As time ticks slowly away there is some news in the yarny world, and right here in Stratford. This weekend there will be, finally, a yarn shop opening up.
In years past Stratford has had different craft stores open and close which offered those of us that are fiber fiends a little bit of an outlet for our financial savings. Well folks, after many a year in town with Zellers being the only real source of yarn, yes acrylic does count as yarn, in town this weekend will bring upon a new era of fiber crafts with the opening of Close Knit. I for one am both happy and sad. Happy for the fact that I do not have to cry over bad yarn and sad that my bank account might potentially be at a constant zero balance. Unfortunately it is my weekend to work and I will not be able to attend opening weekend but the following, Valentine's Day/Olympic opening weekend (payday as well), is my weekend off and am planning on spending some time at the shop getting to know what will hopefully become familiar ground.
The commute to it will be very quick for me as it is basically right below me.
The other bit of good fiber related news is that a wonderful online purveyor of great quality yarns, Reb Bird Knits, is moving to town from the big city. She has a wonderful variety of sock and lace weight yarns available on the online shop and has some great deals in preparation for the move. Hopefully her goal is attainable of having no books, yarn, etc to pack and move with her. P.S.: If you do have any leftovers, I will gladly compensate you ;)
And before you ask, yes I will be welcoming her to town with a warm cup of Balzacs coffee/chai and possibly even something delish right out of the oven.
As for other news... the experiment. Sigh.
Surprisingly it is going well. I enlarged my 1/4 scale basic bodice sloper a bit so that it is easier to use as my pattern peice. I have cast on using some worsted weight yarn and am following the dart lines for my increasesand periodically measuring against the sloper to see if it still fits and to this point in time it is working out. I will have to see if this will truly work with a more elaborate pattern but it more than likely will (knock on wood).
Speaking of which, I should get back to knitting.
Welcome to town Close Knit and Red Bird Knits!
Until further blogging notice...
-D
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Belated Happy New Year!
I know, I know. It has after all been a few weeks now since the beginning of a new year and this is the first blog entry from me for it but can you really blame me?
Okay maybe you can.
As you remember from last year, I had suffered a loss of mojo. Said mojo has come back, not in full force mind you but still has returned. What this means is that I have been slowly getting back into the process of being a poly-knitter despite my mind wanting me to be a monoga-knitter for this year. Isn't our culture fun?
During the festive holiday season I cast on two projects, Colonnade by Stephen West (in some cheap and cheerful bright royal blue acrylic), and Ruba'iyat Mittens by Heather Desserud (in the ever so dreamy colour ways of Samhain and Brewhouse Ale by KnittingDragon [I can not wait until he is at the point in his life where he is able to start dyeing again]). Where am I in these projects? About as far as where I left off, as in not even 50% on the Colonnade and not even 20% on the Ruba'iyat Mittens. I am enjoying them though and they will keep me busy, even though I have a multitude of sock UFO's on the needles. "Sigh".
For the last week I have been contemplating my design ability in knitwear. Those who know me well may come to the realization that my severe lack of ability in math might be the issue. This brings me to a point that might seem contrary to that statement. I can completely and totally flat draft a garment pattern in virtually no time at all, and trust me when it comes to garment pattern drafting there is much math involved and I can somehow manage to do it accurately. Yet, when it comes to knitwear drafting, not so much is accomplished.
Why am I bringing up my issues with math and knitting? Well I am still working on the Hodr/Skadi/Rynka designs.
Yep. Still working on them.
This brings me into my next thought.
Many years ago I purchased through a book club a reprint of a stitch dictionary from the 1970's, name of which escapes me and I am not at my studio space so please forgive me. Trust me when I say that there are not many stitch patterns in this dictionary, but are many vintage patterns for the absolute beginner. But there was some useful information on increases, decreases, shaping and many other things.
One of the other things was knitting from flat drafted patterns. In the "chapter" (at the top of my head only a few paragraphs long) the author describes how to take the measurement guide image [sketch of the finished pattern pieces/garment with the measurement usually with the knitting pattern for sweaters etc] and enlarging it and using that as your gauge guide. You simply cast on the number of stitches needed to fill the space between the edges of the pattern and knit accordingly, with increases and decreases until you finish knitting the pattern piece.
Where does this come into my realization about my lack of math ability?
I had a thought the other day that the same principal can be applied to flat drafted garment patterns for woven material. For those of you who know about the grading up/down process in fashion design and are used to using sewing patterns know that multiple sizes are included with a sewing pattern, and therefore a wide range of sizes could be knit from a flat pattern.
As a fashion designer I am used to the grading process and began to think that this might be rather interesting to test out. Yes there would be some potential difficulties like dart shaping but that is the joy of trying out a new process. The other issue that keeps popping up in my mind is yarn requirement/type to which I think that only the yardage would be the real issue as one would in essence be able to use any yarn he/she selects and can knit to their own natural gauge.
Most commercial patterns come with a list of suitable material that the garment could be made with, I say this only because I have had the misfortune to have had bought commercial patterns with no list of fabrics given, therefore could be potentially be knit with any size yarn/needle/etc.
I know I am crazy aren't I?
Now, excuse me while I begin the draft something out and cast it on.
-D
Okay maybe you can.
As you remember from last year, I had suffered a loss of mojo. Said mojo has come back, not in full force mind you but still has returned. What this means is that I have been slowly getting back into the process of being a poly-knitter despite my mind wanting me to be a monoga-knitter for this year. Isn't our culture fun?
During the festive holiday season I cast on two projects, Colonnade by Stephen West (in some cheap and cheerful bright royal blue acrylic), and Ruba'iyat Mittens by Heather Desserud (in the ever so dreamy colour ways of Samhain and Brewhouse Ale by KnittingDragon [I can not wait until he is at the point in his life where he is able to start dyeing again]). Where am I in these projects? About as far as where I left off, as in not even 50% on the Colonnade and not even 20% on the Ruba'iyat Mittens. I am enjoying them though and they will keep me busy, even though I have a multitude of sock UFO's on the needles. "Sigh".
For the last week I have been contemplating my design ability in knitwear. Those who know me well may come to the realization that my severe lack of ability in math might be the issue. This brings me to a point that might seem contrary to that statement. I can completely and totally flat draft a garment pattern in virtually no time at all, and trust me when it comes to garment pattern drafting there is much math involved and I can somehow manage to do it accurately. Yet, when it comes to knitwear drafting, not so much is accomplished.
Why am I bringing up my issues with math and knitting? Well I am still working on the Hodr/Skadi/Rynka designs.
Yep. Still working on them.
This brings me into my next thought.
Many years ago I purchased through a book club a reprint of a stitch dictionary from the 1970's, name of which escapes me and I am not at my studio space so please forgive me. Trust me when I say that there are not many stitch patterns in this dictionary, but are many vintage patterns for the absolute beginner. But there was some useful information on increases, decreases, shaping and many other things.
One of the other things was knitting from flat drafted patterns. In the "chapter" (at the top of my head only a few paragraphs long) the author describes how to take the measurement guide image [sketch of the finished pattern pieces/garment with the measurement usually with the knitting pattern for sweaters etc] and enlarging it and using that as your gauge guide. You simply cast on the number of stitches needed to fill the space between the edges of the pattern and knit accordingly, with increases and decreases until you finish knitting the pattern piece.
Where does this come into my realization about my lack of math ability?
I had a thought the other day that the same principal can be applied to flat drafted garment patterns for woven material. For those of you who know about the grading up/down process in fashion design and are used to using sewing patterns know that multiple sizes are included with a sewing pattern, and therefore a wide range of sizes could be knit from a flat pattern.
As a fashion designer I am used to the grading process and began to think that this might be rather interesting to test out. Yes there would be some potential difficulties like dart shaping but that is the joy of trying out a new process. The other issue that keeps popping up in my mind is yarn requirement/type to which I think that only the yardage would be the real issue as one would in essence be able to use any yarn he/she selects and can knit to their own natural gauge.
Most commercial patterns come with a list of suitable material that the garment could be made with, I say this only because I have had the misfortune to have had bought commercial patterns with no list of fabrics given, therefore could be potentially be knit with any size yarn/needle/etc.
I know I am crazy aren't I?
Now, excuse me while I begin the draft something out and cast it on.
-D
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Lost: design and knitting mojo.
Yep.
Lost.
Don't know how or why but they have either been kidnapped, murdered or left on a wonderful warm vacation with their fortune that I did not realize they had. For the last two weeks I have been wondering why it is hard for me to pick up the sticks right now and even just knit a single stitch. A. Single. Stitch.
I imagine the poster advertising their lack of hereness to state the following:
Lost
Design and knitting mojo, last seen in October and slowly faded. Last seen wearing something warm, comfortable and stylish.
Sigh.
On the flipside, before they went missing I did manage to get a bit more done on the "Gay Paris for me" socks which are now about 55% finished. I also picked out a few patterns to possibly do up as holiday stockings for a friend of mine which I have scrapped, before the mojo went missing mind you due to the fact that I don't have the patience to do a full stocking in cables.
Now I know most of you have been asking about how the new job has been going and I am loving it. It can be long weeks but I do have to say I love the hours a heck of a lot better and the fact that I am appreciated makes the world of difference. Mind you it has been crazy this week due to the fact that it is the start of the holiday shopping season and OY! Three more weeks people, three more weeks.
If any of you have seen my missing mojo could you please keep an eye on it and send it back home? It is greatly missed.
-D
Lost.
Don't know how or why but they have either been kidnapped, murdered or left on a wonderful warm vacation with their fortune that I did not realize they had. For the last two weeks I have been wondering why it is hard for me to pick up the sticks right now and even just knit a single stitch. A. Single. Stitch.
I imagine the poster advertising their lack of hereness to state the following:
Lost
Design and knitting mojo, last seen in October and slowly faded. Last seen wearing something warm, comfortable and stylish.
Sigh.
On the flipside, before they went missing I did manage to get a bit more done on the "Gay Paris for me" socks which are now about 55% finished. I also picked out a few patterns to possibly do up as holiday stockings for a friend of mine which I have scrapped, before the mojo went missing mind you due to the fact that I don't have the patience to do a full stocking in cables.
Now I know most of you have been asking about how the new job has been going and I am loving it. It can be long weeks but I do have to say I love the hours a heck of a lot better and the fact that I am appreciated makes the world of difference. Mind you it has been crazy this week due to the fact that it is the start of the holiday shopping season and OY! Three more weeks people, three more weeks.
If any of you have seen my missing mojo could you please keep an eye on it and send it back home? It is greatly missed.
-D
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