Knititude

Ashhole

*Warning:  non-knitting content!*  (Back with more Chinese Lace soon, but right now I'm so sick of that $#85&* pattern!)

Spring is in the air...although here in New England, that springy air is fickle, wafting into our lives for a day and then disappearing for a week.  I prefer to say that spring is in the light, which arrives earlier, stays later, and grows bolder with endearing dependability--why, you could set your clock by it!  (We do?  Oh, right.)

Anyway, this spring, this girl's thoughts turn to...cemeteries.  Yes, it's bizarre, even for me, who has always had a somewhat morbid mind (Six Feet Under fans, raise your hands).  Backstory:  Our elderly neighbor on Cape Cod passed away a little over a year ago.  One day last summer, I took my toddler for a bike ride and we visited her grave, in the cemetery at the end of the street.  After that, for weeks, every time we passed the cemetery he said, "There's our neighbor.  Can we go see her again?"  One day my husband was in the car, and wondered aloud if the cemetery was full (it's an appealing one, as cemeteries go--hilly, filled with rhododendrons and large oaks, with graves dating back to the 1700s).  So I checked; it was, except for a weedy little patch containing flush markers and "cremains."

Not long after that, I found out that a longtime acquaintance, a young mother with three daughters under the age of 7, had died suddenly and unexpectedly.  And although she grew up in the same Boston suburb where I now live, and would be buried here, next to her grandmother, she died in Mexico City, where her family now lives.  For some reason this fact nagged at me; I know this makes no sense, but I couldn't help feeling that she would be lonely.  Weird, huh?  Anyway, last fall, I attended a graveside memorial service for her at Newton Cemetery, pictured here--the first time I had ever entered its gates, even though I pass its grounds daily.  It's quite beautiful, with a small lake and fountains, and larger than you would expect.  And mostly full, as I found when, on a whim, I inquired at the office.  A week later, I read a Boston Globe Sunday magazine article about--of all things--several of the largest cemeteries in the area!  And two of them, Mount Auburn and Forest Hills, still had gravesites available!

No, I am not sick--not the kind of sick that puts you in imminent danger of dying, anyway--nor is anyone in my immediate family, knock on wood.  Nor do I believe in life after death, although I kinda wish I did.  My grandmother eschewed traditional burial, choosing instead to have her ashes scattered over a lake from a hot-air balloon.  So I just don't know why, but after I read that article, I made appointments at both Mount Auburn and Forest Hills, and on a gorgeous October day, I found myself touring the latter with my counselor, a friendly young woman.

Talk about a city of the dead!  Forest Hills is enormous, with a number of (as yet) sparsely populated areas, as well as the older ones, which contain a number of Boston's past prominent citizens.  You can pick up a handy guide at the office, with the most notable gravesites and monuments marked on  a map.  The trees are simply spectacular.  AND, unlike most cemeteries, F.H. allows visitors to jog, eat, drink, walk dogs, play frisbee--in short, it's like a park.  (With graves and mausoleums.)  I actually thought this was very appealing.  I could picture our descendants gathering the family for a Sunday outing:  visit the great-greats, bring a picnic, get some fresh air, sneak in a little history lesson on the side.  It's traditional for Chinese families (my mother is Chinese) to pay a visit to the ancestors at certain times of the year, bringing food and other tokens, and in fact, I noticed a lot of Chinese surnames on monuments at F.H.

Ah, the monuments.  There are a number of unusual ones at F.H., some quite large, and when I mentioned this to my friendly guide counselor, this is what she said:

"We do have guidelines for size of memorials, based on the size of the plot [you can buy 2 or 3 or more adjacent grave sites; each one holds one or two caskets, depending on whether there is enough depth to stack them, or 2 to 4 cremation urns...but I digress]...but the trustees have a policy of encouraging creative designs, and if they like your idea, they're willing to bend the rules."

Cool!  And what if you don't want any monument, even a small, boring one?  Why, they have a cremation garden, where your urn can be buried discreetly among ferns, flowers (and other urns), or if you want to go even more au naturel,

"...we can just pour the ashes into a hole in the ground." 

Yes, a braver person would have said (mustering all the innocence at her disposal), "Oh...and do you have a special name for the, um, the hole?" but I simply stifled a snort--Ash-hole?!--and decided it was time to move on to Mount Auburn. 

Well, at Mount Auburn, they have a decidedly different attitude towards the visitor:  NO bicycles, NO jogging, NO picnicking, NO lying or sitting on the grass, for heaven's sake, and most emphatically, NO DOGS.  When I told my cemetery services representative that dogs and picnicking were welcomed at Forest Hills, here is what he said:

"Well.  They have a different attitude over there.  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be visiting my loved one's grave, and look down and find I had stepped in some dog's...waste."

Ahem.  Me neither (ducking head with vague sense of shame).  So we headed out for our tour, during which I found out that there is really very little space left in M.A. (that Boston Globe article notwithstanding).  HOWEVER,

"If you see a spot you really like, we'll do our best to squeeze you in."

Is it just me, or do the folks at M.A. seem to be much more welcoming to the dead than the living?

Anyway, I'm telling you, when the foliage is at its peak, you should visit these places, even if you don't have a morbid bone in your body.  I mean, look at this (Mount Auburn).  Maybe I'm not morbid; maybe, now that spring has arrived, I just want to see the forsythia and magnolias and dogwoods and azaleas and rhododendrons and lilacs in these magnificent settings.  Only for the dead?  That would be a waste.

Edited to add:  It's so crass to talk $$, especially when it concerns one's eternal rest...but I just have to add that the lot for a mausoleum at F.H. will set you back over ONE MILLION DOLLARS--and that's before you even lay the cornerstone. 

Square egg

Even though I've been knitting madly for the past few days, I'm not sure any of it will be with us for long, if you know what I mean.  I lengthened the belled lace cuff, then tried an eyelet rib to transition into the upper sleeve, then tried making the upper sleeve fuller, and then gave up and went back to my earlier version.  I was wondering how the raglan decreases would look with the lace.

And here we are.  Not bad, was my first thought.  My second thought:  The two sides are not symmetrical.  Now, this is not a vertically symmetrical pattern, so of course I knew this would be the case, and it didn't really bother me, at least where the left and right sides of the front were concerned, for instance.  And this pattern does have strong diagonal movement to it, so I thought raglan--diagonal--okay; better than a wavy set-in shoulder seam, anyway.  But somehow, picturing the left sleeve looking very different  from the right sleeve at the raglan seams--this bothers me.

Possible solutions:  I could make one sleeve a mirror image of the other sleeve.  I could do this and make the body stockinette, achieving an odd-couple pairing of baseball jersey and lace which might be edgy and cool--or disastrous.  I could use the lace pattern as an accent panel only...which is why I created this swatch. I started with simple wide stockinette ribs, then tried the "waterfall" pattern from BW's 1st Treasury along the sides.  Notice how the Chinese Lace bullies the adjacent stitches into undulating along with it?  So then I tried increasing and decreasing on either side so the resulting combination has straight edges, allowing other stitch patterns to be combined with it more easily.  But am I fighting the very qualities of the lace which attracted me in the first place?  Am I trying to make a square egg?    

Is it really possible to be this stupid?

No, this wasn't supposed to be a Mobius scarf.  *Sob.*

How did I get this far before noticing there was a problem?  Please, please, please, just don't even ask me that right now.

Sleeve me

I like the belled cuff, and the stockinette is okay, I think...I hope...I tried swatching some small eyelet patterns which I thought might complement the lace, for the upper part of the sleeve, but wasn't crazy about any of them.  The lace cuff could be another inch or two longer, I think, and then this sleeve really needs something at the lace-stockinette juncture, maybe something a little ribby, with a few eyelets, or maybe even just a row or two of reverse stockinette....

The above photo would be benefit from better lighting, but it's only 20 degrees outside right now, so outdoor photography is, well, painful.  At least it's almost April; If it were only January, I'd have to seriously consider cutting the mullions out of the window to get rid of those shadow bars falling across anything I try to photograph in natural light.

I mean, this is kind of ridiculous.

Mother of the Bride

That's what came to mind when I looked at this sleeve, worked in a variation of Chinese Lace.  Actually, what first came to mind was Miss Havisham (also wedding-related!), but I decided that was a bit harsh.  Nothing wrong with "mother of the bride,"  and the lace is pretty--just not quite the mod look I was hoping for, at least not in this incarnation.  Such a shame--I had even worked out an increase sequence which blended into the pattern stitch quite nicely.

In fact, in the photo at left, of the underside of the sleeve, you can see the increases; they form the panel which narrows to a point about midway down the sleeve, in the center.  Oh well.  I'm not going to frog this just yet; first I'll see how I like the new version I'm working on:  the lace bells more at the cuff, narrows to the elbow and then switches to stockinette.      

"Oliver" Child's Zip-Front Cardigan

Don't you love zippers for kids' clothes?  Easy on and off, no worrying about buttons that can pop off and find their way into a toddler's mouth.  And they're easy to insert--honest!  I did it for the first time when I knit the prototype for this pattern, now available for sizes 6 months to 6 years.

At left is a photo of the sleeve detail, "Mirror Cable" from Barbara Walker's Charted Knitting Designs.  The same accent cable encircles the sweater at the waist, as well as running vertically up the back.  The pattern includes instructions for crossing the traveling stitches in "Mirror Cable" (and for working the baby cables) without using a cable needle. 

Although this sweater has a sporty apres-ski look, it also makes a perfect spring or fall outer layer; I used merino wool, but a cotton-wool light worsted-weight blend such as Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece would also work beautifully (just be sure to check gauge on a blocked swatch).  The photo at left shows the back view.

DIFFICULTY:  Easy to intermediate

SKILLS USED:  Twisted stitches, crossed stitches, three needle bindoff (for side seams), inserting zipper, reading charts.

GARMENT MEASUREMENTS in inches:

(To fit sizes         6 mo    12-18 mo    2 yrs    4 yrs    6 yrs)

Chest                   21           23            25        27        29

Length                 10             11          12        13        14

Sleeve length       6.5            7.5          8.5     10.5   11.5

Purchase pattern here!  Includes full written instructions, schematic and charts for pattern stitches, in the form of a PDF file which will be sent via email.  Note:  pictured cardigan has a horizontal garter stitch hem; to simplify construction, the pattern instructions call for the hem to be worked along with the body, with the garter stitch rows running vertically on the finished garment; take a look at the front bands (turned 90 degrees) to get an idea of how this will look.   

I tink, therefore I am.

I thought I was clever coming up with that title, but I Googled it after it popped into my head, and am compelled to admit that someone else thought of it first.   Anyway, yesterday was a day filled with tinking, as I knit, tinked and re-knit Chinese Lace, trying to get it to work for this Mock Wrap Pullover.  Yes, I know I said I would be doing a boat neck pullover with an allover lace pattern, but then I started thinking about how cute and flattering wrap-style tops are, except that they always gap open, and wouldn't it be nice to have a sweater that had the wrap look, but didn't require an underlayer...and so I came up with this:  a pullover in stockinette with lace borders on sleeves and at the "wrap" edges.  I wanted to try knitting the front in one piece, but after several swatch attempts, I had to conclude that the diagonal pull of the border just doesn't work with Chinese Lace (but I'll file this sketch; I'll try again using a different lace, or maybe a cable pattern).

I'm sure that the reason I kept mulling over different styles is that I'm nervous about how raglan decreases--or alternatively, set-in sleeve shaping--will work with the lace pattern.  I don't want the boxy silhouette of a drop sleeve, but I suppose I'll consider it if nothing else seems to work.

IN OTHER NEWS, I'm almost finished with the pattern for Oliver, for sizes 6 months to 6 years, complete with charts and schematic.  Any interest out there?   Ever wonder about the average upper arm circumference of a child at age 4?  Or the average neck circumference of a child at age 2?  Average hand length at age 10?  No?   Well, then you probably haven't tried to design knitwear for children of various ages.  But if you do wonder about these things, then here is a highly informative webpage, a study called "Physical Characteristics of Children" (scroll down the page for the charts, covering ages 2-12).  For the usual measurements (back waist length, sleeve length to underarm, etc.), the Craft Yarn Council's Guidelines are fine, but for those above--and more--this webpage is IT.  Yes, it is disturbingly subtitled "As Related To Death & Injury for Consumer Product Design & Use," but it's not quite as gory as it sounds; the writers designed the study to help manufacturers of cribs, toys, car seats, etc., come up with safe products.   And if it helps a few knitwear patternmakers come up with better-fitting patterns--why not?

Indecision

I have several swatches of Chinese Lace sitting on my desk, and I can't decide which version I like most!  I've been wanting to try one of the yarns in my stash:  "di.Ve Cotone Egitto," mercerized cotton, a closeout from WEBS--such a good deal I bought three different colors.  For this project, I chose the one I'll call "pale rose."  First swatch (left):  I omitted "Chart B," the 7 stitch panel which alternates with the main panel in the original lace pattern, instead using p2 between the main panels.

I think I've decided which size needle to use, at least.  The label suggests using US 6 or 7 needles, so I tried 7s, but thought the fabric looked kind of loose (or not?).  I switched to US 5s for the other swatches, which makes the leafy sections much tighter.

This swatch was worked according to the original pattern directions.  Notice how the ribs seem to curb the undulating tendencies of the leafy panels?  I also experimented with a border, adapting "Chart B" for use along the top of the swatch.  I wondered how the "Chart B" repeat would look with centered decreases instead of alternating left- and right-leaning decreases, so I tried that along just the top left half of the swatch.  The centered ribs are too neat, I think; the original ribs have an organic, branchy look that goes better with the leafy panels.

The color of the yarn in this photo is more peachy than it really appears (the first two photos are fairly accurate).  Notice the yarn kinking?  An especially annoying problem for me, because the bane of my summer avocation (sailboat first mate) is kinky lines ("ropes" to you landlubbers).  Luckily, I found that keeping four or five feet of yarn between needles and ball kept the kinks from taking over.

For the last swatch, I used only the main panels; I wanted to see if the leafy motif would just get lost.  But, darn it, it's not bad.  It's quite pretty...true, it's on the solid side, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for a sweater.  I also added a little stockinette at the top, to see how the lace might look as an accent, although I'm leaning towards an allover lace pattern at this point.

Well, decisions must be made, and if they lead to ripping, then so be it.  Here again, the three candidates; I'm thinking the ribs may be too dominant in the original lace pattern... but then again, they really make the leafy panels stand out... but the other two are also lovely, in a more subtle way....

(I have made a few decisions--assuming I do go with the allover lace!-- no ribbing at hem or sleeves, minimal shaping, pullover, probably boat neck, raglan sleeves.)

 

 

Chinese Lace

Now, it so happens that I am half Chinese, but that's not why I like this lace pattern--and although it's nice that anything so lovely has the word "Chinese" in the name, I'm not sure this means that the pattern actually originated in China.  (It was contributed to BW's 2nd Treasury by one Marjorie B. Bialkowski, Richmond, VA, so perhaps she could tell us its provenance.  I'm curious about the many contributors to BW's Treasuries, by the way.  Are they knitters, designers, historians?  Marjorie is only one of many:  a few others are Leona Hughes, Sarasota, FL; Pauline Balbes, Hollywood, CA; Dorothy Reade, Eugene, OR; and the prolific  Hildegarde M. Elsner, Aldan, PA, who must be either a remarkable innovator, or a compulsive pattern collector.)

But I digress.  Here is the entire page from BW, including her (or rather, M.B. Bialkowski's) directions for Chinese Lace.  It is a 24-row repeat and quite enjoyable to work--but it's kind of hard to get a sense of where the pattern is going from the written directions.   

So I charted the pattern.  I really like working from charts; not only do you get a better sense of how the pattern is constructed and how it progresses, but it then becomes simple to work in the round if you wish.  One thing you don't get from either set of directions (but which is visible in the photo) is how the decreases and increases pull the lace so that it curves gently from side to side.  (Note:  When I converted the charts into jpg format, some of the YO symbols came out looking rather bizarre; the horseshoe-shaped thingies as well as the circles mean:  YO!)