I just couldn't wait to post about my newest project. Or, should I say, my addiction, obsession, and my own personal black hole for any free time I happen to find. I only started it last Sunday, and today being Sunday again, I have worked on this for a full week, and right now it's getting close to halfway done. I can't wait till it's finished!
In case you're wondering what exactly this project is, it's a triangular shawl that's knit on the bias. That basically means that you increase on one edge and decrease on the other edge, but you do more increases than decreases, so the fabric leans to one side while also getting wider. This makes it drape beautifully and gives it awesome stretch! The pattern calls for two balls of fingering weight yarn, so I have two balls of sock yarn, each well over 400 yards. The green one is Malabrigo sock yarn in the color "Solis", and the red is Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply in the color "Did You Ever?". The pattern is broken up into three sections, the first of which is simply a garter stitch that forms the first corner of the triangular shawl. You can see a good picture of it in the first picture of the gallery below. The second section is a mosaic diamond pattern, incorporating both colors of yarn. I've never done colorwork with the mosaic method before, it's quite different but I'm liking it. It's so much better than trying to drag both colors of yarn along on the same row, and having a tangle of loose yarn on the back of the design. With the mosaic method, you knit two rows with one color, slipping the stitches that aren't supposed to be that color, then you do two rows of the other color. It took me a while to see the pattern, but I think that's because both of my colors are rather dark. If there was more contrast you would be able to see the patterning better. Also, the mosaic technique of colorwork gives an amazingly stretchy and light fabric, not the dense stuff that other colorwork techniques produce. The third section of the pattern will be a lace panel, using one color of yarn. I haven't gotten that far in the pattern yet, but I'm getting close. I'm so excited to see how the red yarn looks with the diamond lace pattern! The needles I've been using are interchangeable cable needles from Knit Picks. I'm using size 5 with the mosaic pattern and size 4 for the rest of the pattern. I just switched from a shorter cable (probably 36", but I can't remember for sure what size it is!) to a longer one that's 47", to accommodate my ever-growing obsession.... I mean, shawl. And now, enjoy some photographs I've captured of the growth of my little lovely over the past week. I might be biased, but I think it is quite photogenic, from the curve and drape of the fabric, to the rich jewel tones of the two balls of yarn I'm using, to the squishy, lush texture of the stitches and the interplay of the colors in the mosaic pattern. With the rate I'm going at it, I hope to post an update (and maybe "finished" pics) soon! Don't be afraid to be creative, Nicole
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AuthorI am a college student who loves being creative and resourceful. I have passions for knitting, subsistence farming, Scripture memory, and anything creative! I hope this blog will prove to be a good creative outlet for me, and inspiring for you! Archives
August 2017
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