a little list

I've been lazy about taking pictures lately, but that doesn't mean nothing has been going on.

First, I did my talk on gauzes-- with, I dare to say, moderate success. I was very impressed by the weavers in the class; they asked sophisticated questions and it was clear that they have a lot of weaving experience and expertise (probably a lot more than I do). As a bonus, I got to attend the rest of the guild meeting-- the lunch and afternoon lecture-- and it reminded me how much I enjoyed being in a weaving guild when I was able to attend. I'm dismayed that I haven't joined the local guild since I moved to Boston. I think I will, now that I've seen what quality weavers are there... but it's still frustrating that I can't participate because of the scheduling. They meet during the day, in a place with no commuter rail access. What'a a working woman to do? One of my big gripes with the weaving world is that every so often the big discussion blows around--you know the one, it goes Why Don't We Have Any Young People In Our Guilds? Why Don't Young Women Weave? But the scheduling continues to be during the day on a weekday, in places inaccessible to people without a private vehicle. I'll save the full rant for another time.

The long weekend was gorgeous, and in a desperate attempt to hold onto summer I made a sleeveless sundress for the last few warm days. The fabric is a batik rayon in dark red, with some beige and brown, an appropriate summer-into-fall scheme. It's very comfortable, but alas! Because I made it so simply, just a straight cut tank top with a skirt, I look like I'm wearing a flour sack when I put it on. I've been wearing clothes long enough to know this-- however dissatisfied I am with my shape, shapeless clothes do not help. So I think I'll insert a drawstring, or a sash of some kind to cinch in the waist at the back; that improves the silhouette dramatically. I cut out another one, of a green cotton with frogs on it maybe I'll get that done and wearable before the temperature drops too far.

And as for knitting, you can take it as given that Big Blue O continues. I've reached a point which may prove to be difficult; a place in the middle where I'm past the midpoint but not close to Almost Done. The pattern has nothing new, it's now mirroring itself around the center, so there's no change in stitches to look forward to... the milestone of the middle has been passed, but I'm not near enough to the end to gain eagerness from imagining how soon I can start the final border and what it will look like when it's finally off the needles. This is the grim, grinding stage where only patience and perseverance will help.

While I gather those resources, I did a few other samples: one of some cables in crunchy cream wool, one of fair isle patterns in shetland from some cones on the shelf. I have always had a dream of weaving tweed for a skirt and jacket, and knitting a fair isle sweater out of matching yarn. You can ask me about it after I meet the patron who will obviate the necessity for the day job. Until then, swatching does no harm, right? Both samples turned out lovely, and I've spent several evenings deciding on which cables to put together for a sweater, and charting out the pattern. This will be a top-down aran, and before I begin the sweater I will make a big swatch of all the cables together, so I can see better how to place the neck and all that.

Which brings me to another point... I realized recently that just about the only sweaters I finish are those I do from the top down. I've never been the kind of person who can follow a recipe without tweaking. Seaming isn't a problem for me, I don't mind doing it, but somehow I just can't follow most patterns, it drives me nuts. Maybe because I'm always trying to take yarn off my overflowing shelves, and make it get the same gauge as something with quite a different character, which inevitably leads to frustration. Maybe too because so few patterns are sized for petites, so I have to do length adjustments on everything no matter what gauge I get. And partly because, sorry, but so many patterns are written so poorly, and the flat pieces don't seem to me to take advantage of the shaping possibilities inherent in knitting. So for now, instead of forcing myself to follow a pattern, I've decided to allow myself to be inspired by published things I like, but to be realistic and design my own top downs if it's something I really want to finish and wear. To that end, I did some calculations for a lacy sweater in fuschia alpaca... the bottom back has been languishing for many months now. I just can't see putting a seam in the middle of a lace motif when it would be so easy to do the thing in one piece and make the pattern continue without a break under the arms! My design is clearly based on the pattern I was unsuccessfully trying to follow, but in the process of sketching it out I made some alterations: set in sleeves instead of dropped shoulders, a deep scoop neck, maybe even frills on the cuffs. This is the sweater on which I'll figure out how best to place the pattern on those initial shoulder rows, to make it come out nicely at the neck, and how to manage the sleeve cap as the stitch pattern progresses. Things which, come to think of it, will be very good to figure out before attacking the aran.

And by the way, if I never finish any of these sweaters, I'll still have learned something, and the swatches were fun, and that's fine with me.

Comments

[claudia]

I've never made a sweater from the top down, although I recently purchased the Barbara Walker book and have something in mind.