Category Archives: Knitscene

New Knitscene Stuff!

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Another issue of Knitscene, and another two new patterns to show for it!

The new Knitscene Accessories (premier accessories issue) is jam-packed with shawls, mitts, hats, and loads of technique info. In addition to my two pattern contributions, I even wrote an article on Dropped Stitches! So, like, I totally can’t believe I’ve authored an informative article on a knitting technique; what a great experience! I do enjoy writing, although I do very little these days. I tend to be tersely spoken in real life, and getting things out in words on a page is therapeutic.

So, for the patterns:

Sideways Argyle Beret is, you guessed it, worked sideways! It begins with a provisional cast on and is shaped with short-row segments. The best part about the flat knitting, as opposed to standard in-the-round hat construction, is the ability to do colorwork via the intarsia method! Many, if not most knitters seem to be put off by the technique. I hope this small project encourages some folks who haven’t yet tried intarsia to give ‘er a whirl.

 

Next we have Deconstructed Mitts. Also worked sideways, these fingerless wristers feature a single dropped stitch that serves as a thumbhole and just general edgy coolness. It’s a simple, quick project that is a great way to practice a provisional cast-on, grafting, and dropping stitches.

This is a great project for using up a small amount of leftover worsted weight yarn, too!

I’m in Knitscene!

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So, I’m awfully proud to have a couple of pieces in the upcoming Knitscene, Summer 2012.

We have, Quinn:

Quinn is a top-down, seamless tee with circular yoke shaping, darted waist shaping, and asymmetric yoke detail with mirrored asymmetry at the hem.

I had a lot of fun designing it, and Knitscene did a spectacular job with the styling. I mean, really, I think they just nailed it; the soft shades, that cute pleated skirt, the doorway shot…

This piece is a great example of how mood boards, which are often provided with submission calls from magazines, etc, can really ignite creativity. The general idea of the yoke was something I had already been sketching and playing around with. Then, I saw one of the categories for this issue:asymmetry. Immediately, I saw my radiating yoke work its way out gradually, and a slanted yoke to encourage the idea. My initial vision was in grey, but we ended up with brown (after actually ordering navy and getting the wrong color, oops!), but I really couldn’t be happier with the result.

And, let me say, the result you see here was actually hard to come by. I’m not the most experienced knitter on the block (well, probably I am on my block, but anyway…), but I certainly know not to begin knitting a garment without swatching, for chrissakes. So, anyway, I learned, that bamboo is smarter than me, and that unless I properly weight my swatch and remember that bamboo will grow like a motherf*****, I will have to knit said garment at least 3 times. Yes, that’s how many tries it took. Learn from my mistakes, dear knitter. Seriously…I am so not a loose knitter, either.

Moving on…

We also have, Breezeway Cardigan:

Breezeway Cardigan is top-down, with raglan shaping, straight sides, gathered sleeves, and patch pockets. My original swatch was in a lime-apple green cotton blend with orange buttons–very cheerful. The yarn I was eventually assigned conveys a different feel, but I’m happy with the choice. The Fibre Company Savannah is scrumptious! It’s tweedy, lightweight, complex, and knits up sort of papery. I foresee myself returning to this yarn for future projects, for sure.

I’m a total sucker for pleats, gathers, and most any type of fabric manipulation. Before I was a knitter, I was an avid sewer. I love both mediums, but they both have their limitations and quirks.  I once sewed a raglan shirt with gathers at the raglan sleeve lines, although in that piece, the gathers were much more abundant than in Breezeway. Unlike sewing, where several layers of lightweight jersey all layered and scrunched together is not a big deal, too much yarn can just be overwhelming and tedious. My goal with this cardi was simply to make a good looking gathered sleeve that is interesting and flattering, but not “too much”.