Holey Moley

I have finished Wisteria and really like it. It's a fabulous pattern with an interesting cable that was really fun to knit. Even though it's getting warmer here, I still had a chance to wear it today because my office is really chilly. These are not the most pristine freshly-blocked pics since I've been wearing the sweater all day, but here you go:



Because I'm behind updating my gallery, for now, you can find more pics and details on Ravelry.

You know, I did not come up with the name "SoKnitpicky" randomly. Let me show you where I'm critical of my knitting.


See holes there on the left side of the cable? This was knit top-down, so that actually represents holes created on the right side of the cable as it is knit.

The other place where there were holes was right around the underarm, where stitches are picked up to continue the sleeves. It always happens at the confluence of stitches going in different directions. I forgot to take a picture of the "before," but I did have to do some creative weaving-in-of-ends to tighten things up.


Some yarns are more forgiving than others. I think since this is a superwash merino that is less elastic than regular wool, and since it is not a textured yarn, the holes show more. I wish I understood the anatomy of why these holes happen so that I can prevent them. If you have pointers, I'd love to hear!

Who Are You Knitting?

If you watch the Oscars, you know that the pervasive question on the red carpet is "Who are you wearing?" As a knitter, I thought it would fun to ask you all who you are knitting.

Right now, I am knitting a Kate Gilbert. She is the creator of Wisteria, but she is also famous for several other popular patterns: Sunrise Circle Jacket, Arwen, the Pea Pod Baby Set (rav link), and Anouk.

I reviewed my projects and there are 3 designers who I've gone to repeatedly:

1. Kim Hargreaves: Her designs are classic, well-fitting, and really wearable. The details are usually subtle, and the construction takes no shortcuts. Admittedly, the patterns are not always the most interesting garments to knit, and--in the Rowan tradition--her schematics lack detailed measurements. In the end, though, the results are worth it. I've made Calm, Emily, and Jasmine.

2. Nora Gaughan: The woman is a genius. Her designs are innovative yet organic; I guess that's the combined art and biology focus from her college studies. Not all of her designs are flattering for my figure though--there are a lot of A-line tops and oversized flowy things. Oh, and she does not always have the best tech editor. But the garments are fun to knit, and the construction is often out-of-the-box. I can always glean something from reading her patterns, even when I don't make them. The ones I did make were Flutter, Loppem, Athos, Tilted Duster, and Eastlake.

3. Olga Buraya Kefelian: wow! I enjoy following her blog and covet the beautiful things she has made (Rav link) with such careful attention to detail. I just love her aesthetics. When Olga started designing, it was as if I now had my own personal designer. Her patterns, too, are creative and often have unusual construction, but they are generally a better fit for me. So far, I have made the Petal Halter and Akomeogi. Although it is currently in hibernation, I also have the Balloon Sleeve Jacket on the needles.


What I'm most excited about is her new book, Ori Ami Knits. There are some lovely designs by Kirsten Johnstone and Vanessa Yap-Einbund, and it is Vanessa's gorgeous photography that makes the book so beautiful. But most of the designs (Rav link) are pure Olga, and I can hardly wait to start them. I have already purchased some Habu Cotton Gima, which I hope to turn into an Axonometric top and a Vespertine Necklace (Rav link).


There is a definite Japanese influence in Olga's designs, and now that she has moved to Japan, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

So, who are you knitting?

Shhhhhh!

About 1-1/2 weeks ago, I went to L.A. by myself to attend a seminar. I got to hang out for a day with a dear friend of mine who drove there to see me, but the rest of the time, I didn't do much. I would attend the seminar all day, and in the evening, I'd retreat to my hotel room. My very quiet, very peaceful hotel room. Close your eyes a minute and picture it. I tell you, it was lovely! With nothing but the Olympics to distract me, I got a LOT of knitting done! Here's how far along I am on Wisteria:


As long as we're being quiet, I will share with you a deep, dark secret: I hardly ever knit a swatch anymore. That's right. I confess the main reasons have to do with laziness and with impatience to start a project if I'm really excited about it. But it's also the case that the swatches I have made are not necessarily representative. I find that once I start a project in earnest, my knitting relaxes and my gauge gets a bit bigger, especially if I'm knitting in the round.

I get around the swatching issue by using a combination of blocking and a fair bit of math. To start, I carefully study the pattern schematics and decide how I want the garment to fit, adjusting any measurements that might be needed. Then, I look at the recommended needle size for the yarn and look at what gauge you are supposed to be able to get with that needle size. I calculate out how many stitches I need to cast on and get started! If in doubt, I err a bit on the side of making it larger because if I'm making a sweater (which I usually am), I want to make sure that the neck opening in a top-down sweater or the hips on a bottom-up sweater are wide enough. I knit on for awhile, until I get to some critical juncture in the shaping, and then I wet block the whole thing...right on the needle cords. I lay it out to dry and pat it down to smooth it out, but I do not stretch, scrunch, or manipulate it in any way. The yarn is allowed to do whatever it wants to. This gives much better information than a 4x4" swatch does. Once everything is nicely blocked, I measure the resultant gauge. After that, I recalculate the increases/decreases and adjust the stitch count in the pattern to match the measurements I want. Basically, this is a way to make the pattern conform to my gauge, rather than trying to make the gauge conform to the pattern. It's working so far, and I haven't had any really unpleasant surprises. (In case you're wondering, Wisteria was made without a swatch.)