Working on Workshops for 2014

Now is the time of year I start planning for the next year's Knitting Workshop offerings.  If you've never taken a class from me (or anyone else for that matter) this post is still requesting your help and opinions!  What tempts you?  What do you avoid like the plague?  I'm not sure what to teach next.  Stay with my students' perennial favorites?  Add some new stuff?  Replace the old faves with what I hope will be new faves?  Normally each class is advertised with photos of techniques that will be taught in class.  I haven't done that here for space reasons.

The long-term favorites are:

1. Adjusting Knitting Patterns (for fit and style)

2. Mitten Design (design your own from any yarn!)

3. Colorwork Basics (from stripes to Fair Isle)

4. Colorwork Techniques (intarsia, bi-colored cables, etc)

5. Simple Shaping (how to perform the shaping techniques in average patterns)

6. Advanced Shaping (how to add, enhance, and recognize shaping techniques which look like design elements)


What should I add or replace?

I'm thinking of adding:

Simple Edge Techniques (make those edges on everything look even and wear better)

Intermediate Edge Techniques (vertical and horizontal options to dress up any pattern)

Decorative Cast Ons and Bind Offs (if you only know one or two of each, this is the class for you!  Change wear, looks, and flexibility for COs and BOs on all your knitting projects)

Knitting Tools - what, why, and how the right tool makes your work faster, more beautiful, and more satisfying

Making t-shirt yarn - upcycling t-shirts into knitting yarn


Most of us love taking knitting classes.  And we love learning from books and videos.  I love playing with yarn in pretty much every way I've ever tried!  I'd love your feedback on what classes to keep in the mix, which are past their prime, and which to add.  This is the best way to make sure that I continue to offer the classes you want to take - tell me what you want before I offer them!

If I haven't listed a class on something you'd like to learn, tell me!  I'll be happy to design one.  Things that don't get enough attention to make a class will likely still become articles for the blog, with lessons and technique photos.  And if you want me to teach at your shop or festival, please let me know.  I'll be happy to try to fit it into my schedule!

Thanks in advance for all your feedback!
 

Under the Bigtop

As I was teaching this fall, I had the pleasure of having some of my colorwork classes sponsored by Mountain Colors Yarns.  They supplied wools in a variety of colors for my students to use during their various lessons.  Blues and greens and golds and reds drew the hands of delighted students as they chose their yarn samples for the swatches they would create.  To a person, every student fell in love with the yarn (4/8 wool) and marveled over the richness of the colors.

Watching the various swatches grow day after day, I was mesmerized by the shear beauty of the lively color combinations.  I wanted to make something with these incredible colors, too!  I've used them before, and it's definitely time to use them again.

As a designer, wife, and mom, I have a huge backlog of knitting to do, and wondered when I'd be able to fit something in.  Then I started thinking about the charity knitting group I'd just started, and realized I had my "in".  I could design a hat for the charity group using these wonderful leftover ball ends from my classes!  As I started working on the hat nad posting about it on Facebook and Twitter, I started getting "Can we see it?" questions.  It's not finished, but yes, here it is.

I chose the Harmony Iris and Firestorm colorways, and was inspired by the joy of the Firestorm colorway to make something reminiscent of the circus.  It isn't a literal interpretation of a circus tent, but I like to think it has a little circus tent, a little carousel, and a little childish wonder built in.  (Finally, even Colleen would approve of these colors!  Nothing subtle here!)
I'll be posting the pattern to Ravelry in the next day or  two, as soon as I finish it.  I'm just working out the decreases to make them smooth.  Thanks for your interest.  I hope many of you will make it and donate it to your favorite charities.

Update: Done!  Pattern to follow soon! 

Winter Color Knits

It's my favorite time of year.  Time to shop and cast on winter knits!  Winter knitting is traditionally filled with colorwork.  How do you choose the colors that are right for you?  With a little thought, you'll love it every time.  (See other colorwork tutorials. Type Colorwork in the search box.)

The traditional color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, was developed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666.  It is very difficult, if not impossible, for any color wheel/chart/diagram/ to demonstrate all the colors visible to the human eye with accuracy and in a useful format.  Because of this challenge, thousands of different wheels have been developed over the years.  In reality, any color chart that presents a logically arranged sequence of colors has merit.
 

As an example, you may find a chart of “cool” colors.  These are usually colors with an undertone of some blue, and also often light and pastel colors.  “Warm” colors are usually with a red undertone or hue, and deeply saturated colors.  “Earth” tones often have an element of brown in them, making them rich, but at the same time muted.  “Desert” tones have an undertone of yellow or gold.  “Victorian” colors tend to have an undertone of gray, giving a soft, slightly aged effect.  Any of these ideas could be demonstrated in a wheel, but it gets very complex to demonstrate them all in the same wheel.
 

Pick a Color Story.  When blending colors, you want them to have a relationship to each other so that the observer likes the combination.  How?  A color story.  In general, a “color story” is the feeling, mood, attitude, or analogy created by grouping certain colors.  If you wanted to generate a color story that evoked a dairy farm, you might consider a barn red, grassy green, black and white for the cows, a sky blue, and a golden hay color.  Even if you then use these colors to make a market bag, it will have a country feeling to it.  Once you’ve established your own color story, pairing and grouping colors within it will be much easier. 

 

When in doubt, go with multiple shades of the same color.  A fern green and a pine green make a lovely piece, as do maroon and rose pink.  Not your style?  Try your favorite hue and mix it with white, cream, black, or chocolate for a classic look.

Changing Colorway

This post will begin to explore the differences your color choices will make in your finished work.  If you've ever heard several versions of a favorite song, you know that musical arrangements make a huge difference in how a piece of music is perceived.  (Think "The Grammys", "Unplugged", or "Austin City Limits".)  The energy and even the message can change.  Well, so it is with knitting. 

The mittens above were both made with my "Mondrian Mittens" pattern.  The pattern is written with the suggested yarn colors of black and white.  Why?  Because much of Piet Mondrian's wonderful work is based in black and white, with hints of primary colors.   I thought that as the mittens were knit up, some people might choose to duplicate stitch in some of the boxes in some primary colors, and make their own personal tribute to this treasured modern artist.

Original Work by Piet Mondrian

As you can see from the photos at the beginning of this post, two people on Ravelry chose to work the pattern very differently.  The different effects are huge.  The one on the left, in black and white, looks beautiful, a bit formal, and possibly even masculine.  I'm imagining it in cream and chocolate brown, which would probably have a similar formal effect.  It is the pattern I wrote, and it's executed beautifully.

The one on the right is also beautiful.  I never thought of using a self-patterning variegated yarn to work this pattern, but now that I see it, I wonder why.  The result is cheerful and beautiful.  What a great idea!  This makes me wonder how it would look if the grid was knit in a bright, coordinating color, and the field was knit in a variegated.  Probably a very high energy look.  It's still the pattern I wrote, but it has evolved with the knitter's skill and imagination.

When you look for a pattern to make, what catches your eye?  Often for me I'll love the color, and then start noticing the design details.  Of course, this doesn't mean you have to use the recommended colors.  That's when we start to edit.

If you've every been in a clothes shop and asked the clerk, "Does this come in blue?", you know what happens.  You see something, you really like it, and then you start editing it in your head to make it work with the rest of your wardrobe.  Then comes the hunt for the right size/color combination.  When you find it, you bring it home beaming with pride.  For you, that color and design are the Grand Prize.

In my own little design world, my daughter and my assistant both chide me about my color choices.  In decor and wardrobe, I tend toward natural colors blended in traditional combinations.  I thrill at the artwork of Peter Maxx, Leroy Nieman, Alexander Caulder, and Andy Warhol.  I love the colors!  But somehow they aren't me.  In Colleen's world, my palette is "a little quiet".  In my daughter's opinion, it's downright "gloomy".  (And these are people who love me!)  My fans tend to use language like "classic" and "traditional", "timeless", and occasionally "elegant".  (I like "elegant".  A lot!)  Ok.  I'm content.

I love sorting through project pages on Ravelry, and seeing all the different choices the various knitters made as they worked a pattern.  I do it almost every time I'm considering making a pattern.  I've seen plenty of work that wasn't my taste, and a little that only a mother could love, but mostly I find all the different color and fiber choices really inspiring.  

Do you think outside the box when it comes to choosing colors for your knitting?  Do you look at photos in patterns and consider them like the "serving suggestion" on the cereal box?  Or are you happy to leave the choice of color and texture to someone else, and knit the pattern as written?  No matter what you do, what matters most it that you enjoy it.  I'd love to see your photos!  Tell me the name of the pattern, so I can look up the photo that went with the original pattern.  And thanks!

Colorwork 1 - choose yarn and colors

Worsted

Believe it or not, there's a little more to colorwork than just choosing two colors you love and putting them together.  Not a lot more, but more.

First, how do you choose colors?  For smooth and easy colorwork, choose two colors of the same exact fiber from the same yarn line.  As and example, two or more different colors of Classic Elite Inca Alpaca.  It comes in 45 colors, and provides variation across the color spectrum.  Why the same yarn line?


Stranded Colorwork

Not all yarns are created equal, and not even all yarns of the same fiber and weight are created equal.  As you can see in the example, these two "worsted" yarns are different thicknesses.  They are both from the same manufacturer, both merino wool.  One is superwash, and one isn't.  Depending on what you're making, this may not matter at all.  If you know not to launder the piece as if it were all superwash, great.  If you're felting, this is a problem.  A very slight difference won't show much in a stranded colorwork situation.  In stranded, each color stitch needs only to match itself in size.  If the other color is slightly different, it's fine. 

Fair Isle Swatch

If it's Fair Isle or striped, it will yell at you!  Fair Isle is entirely dependent on every stitch being exacly the same size, or the pattern wont work.  As you can see in the example, when they aren't, it's pretty obvious.  The red stitches were knitted much more tightly than the white, and the white are very uneven.  It's still pretty, but after the time and money you've invested in making a piece like this, you'll want it to look its best. 

However, if texture and striping are your goal, maybe you really want the yarns not to match.  In that case, run with it!  Or, maybe you're holding two yarns together for a marled effect, in which case you may choose two yarns of totally different weights to achieve just the color proportions you want.  The swatch in the example is made with a worsted wool and a bulky cotton alpaca blend, creating a very chunky, textured look.  The texture pops much more because of the two yarns held together than it would in either yarn alone.  (I know this because I tried it.)

Two Yarns Held Together

For the garment you're about to make, would you like it to coordinate with clothes you already own?  Maybe bring a garment you'd like to coordinate along with you when you shop.  Do you want to coordinate with clothes you haven't purchased yet?  Check the Pantone color chart for the season you'll be using the garment.  They keep archives of top fashion colors for years past, present, and future.  (Ever wonder how all the clothing manufacturers end up on the same page for color every season?  Mystery solved.)  Even if the clothes haven't been made yet, it's likely that the palette on Pantone will accurately represent the clothing choices you'll have in the upcoming seasons.  (Not sure?  Check it out here.)

Yes, there's more to it.  We'll go over it in the next several posts.  You'll be great at this!

Stranded Colorwork Made Easier

I was emailing with a fellow knitter yesterday, and was reminded that many people dislike colorwork for more than an occasional accent in their knitting.  I tend to forget this lately, because I'm having a solid schoolgirl crush on colorwork at the moment.  But then I though back to when I was very new to stranded color knitting, and the concerns came rushing back.

1.  More colors means more skeins, which means more money.
2.  Colorwork means at least two working skeins at once, and the yarns get tangled.
3.  Following a stitch pattern is complicated enough without having to remember when to change yarns on top of it.
4.  My colorwork always bunches up like a miniature mountain range.
5.  Who wants to weave in all those ends?

Lookin at it that way, it is a little off-putting.  Let's debunk these fears in order:

1.  More colors doesn't have to mean buying more skeins, but it does mean using more yarns.  Go to your stash and see what you have that will fit the bill.  Most of us have standby favorites we return to time and again (Cascade 220, Malabrigo Merino, etc), resulting in lots of partial skeins of the same yarn type in our stash.  How many partials do you own of your favorite?  What if you added the stashes of a couple of close knitting friends?  Matching the yarn brand and model name makes for a beautiful finished look, but several different yarns often have very similar finishes, so sometimes you can use a different yarn.  (Cascade 220 and Patons Classic Wool have very similar finishes, for example.)  This usually solves the issue for me.  Sometimes I need to buy all the colors involved in a project, but it's rare.

2.  Tangled yarns are, I have discovered, a habit and not a necessity.  The way my students have had the most success breaking this habit it to knit at a table or desk with one yarn on the desk and one in a knitting bag at their side.  The "high" yarn is the yarn that will always be brought from over the "lower" yarn.  The "low" yarn will always be brought from under the working yarn.  Every time you change colors, you have the choice of whether to draw the new color over your working yarn, or under it.  If you always bring yarn 1 over, and always bring yarn 2 under, there are no tangles.  Having a table or desk allows you to put your work down while you're figuring out the pattern or chart without further tangling yarns.  One small project done in this way (one mitten, for example) is usually all it takes to develop a new habit.

3.  Complexity can be a factor, but it usually isn't.  Most patterns that involve colorwork don't involve any stitch pattern at all - just color pattern.  If you can handle basic shaping, you're ready for most colorwork.  If you're still unsure about shaping, you can still work stripes, but may want to practice increases and decreases a bit until you're confident with them.  If the stitch pattern looks like too much for you, you may have chosen one of the less common toughies.  Have your LYS staff help you choose a good fit for your skill and comfort level.

4.  Bunched colorwork means one of two things: you haven't blocked it yet, or your floats aren't evenly tensioned.  Blocking colorwork makes all the difference between a garment you'll love and a garment you're embarrassed by.  I know, when your piece finally comes off the needles you want it to be done.  It isn't.  Block it, and be proud.  Don't block, and be aggravated.

If the bunching is significant, your floats aren't even.  When you work colorwork, your tension really matters.  If you always knit on the tight side, this will be a problem in colorwork, as the floats and the stitches need to be the same tension. When you knit tightly, the stitches are looser than your floats.  Changing needle size won't solve it, but you can!  First, always keep your needle tips very close together, because separating them changes the tension of the stitches closest to your needle tips.  Knit a couple of swatches during which you let go of the working yarn after you finish each stitch. The yarn won't fall off the needles - I promise.  Your tension on those swatches will be very even, and you'll have learned to relax your tension.

If you don't knit tightly, but the work is lumpy anyway, check to be sure you maintain a high and low color.  This helps keep the tension smooth.  If you're doing all of that right and you're still getting lumpy work, turn your work over.  Looking at the wrong side, you'll see that the lumps are caused by the floats that are tighter than the others.  Frequently just one color is the culprit.  Rip out the lumpy work, and start in again.  Ease up on the tension of that one color, and your work will smooth out.

5.  Weaving in ends can feel like punishment after you've finished your piece.  Nothing will make your work ready to wear instead, though.  If you leave 6 - 8 inch tails, weaving is easy.  Trim off the excess when finished.  If you don't know how to weave in ends, ask at the LYS, YouTube, or ask a knitting friend.  Still not interested?  Most LYS will weave in your ends for a small fee.

Friday Freebies

I'm feeling like a homebody lately, so I've decided to offer free patterns for home use this week.  Today we have a beautiful Felted Bowl from Knitvana. Made with a 100% wool yarn (not superwash!) this bowl will be easy to knit up, and it's a super first-felting project.  You can choose a variegated yarn, self striping, solid, or create your own striping pattern with yarns in a couple of different colors.  Make it to hold your pocket change and keys, or recently collected pine cones, or anything you can think of!

This eponymous Tea Cozy has admirable spunk, and the added benefit of colorwork!  For all of us who like our tea hot, tea cozies are a winter necessity. This one covers the pot from handle to spout, keeping your favorite infusion piping hot!  Those knitted treats don't look half bad either.  No calories!

Mr. Mittens, Cloth/Square, Etsy

I've finished one mitten body of the Manly Mittens I'm making for the Mr.. I am accepting that the decreases in the pattern as written are all one direction, making it easier for a knitter new to colorwork to finish off the shaping and closure of the mitten.  The pattern is not quite maintained for the last 7 rows, and if this is not your preference, you can substitute mirrored increases.  I knit the pattern as written just to see how it looks. For those who are really OCD about patterning, this won't work, but generically I'm impressed that there is as little interruption as there is. 

Keeping in pattern during decreases for new Fair Isle knitters is like trying to put pantyhose on a kitten.  It's not too successful, and everybody loses. This is an ideal solution.  I showed the Mr., and he loves it, insists that it needs a thumb, and never even noticed that the pattern changes a little toward the top.

I've added another baby blanket/dishcloth square to the collection today.  It really takes a long time to get things translated from original drawing to uploaded computer file!  Soon there will also be an Etsy shop will more involved designs available. First, I need to tackle my pharmacology final, though.