Monday, March 28, 2011

Knit and Crochet Blog Week Day 2: Skill + 1UP


One of the main reasons I enjoy (obsess over?) knitting--the same reason I love snow skiing--is that there is always something new to try, new territory to be charted.
Comparing my repertoire from last year to this year, it doesn't look like my style of knitting has changed very much--I haven't added any big new leaps like a first pair of socks, for example (that was last year).

What I have started doing is working on projects without a pattern. I've been on a creative and/or self-destructive cycle of getting an idea for a project, looking for the appropriate pattern, and upon not finding it, deciding "Eh, it can't be that hard. I'll just write the pattern myself!" Words you should consider carefully before uttering--"How hard can it be?" Sometimes it ends well:






I hesitate to use the word design--let's just say I make stuff (stuff could be replaced with a four-letter word that also starts with s). I realized it's just a matter of an idea + simple geometry and algebra + experimenting to see what works. But there are usually a lot of steps in between that look like this:

Yarn explosion! Sometimes the dog also causes a scene like this.

which makes my production process very slooooooow. Fortunately, the process of knitting is my favorite part, so I try to think of it as getting multiple uses from the same ball of yarn. I just finished this guy for my husband:



I had the idea that I wanted it to look like there were ski tracks coming down the sides of the hat. Finding no suitable pattern, "How hard can it be?"

I've also been incredibly entertained writing up the patterns and making charts (seriously!). I discovered the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry, and awesome place to test new designs and/or get your designs tested. They can try out your pattern, find any errors, and tell you if your design sucks. I've got those fingerless mitts in the last image swirling around in the test pile right now. I'm tempted to try a sweater next...that'll probably only take about approximately one-thousand years for me to bang out.

21 comments:

  1. I love the fingerless mitts they look so cute and comfy

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  2. The first two projects are vaguely familiar. I like the red cabled hat. a lot - the rolled brim is cute. I now have a design (? yeah, let's got with design) book in which I write down knitting 'patterns', tweaks e.t.c. Don't yet know what I'll do with them though.

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  3. ooh nice knits,...i need to check out this pattern tester group!

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  4. But that sweater - how hard can it be? :)

    However, I do hear you on the pattern writing thingy. At the moment, ask me how I know.

    Btw, like the hats.

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  5. it's great that you're able to translate your ideas into functional garments; too often do people let their ideas languish!

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  6. Writing your own patterns and having them tested - well done you. I love the ski tracks hat.

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  7. They look great and isn't Ravelry wonderful for having communities like that. I may have a go at making something up myself at some point.

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  8. I like your DH's hat :-) Is the 4-letter word 'soup' ?? ;-)

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  9. Those grey mitts are to die for! Your work is so beautiful, great post!

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  10. Those hats are beautiful! You have made some great patterns!

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  12. I love the hat you designed for your husband! And those fingerless mitts are so interesting. I love taking an idea and seeing if it works. It does result in lots of ripping out, but at least I love the process. (Sorry for deleting my previous comment...I found a mistake and wanted to fix it!)

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  13. Wow! I love your designs! The mittens and hat are gorgeous! :D

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  14. I love your use of ski tracks to inspire your designs. The cable work looks like so much fun.

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  15. Very awesome how you design and use geometry and algebra. How do you use algebra in designing?

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  16. @ Kepanie

    You know how you usually make a swatch before a project (or at least you are supposed to, I'm guilty of not doing it all the time)? You can take the gauge measurements you get from your swatch and use them to figure out how many stitches you need to get certain dimensions. So say my gauge was A sts per inch, I want B inches of fabric, and C is the number of stitches I need to get that length...A*B = C. Real life use of algebra!

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  17. Your stuff is amazing! I love the hat in the first pic and those gloves - gorgeous!

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  18. You are designing some fantastic knits. Love your latest hat.

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  19. Cool hat! It makes me want to learn how to ski!

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  20. That is so cool that you are translating your ideas into actual designs. I really like the mitts...the buttons are a fantastic feature.

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  21. I really like your attitude...it is always possible :) Love the cables!

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