've never minded purling and, unless you are only knitting stockinette, you purl in the round also.  Maybe I am still just too awkward and it shows most clearly when I am turning-- trying to keep the yarn, needles, tension, and what's the next stitch in mind and under control.

So why did I decide to knit three scarves for Christmas presents?  Because they are great presents and, in one case, a scarf was requested by the recipient.  And I made the decision way back in early October when I thought that was plenty of time, before my physical ennui.

Gee, now that I've whined about them, I think I'll just start knitting on them.

Cool online magazine --- article on what the well-dressed Japanese dog is wearing is just one example.

http://www.pingmag.jp/

I was thinking about the circuitous routes I sometimes follow in deciding what to knit - colors, pattern, and even more interesting, how the pattern will be modified. 

A case in point:  I decided to make the Architect scarf in Greetings from Knit Cafe for a friend in NYC.  He loves architecture and design and I loved the non-symetrical stripes so it seemed a good fit. 

First the yarn.  I was working on the Half-Dome hat for another friend and decided to use the yarn the designer suggested (non-scratchy for bald heads - very important), Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, even though I had a bad experience with DB's Cathay (slippery, split very easily, and hard to rip -- not a yarn I would recommend to a fellow beginner).  What a joy the Cashmerino was to knit with and so soft!  When I thought about this scarf which I also wanted to be soft, Cashmerino seemed a natural --- although in chunky rather than Aran.

Second, the colors.  The scarf called for 4 colors but I knew I didn't want the same colors as in the pattern.  NYC is rather conservative but my friend is creative so I wanted classic with a twist but nothing he wouldn't mind wearing around wealthy conservative clients.  Obviously I was limited to the colors Cashmerino comes in - chunky limits the colors more.  I decided on black, cream, dark red, and medium blue.  Then I found a website that had cashmerino on sale but only in certain colors.  I changed to charcoal, cream, medium red, and lime.  When I received the order I liked the combination.  I wanted to keep the thinnest stripes as red and lime to be used less than charcoal and cream so I was ready to translate the pattern per my color choices.

Third, the stitch pattern.  The pattern was a K2 P2 rib with US 11 needles.  I knit loose so I started with US 10 then went to 9.  The scarf was to be 9 1/2 inches wide but I didn't want it that wide.  I decided on 7 inches which became 7 1/2 to accommodate the rib pattern.  I began knitting.  After 4 rows I decided that I really did not like the way the ribbing was looking.  I was knitting to the recommended gauge so I considered reducing the needles again to tighten up the stitches but wasn't sure if I wanted a rib at all.  So I decided to turn the scarf into a swatch and try out other stitches.  I started with garter stitch and after a few rows I realized I really liked the combination of ribbed edge and garter stitch.  The swatch turned back into the scarf and I kept going.

Fourth, the color pattern.  As I mentioned I really liked the striped pattern in the original scarf so decided to keep that even though nothing else remained of the pattern.  It was not to be --- after knitting the first narrow red stripe I started on the next stripe in the pattern so it was charcoal, cream, red, charcoal.  After 4 rows I knew I wasn't happy with the scarf anymore.  What was the matter?  I decided that the color combo was looking kind of dated.  Start over?  Put it in the UFO pile?  I decided to rip out the last charcoal rows and do lime instead which meant that the rest of the striping pattern would need to be modified.  Using lime instead of charcoal worked for me.

So, my question is, at what point does a project become a personal design rather than the inspiration design?

Attorney Scarf

Half Dome: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATThalfdome.html

I made this for my goddaughter's birthday and I've already bought yarn to make one for me it is so cute.  I am a new knitter so if I thought it was pretty easy . . .

Except for adding a stripe and doing the straps a little diffferently* I followed the pattern I found on MagKnits exactly.  http://www.magknits.com/warm04/patterns/sophie.htm

*  Rather than weaving in many tails, I made the first strap then attached it with a three-needle bindoff then moved straight to the 3 live stiches next to it using the same yarn and made the second strap in the opposite direction.  I wound it around the first strap before attaching the second strap to the bag with another three-needle bind-off.

Alpaca Roll-brim Hat

Roll-brim hat - My first completed project.  After a frustrating web search to find a free pattern for bulky yarn, I came up with this pattern on my own and it turned out great even if I have to say so myself.