apparknitchik

The Thin Green Line

2011-03-23T18:54:14-04:00

If you've ever had to rip back your knitting, you'll understand how heartbreaking it can be, especially if you're working on a complicated lace piece -- it can mean tinking back hours or days of work.

Many knitters will advocate using a life-line -- that is, stringing a thread through the work. What the life-line does is secure one row of stitches so that you can take your knitting off the needle and rip back quickly to the row that the life-line runs through. The life-line holds that set of stitches secure so that you can't accidently rip back further than you'd intended.

If you're interested in learning more about life-lines and how to use them, Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer has an excellent write-up about them over on her Heartstrings website.

This, of course, is the moment where I admit that I rarely use life-lines myself. I usually figure that if I work at a sensible pace, if I don't work on complicated lace pieces when I'm tired or out-of-sorts, well, I don't need them, and any mistakes I do make I figure I can fix without having to rip back. For me, that's usually faster than ripping back and re-knitting (although I will admit that there are probably times when there's nothing else to be done).

But, if you take a look at the slowly progressing Hana-bi shawl...

... you will see that I have inserted a life-line.

Because Hana-bi is worked bottom-up, and the border takes a while to work, my test knitter asked if she could start working before I actually had the final draft of the pattern written -- so I sent her the instructions for starting the shawl and working the border pattern, while I figured out the rest the shawl. She commented that it was kind of like working a Mystery Shawl.

In fact, for both of us, right now, it *is* kind of like working a Mystery Shawl, which is precisely why I've inserted a life-line through the last row of the border section. I know that this much of the shawl works as I've planned it. Above the life-line? Well, not total mystery, but I had this vision of how I wanted the top to be shaped, and the Tech Guy and I calculated how to make that happen and created the charts, but, really?

I've never done something like this before, so right now, it feels a little bit like I've stepped off into the knitting void. I'm prepared to rip back and re-work things if the shaping and the math needs some tweaking -- but I'm not prepared to rip back the whole thing, hence the life-line. Whatever happens, the border stays the way it is, because I rather like how it looks, so the life-line ensures that if I have to change what's above the border, then at least I won't have to start over again from the beginning.

I do suspect that what we've charted out will work as planned -- and I do have a couple of other back-up plans if for some strange reason it turns out that I'm wrong. But I'm very happy to have put that life-line in, just in case.

Fireworks

2011-03-18T12:54:31-04:00

Yes, it has been that long since I updated the blog, and I'd been thinking for a while that it was time for a bit of a revival.

So I thought what I'd do was trace how a new design comes about, at least for me. At the very least, it's kind of a way for me to go all kind of "meta" about my process; maybe you'll find it interesting too.

What I'm working on at the moment is a design I called "Hana-bi", Japanese for "fireworks". As with much of my designing, it started with a trip to my LYS about two weeks ago, and the news that a new yarn had just arrived in the shop:

Okay, a few thoughts: first, cotton and linen are not normally my cup of tea as a knitter, but laceweight is, and this yarn is actually very nice quality and very good value for price. I'm on a tight budget, so at the very least, trying something out with this gives me a chance to see how it works up, and also gives me scope to move on to a different, maybe more expensive laceweight if I like what I'm noodling out. Also? When someone arrives in the yarn shop, and they see the yarn, and there's actually a sample of something in it displayed there, they can get a good idea of how the yarn will work up, whether they ever knit that particular sample or not. And the yarn is new, so, we figured, well, why not a new design?

And when I say "we", I mean the folks at the yarn shop. They're a great support for me, and a pretty good sounding board when I have new ideas, AND, they often send me in a direction that sparks something new, as was the case here.

Then we talked colour. I have a partiality towards green. I'd likely make everything I ever designed in green, because it's my favorite colour. You, though, may not like green. The nice folks at the yarn shop remind me of that fact, that there are lots of other colours out there, and they are all loved, by someone.

So, we laid out a few colours of the Pima Lino, and finally settled on one that I believe the folks at Diamond Yarns call "cranberry". It is, really, and truly, the most vibrant shade of pink that I've ever set eyes on. And it reminded me of this:

The film Hana-Bi, written by, directed by, and starring the great Takeshi Kitano. I have seen this film. I love this film. It's not for the faint of heart, this film. But, suddenly, my design had a name.

A yarn. A colour. A name. But, you know, no actual pattern.

So, I set about browsing my stitch pattern books, and at one point, thought about doing a variation on Sunspots, until I realized how crazy that was going to be A. in a shawl and B. in a fine laceweight. More searching led me to the lovely "Fountain" pattern in one of Barbara Walker's treasuries, and at that point? I knew I had my fireworks.

Next step was working a swatch -- some of you may have seen this, I think I posted a photo of the thing in-progress last week on Twitter, but this is the whole thing done and blocked:

Actually, what you can't see is the top of the swatch, which is where I played around with a couple of ideas for finishing it off. And you can't see a nice close-up of the blackberry coloured bead, which is my current favorite colour of bead, AND FOR WHICH I HAD TO MAKE A FLYING TRIP INTO TORONTO on one of the WORST WEATHER DAYS IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS because I HAD TO HAVE *THAT* BEAD for *THIS* YARN.

Yes, I can get a little obsessive, but I loved that colour bead on this colour yarn so much, that it was worth it. Totally worth it.

Ah, but I bet you're wondering? What shape is it?

Originally, I thought I'd do a riff on the crescent shaped shawls I'd designed this year. And I am, but not in the way that you'd think. I'll write more about that as the design progresses.

For now? I've cast on almost 500 stitches, and have been slowly chugging along the bottom border:

Happily, the Tech Guy and I have been working up all the charts, and I've actually pretty much got the pattern written at this point. Once my sample is done, I'll hand it off to a test-knitter to make sure everything is clear and concise. I'm so happy about this, we've worked hard to make the charts lovely and despite my not being a cotton/linen knitter, or a pink person, this is working out to be really lovely, and I'm *itching* to get it done!

never doubted I could do it. really.

2010-05-11T11:03:04-04:00

Seriously -- if I'd thought even for a moment that I would miss the deadline on this, I wouldn't have taken it on. But I finished it with plenty of time to spare, and it turned out well, if I do say so myself:

The Deets:

Pattern: Caricia by Anne Hanson of Knitspot

Yarn: Briar Rose Fibers Sea Pearl (Merino and Tencel, have misplaced the label so not sure in which proportions.)

Started: April 16th, 2010

Finished: April 26th, 2010

And I'm quite smug enough to point out that I lost almost two days of knitting time during that 10 day period to illness, so really, 8 days total from start to finish. AND I managed to finish up a sample of one of my own patterns in time for the DKC Frolic on May 8th as well.

No general pattern modifications -- never when I'm knitting shop samples -- but I didn't have enough yarn to work fifteen full repeats before the ending repeat -- I worked fourteen instead, then worked the instructions for ending it off. But it's still a pretty decent size nonetheless.

And now, onwards, with a new shop sample: this time, Pam Allen's Eyelet Tank in CE Pebbles.

on track

2010-04-21T12:33:14-04:00

My goal for today, Wednesday, was to have finished 10 repeats out of the 15 total, and happily, I managed that this morning:

Actually, I'm particularly pleased at having met this deadline -- I've been out of commission for a couple of days, and couldn't knit at all. So it seems I set some reasonable goals for this project, and maybe I might even be able to exceed them in the next couple of days!

tickticktickticktick

2010-04-17T18:55:30-04:00

I don't normally take on projects with tight deadlines, but this time, I couldn't resist:

The pattern is Caricia from Knitspot, and the yarn is Briar Rose Fibers Sea Pearl (50% merino wool/50% tencel) laceweight.

I'm probably knitting it at a slightly tighter gauge than the photos show at the website, because I tend to like the look of a pattern with stockinette patches a bit better.

The colour is, off course, off. It's a subtle variegated, mostly deep indigo with deep olive, but I just can't get it photographed properly.

I started knitting it last night (May 16th), and as of this evening (May 17th) I've got 5 repeats done. 15 total to go before I work the final section and cast it off.

It has to be done before the DKC Spring Frolic at the beginning of May. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right?

Right.

again! again!

2010-01-26T15:05:54-05:00

Yes, yet again, a third Liesl. This one is a shop sample in Velvet Wool (really love the Velvet Wool):

And this won't be the last Liesl. Yep, there's a fourth one in the planning stages -- it'll be kind of an interesting project, which I'll document here once I get around to it (hoping right after this Liesl is done, but the reality is I still have to put a workshop together for the beginning of March, so that'll take priority).

the hole is not too deep

2010-01-10T11:18:35-05:00

I've been doing a lot of sample knitting lately, and I've started feeling like I'm turning into a bit of a magnet for patterns that are either mistake-ridden, or if they contain no mistakes, still leave some things so unclear as to make it difficult for a knitter to know what's being asked.

And in no fewer than three patterns in a row I've found the abbreviated instruction "M1" with no explanation of what that means and how to work it.

Now, you'd think being an experienced knitter would help with that. Up to a point, you'd be right, because I do happen to know that "M1" stands for "Make 1", meaning make a new stitch. In other words, it's an increase.

That said: there are several ways to make a M1. I'll set aside the occasional use in vintage patterns, where a M1 can mean a YO (yarn-over, wrapping the yarn around the needle to make a hole) -- Furze Hewitt uses it this way in her books on vintage lace patterns.

The most common way to M1? Knit into the front and back of the stitch.

Another way to do it? Lift the bar between two stitches and knit into it. There are two variations on this, the M1L and M1R (make 1 left and make 1 right), so depending on whether you pick up the bar from the front of the work or from the back, you can make the M1 lean left or right, which can be important if you want things to look Just So.

So, I know this information. Many of you do, too. So I suppose you're wondering why I'm complaining?

Because of those three patterns with their undefined instructions. In each of the three cases, I was presented with a M1 with no further definition of how to work it. And each time? I chose the wrong way to work it, until I either figured it out for myself, or contacted the pattern writer to ask for clarification.

And each time? I had to rip out and re-do or rip out and re-start.

So what would have prevented that? Simple -- the pattern writer could have defined what they meant by that abbreviation. Frankly, I think that's a common courtesy for your potential knitter.

And what does the title of this post mean in all this?

It comes from a story I heard this morning, told by Ajahn Brahm, the abbot of the Bodhinyana Monestary in Serpentine, Australia -- in the story, a man stands at the edge of a hole, at the bottom of which is a treasure. He can't reach the treasure, and upset, complains that the hole is too deep. Another man comes along, takes a stick, and retrieves the treasure. The problem, he says, is not that the hole is too deep, it's that your arms are too short. If you complain that the hole is too deep, you'll end up with nothing. If you realize your arms are too short, you can find a solution.

So, maybe it's not that the M1 hole is too deep: it's just that in order to reach the treasure -- in order to know which M1 to use where, and to know specifically which M1 a designer wants you to work -- well, maybe the solution is to have the designer tell you how. In the pattern. By simply defining the term as he or she used it.

And that's what I wish: that designers would put themselves in the shoes of the people who will knit their patterns, and make that experience an enjoyable one for the knitter. Make the knitter feel like they've worked this pattern and have retrieved the treasure from the bottom of the hole.

Because really? The hole is not too deep for that. We just need to make sure the knitters have the tools they need. All of them.

anticipation

2010-01-01T13:39:06-05:00

Lately much of my knitting has been samples that will go to Shall We Knit? out in New Hamburg.

Now, yarn shops have samples knit up for a reason -- the main one being, of course, that seeing a particular item or a particular yarn knit up can be much more inviting for a potential customer. Seeing how the yarn works up, seeing how the pattern looks in real life -- and being able to try on a finished item to decide how it looks -- all of that can mean that it's easier to make a sale.

But there's more to it than that. A good sample knitter -- by that, I mean one who can analyze the pattern as he or she works through it, taking notes -- a good sample knitter anticipates what the experience will be like for the customer.

Are there quirks in the pattern that might trip someone up? Are there actual mistakes? If there are, can an errata be found, and easily? And if not, how accessible is the pattern designer or the yarn company, and how helpful are they when questions are asked? Are there any tips or tricks that can be passed on to make the project more enjoyable to work on?

I'm always thinking about these things when I knit a sample, and I pass the information on to the shop so that they can better help customers. And I think that's what makes a difference -- how responsive and supportive a shop can be, beyond merely selling the yarn.

I'm thinking about this because the last two samples I've worked on have presented me with challenges, particularly in how the patterns are written up, and how I've had to approach the projects and make changes and figure out how to diplomatically convey that information to others. Because the one thing you DON'T want to do is diss people's efforts, their designs, their products (oh, well, unless they are truly vile, but that's rare, I think). As someone who noodles out the occasional pattern, I'm aware that most people doing that are doing it because they have an idea that they think is worth sharing (or worth being paid for, and there's nothing wrong with that). They are creative, they are creating something -- usually something beautiful or at least solid and useful, in the case of knitting.

So it's a matter of balance: being fair in one's criticism (and by criticism I mean thoughtful analysis of positives and negatives, not an opportunity to take pot shots at people), and looking after the needs of potential customers/future knitters of the items in question.

Over the next few posts I'll take a look at those two projects I mentioned and try to present a constructive view of things.

In the meantime, though? I've got to go dig out another project, because I'm waiting to hear a response back from the designer of the item I tried to start today, and couldn't work on because I didn't feel completely clear about what was being said in the pattern. It's New Year's Day, so I'm not likely to hear anything right away.

But I can't help thinking what I'd be feeling if I were a customer who'd bought this kit, and who'd hoped to start it while on holiday and probably finish it over the next couple of days, only to discover I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, and having to put the project on hold while I waited for some answers.

I think I'd be frustrated and disappointed.

And that, precisely, is what I think about when I knit samples: what can I offer so that customers won't have to feel that way?

cashmere. need i say more?

2009-12-10T21:17:16-05:00

Not the best photo, but it was too cold and windy and snowy this morning to take it outside and pose it more artfully.

However -- that's the truest photo of the colour that I've taken.

The project: the Hallie scarf, from the Cashmere Scarf for Her Kit from Jade Sapphire Exotic Fibres.

Yep, cashmere. Which I so totally cannot afford to knit with, so I'm grateful to have had the chance -- this will be a shop sample for Shall We Knit? in New Hamburg.

The yarn is glorious. And the actual kit is rather nicely put together -- four hanks of the yarn in a plastic case, with a pattern leaflet in on card in full colour with a choice of 7 scarf patterns.

I chose to make Hallie because I liked how simple it was, yet finished, it curls and drapes quite nicely -- it was just a little bit different from all the others, and IMO made the best use of the yarn.

A couple of caveats: I was less than happy with the vagueness of the patterns -- given the care taken to put the kit together (which is worth it, when we're talking cashmere), I would have liked just a little more effort in the patterns. Essentially: no gauge is given (we're told it varies by pattern), needle sizes are given in a range (you choose the size needed "to achieve desired fabric") and measurements are approximate.

There is an errata on the Jade Sapphire web page.

One of the things I noticed on Ravelry is that the one other person (and I think there might be two now) who made this ran out of yarn. So, I weighed my yarn as I went along, and decided that I wouldn't have quite enough to finish -- I cast off after row 29, instead of 30 as the pattern indicated.

In the end, I thought that I *might* have been able to squeek out that last row -- but with almost 600 sts on the needes, I really didn't want to try and not be right. And I will say that I spliced the new yarns in when I joined them, and if I hadn't done that -- if I'd left ends and worked them in afterwards -- I *definitely* would have run out of yarn.

This isn't an issue with the other scarves, all of which are knit lengthwise. But it is a problem with Hallie, because it's knit widthwise -- you cast on, and increase to make the curve in it, and cast off all those stitches at the end, so it's not quite so easy to fudge as it would be for the other scarves.

That said -- it's beautiful, and soft, and lovely, and I wish it were mine. Despite the caveats, I still think it's So Totally Worth it.

back in...well...not black, at any rate

2009-12-09T12:11:22-05:00

Yeah, yeah, start a new blog, and then stop posting to it. What can I say? After six months of furious knitting, I hit a slump, and didn't knit much of anything for months.

And what finally broke the slump? This:

It's the Daybreak Shawl by Stephen West. In Skacel Zauberball, but for the life of me, I can't remember more details than that, and I can't turn up my notes at the moment.

A closer look:

Sharp eyes might notice that I added a few more striped rows than the pattern called for. Also, some garter stitch at the bottom edge, because it just didn't feel finished to me without it.

And it broke the slump. So there's rather a lot of knitting going on around here, I just have to remember to write about it.