The Spring/Summer 2013 Clotheshorse went live yesterday, and two of my patterns were included. I'll post about Cherry Cheesecake, a really cool textured purse, tomorrow. Today's feature, Transverse, is a reversible cowl/vest which you can wear many different ways. Transverse is a super-simple construction---a long and wide tube and a short and narrow tube connected by two pieces of medium length and width. The model wears it with the short end on top, and boy is it cute that way on her! I prefer to wear it with the long end on top (below, left). You could probably even wear it as a hoodie that way. The stitch pattern is Lynne Barr's Twist Pattern from Reversible Knitting. The yarn is Party from Crystal Palace, a nylon ribbon that not only lends variety to the dropped wraps sections but looks wonderful in the garter stitch intervals as well.
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Swatch #6 When I first started swatching Chatsworth, my slip stitch stripes were coming out funny. Instead of sitting level with the rest of my knitting, each stripe stuck out from the swatch, making a ridge. I went back and studied the instructions and found I was holding the yarn on the incorrect side of my work. Swatch #7 The instructions say to insert the crochet hook from the front, but they don't specify where the yarn should be. I just blithely put the yarn in front along with the hook. The instructions then go on to say to draw a loop of yarn through the fabric. Through the fabric. I felt a little silly for not being able to put that together before, but it's all right now. Two more swatches! What do you think? Swatch #1 Clotheshorse Magazine is hosting a cardigan knit-a-long. I thought I might participate because I've been admiring Chatsworth and Silvana and Valois. I just had to choose one and buy yarn. I don't have a real stash to dive through---just lots of odds and ends which I thought might be good for the Chatsworth stripes. In fact, I had several combinations of colors which might have looked good. The problem was, when I got to Knits by Nana, only two stripe colors coordinated with any of the main color choices. I need four. Swatch #2 So against my better judgment I bought another two colors in my chosen yarn (Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool). When I tried the color combination in Swatch #1, I was dissatisfied with the vertical stripes. They look okay in the photo above, but in real life the orange stripe was way too bright next to the green. So I duplicate stitched the orange over the top of the blue stripe, pulled the blue out, and slip stitched it next to the green. Swatch #3 The orange fits in better sandwiched between two slices of tomato. I like the variegated yarn when it runs horizontally, but I'm not so sure about the vertical stripes. The individual colors jump out at me more when lined up vertically. Maybe a companion stripe would be a good idea. (Sorry for the blurry photos.) Swatch #4 But now the left stripe was too strong---same problem as in Swatch #1. Then I saw the solution. Designer Amy Gunderson used 5 colors of tweedy yarn for the original Chatsworth. The colors were well chosen and the plaid chart worked. For her. But my plaid is missing that over-and-underness common in tartan patterns. I can provide that! Swatch #5 Still, I found myself wishing for a little more strength in the green stripe. I went back to the odds-and-ends bag I had taken to Knits by Nana. And I found a dark brown Shepherd's Wool that I had discounted previously. What a difference that makes! Swatch #5 is my pick. What's your preference? My capelet Baroque is in the most recent issue of Clotheshorse. I enjoyed knitting this so much I was sorry when it was finished. I loved the rhythm of the colorwork pattern, the orchid pink lining, the assembly and the buttons (especially that cute little jigger!). In fact, I enjoyed knitting it so much I immediately wanted to make another (orange and red with a yellow-brown lining) but the local yarn store didn't have the right colors and ordering online is risky since I can't count on my browser to accurately represent colors. Soon I was working on other projects, but this capelet was never far from my mind. I was pleased (not quite the right word---more like jumping up and down clapping and squealing) that Mindy and Heather chose this piece for their magazine. I really wanted to make it, and (since they will eventually return it to me) wear it. It's very cushy, all snuggly and warm, and will be most welcome in the damp of our Louisiana winters. It also looks elegant with my orchestra black, and folds up smaller than a coat. I can't wait to try it on in January instead of June! My recently released San Graal was one of the garments featured on the Clotheshorse blog modeled at a trunk show at Yarns in the Farms. The photo at right is not from the trunk show---I just wanted to show you how great it looks with tights! We're leaving tomorrow for our molasses moon, so I expect the blog to be pretty quiet until I get back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend! My other design appearing in this issue of Clotheshorse is San Graal, a mini skirt that's oh so snuggly warm. San Graal means Holy Grail, the subject of many tapestries but significantly the tapestries of William Morris, who enjoyed "hiding images of flora and fauna within the intricate curls and swirls of a design" (quote taken from the Clotheshorse submission call). There's also a double entendre invoked here. This skirt knit up super fast in Blissful Knits Adore, even at the firm gauge required to make a skirt sag-proof. There are also instructions for making the skirt not-quite-so-mini, but I think this version is incredibly cute and the vertical elements (the alligators and bird legs and tails) are slimming. San Graal is a great project for those new to color stranding because of its small size and lack of repeated motifs which can call attention to mistakes. Why don't you give it a try? The new Clotheshorse is out, and two of my designs are included in the Tapestry section. Hestia is a shaped cashmere-blend pullover with negative ease. It fits like a glove and feels wonderful next to the skin. This piece uses an interesting method of stranded colorwork that leaves some strands visible. With careful finishing, the garment is reversible. The reverse side has the stripes showing in the opposite order from the photographed side. The Hestia Tapestry is a Byzantine work from the 6th century A.D. Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth and home. The stylized flowers on the pullover have a rather Byzantine shape, and the colors may be similar to the tapestry's original colors. The cuffs and neckline are a subtler version those on Hestia's robe. Next up: San Graal |
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