Knititude

Decreasing within a stitch pattern

Here you can see how I decided to decrease the Dayflower Lace pattern; the partial flower in the last few rows of lace is divided by a YO at its lower edge, which I felt kept it from looking too blocky. If I decreased further, I could perhaps have made that last flower look more like a mini version of the others--but then the underbust circumference would have been too small.

An interesting problem with this sort of decreasing is that for each stitch decreased within the stitch pattern, you will have the same number of stitches decreased as there are repeats of the pattern; thus, for this top, every time I decrease one stitch within the Dayflower lace panel, I decrease 14 sts per round. The problem arises if/when you try to write a pattern for multiple sizes. I'll use a simple example, a sweater with a lace pattern lower border, in which I want to use decreases within the lace to get from hip to waist circumference. Generally, the amount decreased from hip to waist doesn't vary much from size to size.

But if I want to write the pattern for hip/bust sizes 34 (40, 46, 52), with a gauge of 5 sts per inch, and I have 8 (10, 12, 14) repeats of my lace stitch pattern respectively, then if I decrease 1 st per repeat, I now have decreased 8 (10, 12, 14) sts in one row--or roughly 1 1/2 (2, 2 1/2, 3) inches--a markedly different amount for each size. Not so different with one decrease, maybe, but if I want to decrease 6 inches to shape the waist, then I have to make 4 decreases for size 34, 3 for size 40, probably 3 for size 46 (5 inches--close enough), and 2 for size 52--meaning three different decrease methods. If I tried to decrease the same way for each size, I might end up with (for example) 4 1/2 (6, 7 1/2, 9) inches decreased--which in size 52 is probably too much for any except the best-endowed AND wasp-waisted.

Other options? Compensate by making the hips proportionally larger in the larger sizes, or perhaps leaving a few of the repeats unchanged in the center back/front, or at the sides, in the larger sizes. One solution might work well for a particular garment and stitch pattern, and not for another. But I think you can see why this type of decreasing is not that common, except perhaps in hat patterns.

Oh yes, these pictures also show attempts 1 & 2 at the underbust band, with eyelet holes for a twisted cord tie; I felt that the first one didn't have a clear enough delineation of the band/lace transition, and also that the bust increases (several rows above the eyelet holes) were too visible.

(Cross posted from Create Along.)

Ham & cheese (& sheep)

Or, prosciutto e parmigiano.  Yes, we're off to Parma for the weekend.  Unfortunately, I found out too late that the tours of the Parmesan cheese factories are usually offered only on weekday mornings; ditto for the tours of the  Parma ham factories.  Luckily, I can visit this yarn store; looks tempting, doesn't it?

Si, andaremo a Parma per il weekend.  Purtroppo, ho scoperto troppo tardi che le visite guidate ai caseifici produttori di Parmigiano-Reggiano sono di solito offerto dal lunedi al venerdi, di mattina; stesso per le visite guidate ai prosciuttifici.   Per fortuna, posso visitare questo negozio; sembra alletante, non e vero?

And the sheep?  They're not out in the country somewhere.  No, they're grazing right next to the parking lot for the Tavernola soccer field, and they've been there during every soccer practice for the last couple of weeks, along with their shepherd and his sheepdogs.  In the second photo, some intrepid young soccer players are going to investigate!

E le pecore?  Non sono nella campagna, ma stanno pascolando accanto al parcheggio per il campo di calcio di Tavernola, e sono stato li durante ogni allenamento da due settimane fa, con il pastore e i suoi cani da pastore.  Nella seconda foto, dei avventurosi calciotori giovani stanno andando per investigare.

Decreasing Dayflower Lace

Okay, let's pretend that two weeks or so have passed since my last post. After a couple of weeks of non-frenzied knitting, the lower portion of my Dayflower Lace top has been completed, and I can't put off deciding how to decrease any longer. Typesetter and I had the same thought, namely that decreasing all at once would create a gathered look, which would have the effect of bunching up the lace, so instead I swatched a single lace repeat and tried various ways of decreasing each repeat from 17 to 11 stitches. (After completing a stockinette swatch to get gauge for the underbust band, I had decided that this would be how much I had to decrease to get the proper underbust circumference.) Pictured at top is just one of the rejects; at the top left of the lace section, the pattern does not maintain the clear faggoting outlines, which I realized were dominant features of the lace.

I swatched a decrease I thought would work, but after working a few rounds, I realized that the "flower" in the center had become boxy and vertical, rather than curving (second photo).

Eventually I decided that the best looking solution was to end the lace pattern on a row near the very top of one of the two "flowers,"  or on Row 6 or 14 of the lace pattern. On the last photo, I've drawn a line across the lace to show approximately where these pattern rows fall. More photos of the final version of the lace decrease in my next post!

And now, a couple of other matters. First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions and encouraging comments. I noticed several comments along the vein of "...all of us who have designed have been rejected " (Marnie), "keep working on those designs" (Emily) and "Never give up!" (Edna). It's worth stating that persistence and a high tolerance for rejection are very valuable qualities for a telemarketer...I mean for a knitwear pattern designer! I myself cultivated those traits during a year or two spent writing mediocre short stories and trying (unsuccessfully) to get them published; I've had much better success with knitwear patterns. Still, there can be a sense that you are only as good as your last acceptance, so here are a few helpful things to keep in mind when facing rejection on a regular basis:
1) Even if your design is good and your pattern well written, the magazine (or book or yarn company) may already have three hats (or two top-down raglan pullovers, or six pairs of lace socks) in the running.
2) Your design may be original and beautiful, but may just not fit with the general aesthetic of that particular magazine, etc. etc.
3)  If one entity rejects a design you can always submit it elsewhere, or self-publish it on your blog or website.

On the subject of sketches for submissions, Monica asked in an email, "Did you take a sketch or illustration class? Is there a source for fashion illustration templates?" I did take figure drawing--in high school. And as for templates, I've actually flipped through catalogs or magazines until I found a model dressed in something skimpy or form-fitting (Victoria's Secret works!) so I could see the outlines of the body, then traced it, to get a natural-looking pose for a sketch. If you don't feel your sketches are very good, it's better to keep them minimalistic--faces and hairstyles and hands are usually not required! Clean, simple lines can then be a design style, not a lack of drawing ability.

(Cross posted from Create Along.)

Errata for Double Wing Top from Expectant Little Knits

Charts A and B are reversed; Chart B should be used first, followed by Chart A.

After completing Chart C or Chart D, the number of stitches per repeat will be decreased; this is not indicated on the charts.

Chart C (used for Size S only): After Row 5, stitch count decreased to 14, with 8 knit sts between k2tog and ssk; after Row 7, stitch count decreased to 12, with 8 knit sts between k2tog and ssk; after Row 9, stitch count decreased to 10.  Chart D (used for Sizes M, L and XL): After Row 3, stitch count dereased to 15, with 7 knit sts between k2tog and ssk; after Row 7, stitch count decreased to 13, with 9 knit sts between k2tog and ssk; after Row 9, stitch count decreased to 11.

For a corrected PDF of all charts (labeled correctly to correspond to written instructions), email me: knititudeATgmailDOTcom.

Retreat

Although my adult version of Sherwood has been on a back burner for the last month or so, this weekend, I felt the need to do some knitting not requiring any decisions--just nice, mindless, round-and-round.  With enough crossed stitches to keep my mind busy, in a sort of not-so-difficult crossword puzzle or reading-the-newspaper kind of way.  As an added bonus, the combination of ribbing and the springy Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran makes for a plush, spongy fabric which is a delight to sink the fingers into--it reminds me of my Tempur-Pedic mattress, which provides a sleeping experience I highly recommend.  Aahh.

(What do you think?  Micro-mini?)

Create Along sort-of cross-post

Well, I'm still waiting for the Premiere yarn I ordered, but there's been a change of plan: the pictured project, which I was hoping to complete in time to submit to Knitty--by today!-- has given me no end of headaches. It is far from being completed, as ripping is unfortunately required. And what do you know, it's in Premiere, color #5248. In short, the perfect project to post about here. (And hey, if this CAL does indeed go to September, I should have time to do another one--if my other yarn ever arrives.) I hope y'all don't mind that the first few posts about this sleeveless top won't be real-time; I started the actual knitting about the time the CAL started up, in mid-February.

However, the original idea germinated awhile ago, almost a year, in fact.  I loved the Dayflower Lace stitch pattern in Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury, and when I decided to design something using it, the first thing I did was Google to see if there were any other patterns out there--first, to see how others might have utilized it, and second, to avoid duplicating someone else's work. I found a scarf, a skirt, and a sweater, and I was interested to note that the latter, a V-neck cardigan with dropped shoulders, avoided any shaping, and thus kept the lace motifs intact (as did the scarf and skirt patterns).

It has been my experience with other curvy lace stitch patterns that mixing them with different stitch patterns must be done judiciously: part of their beauty comes from the undulations caused by the pull of the increase and decreases, and these are affected by adjacent stitches--or by trying to add shaping. So last spring, when I submitted a pattern idea for an empire waist top incorporating Dayflower Lace to Interweave Knits, I limited the lace mostly to the "skirt" portion of the top, thinking to tie the bodice thematically into the skirt by using faggoting--like that within the lace pattern-- to trim the neckline and armholes.

Needless to say, the pattern was not accepted, but I still wanted to pursue the idea, so a little over a month ago, I got out the sketch I had submitted, and started to think about how I might actually execute what I had drawn. By the way, this was one of my earlier sketches using Adobe Illustrator, and while my skills are still fairly rudimentary, one thing this program makes very easy is copying and pasting design motifs--such as if you want to communicate how a lace pattern stitch might appear across an entire garment.

So.  Some of the considerations with this top were:
1. How to create the empire waist shaping. Decreases on several rows, like waist shaping but more drastic? Or decreases all at once, creating a gathered effect?
2. What to do for the band under the bust. Simple stockinette or other pattern stitch? Bind off( or not) and attach to band, perhaps knitted horizontally to decrease stretch? I wanted this part of the top to have zero to slightly negative ease, to avoid that tent look! Use a ribbon or twisted cord to make sure the top fits closely here? And if so, incorporate eyelet holes into the band, for threading the ribbon or cord?
3. Bust shaping. If the underbust band was to have no ease, then there would have to be quite sudden increases for the bust, either along the sides, or using short rows, or using increases only in the front, to form a subtle gathered effect (which is pictured in the sketch).
4. Neckline. I wanted to use some sort of self-finishing for the armhole and neck edges, but what then to do about the center neck, which is drawn showing a single lace panel which is bound off horizontally? I didn't think the plain bound-off edge would look finished enough, but if I was going to add an edge finishing, I figured I would probably have to do it to the whole neck edge, and maybe the armhole edges, for design cohesion. Applied I-cord? Crochet? The Dayflower Lace pattern has no purl stitches on the right side, so I was reluctant to introduce ribbing or garter or seed stitch as an edge treatment.

Gah! What to do when faced with so many decisions?! START KNITTING! Luckily the lower part of this top is simply rounds of lace. I made a gauge swatch, calculated 14 repeats for a lower circumference of 40-ish inches, and I was off.

Edited to add:  Apparently Blogger and Typepad do not allow easy cross-posting, but I copied/pasted and that worked just fine.  Click here for the original post (from March 15th) and to see more of the Create Along.

First-Ever-Along

I have to admit that I'm not normally much of a joiner, and lately I've had little time to knit anything that isn't of my own design-- but then the Create Along came along.  First I noted the great idea of each participant designing her (or his) own project, and then I noted that of the five yarn choices, I've worked extensively with one (Cotton Classic), am currently working with another (Classic Elite Premiere) and have been wanting to try two others (Rowan Calmer and Denim).  So, I'm in!  If I can figure out how to do it, I'll cross post to both the Create Along site and to here, but if not, I'll link to my posts over there.  Because between tax time, family visits, and completing a pattern and sample for the Interweave Holiday Gifts 2007 issue by May 1st*, I can honestly only handle one blog over the next few weeks.  And the weather here has been killer, besides (that's Moltrasio across the lake, with the roofs of Blevio in the foreground).

*Hooray!  This makes me even happier than when they accepted my pattern for this summer's issue.  Because (a) it means that one wasn't just a fluke, and (b) it means that when they received my finished pattern and sample, they didn't write a memo to all of their editors, warning them to never accept anything from me ever again.

It's all about the earrings

Sure, I'm inspired by a particular yarn, by "stitchionaries," by just about anything, but really, it all comes down to the earrings.  Unlike some other knitters, I don't have a thing for shoes, nor socks (too many knitters to reference!)--you know, the feet are awfully far from the ears.  Normally speaking.  And in theory, I like bracelets and necklaces (in that order) but I just don't wear bracelets that much, and necklaces--I know it's an opportunity to make a wish every time you have to move the clasp around, but it just annoys me that the thing keeps inching around from the nape to the front of my neck.  Someone should invent a decorative clasp that also holds the pendant, so the whole kit'n'caboodle hangs in front, without requiring any fiddling.  I do have necklaces in which the centerpiece is part of the necklace, rather than hanging from the chain or cord or whatever, but every time I turn my head, it moves, and has to be re-centered.  Can anyone tell me whether a little dab of superglue, or whatever it is that starlets use to keep their plunging necklines in place, might work in this situation?

But I digress.  My point is, I often buy yarn with a pair (or two) of earrings in mind, and to a lesser extent, create designs to go with my favorites.  The chalcedony and crystal pair I got in Nantucket (above) inspired my purchase of the Classic Elite Posh I used for this sweater--unfortunately, not one of my better efforts.  The yarn in the third photo must go unnamed for now, but it's a paler yellow than it appears in the photo--buttery enough to spread on toast, in fact.

As you can see, I have a lot of pink earrings:  top, rose quartz and pink pearl; bottom, the same.  I bought the yarn for this sweater because I realized that I had hardly any clothes to go with all those pink earrings.  I don't dislike pink clothing, necessarily, but the color must be just right:  for me, hot pink and pastel just don't work, but a pale pink, almost neutral, or a dusty pink--those are possibilities.

This  Empire Silk yarn, from Karabella, is absolutely gorgeous (the bad photo doesn't do it justice), and it's sitting in my stash waiting for the perfect pattern.  When I purchased it, I could only find five skeins of that lovely deep gold...I wonder if I should buy more, now that kpixie seems to carry it. 

Anyhoo.  I've saved the best for last.  I love, love, LOVE these confections.

And the yarn ain't bad either:  Alchemy Yarns Synchronicity in "Good Earth."