Last night was a night of experimentation. At least, that's how I rationalize that I spent 3 hours of quality knitting time and only ended up with about 16 rows completed (noting my 3 do-overs).
I'm working with a beautiful grey speckled with white Donegal Tweed Homespun.
Experiment #1: Cabling
I had very grandiose visions of constructing a beautiful, complicated Celtic cable design in the heart of the scarf I wanted to make. I found one I liked in a stitch dictionary, wrote a pattern in which it was flanked by a border of seed stitch and I was ready to go.
It was TEDIOUS. I was on row 10 and already thinking to myself, "This isn't fun."
All I needed was a slipped stitch and a ladder "situation" down three rows to convince me to frog the whole thing and start anew.
Experiment #2: Woven Rib
I liked another stitch in the dictionary, Woven Rib, but when I did about 16-20 rows in my Tweed wool, it wasn't showing up well (because of the dark grey) and it wasn't bulky/plushy as, I think, a scarf should be.
Frog, once again.
Experiment #3: Harris Tweed Stitch
The one I landed on is actually pretty simple and also has a great texture to it that I think will work nicely for a scarf. It's a Harris Tweed Stitch. It fills in nicely and makes a great, hearty fabric. Not only did I change stitch patterns at this point, I also increased my needle size from 8 to 9.
What I learned today:
If you're designing your own patterns, mixing stitches and such, you have to be ready to experiment. The equation is a balance of project + yarn type + needle size and variations in each of those elements makes a uniquely different finished piece.
Of course if you are using a pattern, you won't necessarily have these unexpected surprises. But, if you venture off into designing something of your own, mixing and matching these elements can be a fun and educational experience - which ultimately leads you to a great finished object you can be pleased with and proud of!
No comments:
Post a Comment