nonaSwatches

28 February, 2007

My 3 day Orenburg shawl sample is completed (day 1 & day 2).  Today I turned the top right corner, knit the top border while attaching it to the body, turned the top left corner and grafted the final stitches together.  All in all, a very satisfying swatch.  Here are the 8 basic steps for knitting this style shawl:

1. Knit the bottom border.  The bottom border is knit vertically and then turned on its side -- if you look closely at the photo you can see that the garter ridges are sideways.
2. Use short rows to turn the bottom right corner 90 degrees counter clockwise.
3. Use short rows to turn the bottom left corner 90 degrees clockwise.
4. Knit across the right border's live stitches, pick up stitches along the bottom border for the body, and knit across the left border's live stitches.  Knit the right edge, body, and left edge simultaneously.
5. Use short rows to turn the top right edge 90 degrees counter clockwise
6. Knit the top border and attach the border to the body as it is knit.
7. Use short rows to turn the top left edge 90 degrees clockwise
8. Join the remaining live stitches using a grafting technique that reminds me of binding off.

Yarn:	Lorna's Lace's sock yarn in cream
Needles:	US 2
Source:	"A Sample Shawl to Knit" from The Gossamer Webs Design Collection, page  5.

Two months down and 10 to go -- Swatch On!

27 february, 2007

In part 2 of my 3 day swatch, I knit the body of my mini Orenburg shawl along with the side borders.  The instructions called for a garter stitch body, but I couldn't resist throwing in a few stitch patterns from the book's Stitch Dictionary.  Tomorrow I get to turn the corners and knit the final border.  Hey, this is fun!

Yarn:	Lorna's Lace's sock yarn in cream
Needles:	US 2
Stitch:	3 stitch patterns used in the body -- from bottom to top: Peas, Mouse Prints, and Honeycomb
Source:	"A Sample Shawl to Knit" from The Gossamer Webs Design Collection, page  5.   Stitch patterns from the Stitch and Border Dictionary in the same book, page 13, 15, & 14

26 february, 2007

While at Stitches West I picked up Galina Khmeleva's pamphlet, The Gossamer Webs Design Collection, which includes a sample shawl to knit.  The shawl in question teaches all the construction principles and techniques used to knit an Orenburg style shawl -- all in miniature form.  This sample shawl just screamed "Swatch Me"!

Since this sample is bigger than your average swatch, I'm going to knit it over 3 days.  Today's installment features the bottom border and the turned right and left corners.  I'm poised to knit the shawl's body and side edges, which are waiting patiently for tomorrow.  So far the instructions are excellent and the knitting fun!

Here are a few observations from today's swatch:

• Orenburg shawls are knit in garter stitch -- you knit every row
• Orenburg shawls are knit in one piece with -- I think -- no seaming
• Single decreases are always worked k2tog, meaning that left and right slanting decreases are not used as design elements in the lace.
• The first stitch of each row is slipped "the Russian Way" -- with yarn in front slip the 1st stitch purl wise, move yarn to back between needles.

Yarn:	Lorna's Lace's sock yarn in cream
Needles:	US 2
Source:	"A Sample Shawl to Knit" from The Gossamer Webs Design Collection, page  5.

25 february, 2007

Mixing 2 luscious colors of Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn in a 2 color, 2 row chevron pattern. Yes, I was at Stitches West today.  And yes, I bought a few things.  Details to follow on nonaKnits -- probably tomorrow afternoon.

Yarn:	Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction; 50% Merino, 50% Tencel in colorways Rooster Rock and Smokey Blue.
Needles:	US 4
Stitch:	Chevron Pattern in a 2 row, 2 color stripe over 48 stitches Row 1 (Color A): k2tog 4 times, kf&b 8 times, k2tog 8 times, kf&b 8 times, k2tog 4 times. Row 2 (Color A): purl Row 3 (Color B): knit Row 4 (Color B): purl
Source:	Chevron Scarf pattern from Last-Minute Knitting Gifts page 121.

24 february, 2007

I'm battling a case of Knitter's Block over my design for the baby blanket and have decided to stew on it for a few days and shift swatching gears.

I love combining two colors for a simple 2 row stripe -- it's amazing how colors play off each other.  For this swatch, I was looking for two shades of blue that would give me enough contrast without screaming stripe, stripe, stripe.  I'm happy with the results and am comtemplating knitting this quick vest with a few vertical String of Purls added to the back -- just for good luck.

Yarn:	Jamieson's Double Knitting in Admiral Blue and Pacific.
Needles:	US 5
Gauge:	21 stitches in 4 inches over stockinette stitch

23 february, 2007

Experimenting with color combinations, proportions, and construction techniques for a baby blanket based on rectangles of knit/purl stitches.  I still have a long way to go, but know more today than I did yesterday.  It's the process, my friends, the process.

Yarn:	Tahki's Cotton Classic -- still love this yarn
Needles:	US 6
Gauge:	About 5.75 stitches per inch in knit/purl pattern
Stitch:	A variety of knit/purl stitch combinations.  Some based on previous swatches.

22 february, 2007

Several more knit/purl pattern variations knit in Rowan's All Season's Cotton.

Yarn:	Rowan's All Seasons Cotton
Needles:	US 7 & US 8 -- I like this yarn knit with US 8 best Light Pink: US 8, Tan: US 7; Dark Pink: US 7 bottom half, US 8 top half
Stitch:	Light Pink: Basketweave Tan: Baske stitch Dark Pink: Five/five squares
Source:	Vogue Knitting, pages 122-123

21 february, 2007

I'm inspired by the blankets -- here and here -- that Alison has been knitting based on the book, Sarah Dallas Knitting.  I love the simplicity of the blocks of color and the crispness of the knit/purl pattern variations.

For today's swatches I started with the Double Broken Rib stitch pattern -- pink.  Then decided to offset the purl blocks -- yellow.  Then decided to change the scale -- tan.  Click here for a detail.

I can envision a variation on the Modern Log Cabin blanket -- Mason Dixon Knitting -- with the blocks knit in different knit/purl pattern variations.  Hmmm, what is it with me and blankets recently!?

Yarn:	Tahki's Cotton Classic -- love this yarn
Needles:	US 6
Gauge:	About 5.75 stitches per inch in knit/purl pattern
Stitch:	Pink: Double Broken Rib.  Yellow: variation on pink with purl blocks offset.  Tan:  variation on yellow with a change of scale.
Source:	Double Broken Rib is from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns page 12.  Other variations were unvented from the first, but I'm sure are well known, existing stitch patterns.

20 february, 2007

Today's swatch combines 3 versions of my "Mystery Blanket" squares and 1 of EZ's version.  To join the blocks I followed EZ's directions.  First, the live stitches between the blocks are grafted together and then the center diamond is knit.  I cannot believe I'm going to say this, but the grafting was fun and easy!   

Yarn:	Malabrigo in cognac; kettle dyed merino wool.
Needles:	US 7, double points
Source:	Knitter's Almanac page 43

19 february, 2007

Today's swatch is the correct version of the "Mystery Blanket" square from Elizabeth Zimmermann's blog-like book, Knitter's Almanac.  Yesterday, I misread the instructions and -- to use EZ's parle -- "unvented" a new variation.

Both versions start with 8 stitches -- 2 on each of 4 needles -- and increase 8 stitches every other round until there are 24 stitches on each needle, 96 stitches total.  The difference in our versions is in how the increases were worked: 

EZ marked the first stitch on each needle as the increase stitch and then worked a YO on either side of that marked stitch, causing the stitch surrounded by the YOs to stay constant -- hence the straight, diagonal line.

While I, always worked a YO on either side of the first stitch on each needle, causing the stitch surrounded by the YOs to move 1 stitch to the right each increase round -- hence the spiral.

It's up to you, opinionated reader, to decide which variation you would use for your own Mystery Blanket.  Or would you unvent your own?!   

Yarn:	Malabrigo in cognac; kettle dyed merino wool.
Needles:	US 7, double points
Source:	Knitter's Almanac page 43