What fabric are you trying to create?
One of the things I love about knitting, is that as the knitter, you’re literally making the fabric, (and manipulating it at the same time).
Unlike in sewing, where you start with a flat piece of fabric and remove parts of it to create a garment (or bag, or whatever). Knitting starts with thin air, and some string – you get to create the fabric from scratch.
Each time you knit, you’re creating fabric that has never been created before.
This means if you don’t think about & plan your fabric, you get a (not always awesome) surprise.
I love lace weight yarn, I knit shawls in it, and I knit sweaters in it, but that doesn’t mean I want the same fabric for both types of projects.
I like my sweater fabric open and airy. I like my shawl fabric a little denser, with excellent stitch definition. And I like both my sweaters and my shawls to be drapy – which is why I use lace yarns (but that’s a whole other post.)
For a sweater, I knit lace weight yarn on fairly large needles.
For a shawl, I knit that same yarn on much smaller needles.
A lace weight yarn I’d knit on a US 2 (2.75mm) needle for a shawl, I’d knit on a US 4 (3.5mm) or US 5 (3.75mm) needle for a sweater.
Example!
“Ordo” is a lace shawl, knit with 2 strands of lace weigh yarn held together, on a US 5 (3.75mm) needle, while my No So Straightforward Basic Purple Pullover is also knit with 2 strands of lace weight yarn held together, but I knit that on a US 9 (5.5mm) needle.
Another example!
“Tumbling Deco” is a lace shawl, knit with 1 strand of lace weight yarn, on a US 2 (2.75mm) needle, while my Boring Black Sweater is knit with 1 strand of lace weight yarn, on a US 4 (3.5 mm) needle.
This is because I want my shawl fabric denser than my sweater fabric.
Denser stockinette = crisper lace work.
And I want my shawls need to show off intricate lace patterns.
When you’re creating your fabric, do you want…
dense fabric? drapy fabric? loose fabric? flowing fabric? chunky fabric? thin fabric? textured fabric? smooth fabric? open fabric? etc. etc.
Basically, it all boils down to:
What do you want your fabric to feel like?
(It’s *so* hard to communicate what I’m trying to say with only words and photos. I wish I could hand you the pile of swatches & projects so you could feel the difference. I hope this all makes some sort of sense, and if nothing else, inspires you to go pick up two pieces of fabric and feel the different qualities they exude.)
To Read Over Coffee
A collection of links from the past few weeks that I think are interesting/amusing/educational/insightful enough to read/watch/listen & think about over a cup of coffee.
Making
I’m obsessed with SewUnravelled’s version of the “Sydney Jacket” by Tessuti Fabrics! I’m broiling now, but definitely want to make this pattern for next fall.
Stitch Prism is handmade jewelry/aeriums/potions/art by Kelly Anne Mifflin – just look at the embroidered art!
Clothing & Fashion
It’s pretty easy to dismiss fashion models & what they do. But what does a model actually do? “What does a model do?” from Coletterie.
John Oliver on fast & cheap fashion is hilarious. But I think you could have already guessed that.
Speaking of fast fashion, a new movie “The True Cost,” looks amazing & I definitely want to see it!
“Beacon’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, and the Big Business of Selling Your Old Clothes” on racked.com, is a fascinating read on the ins & outs of buying & selling used clothing.
While buzzfeed is generally nothing but a time-suck, “10 Badass People Proving Androgynous Fashion is What You Make it” is absolutely worth a read.
ELLE editor Sally Holmes dressed like Kim Kardashian for a week: Part One – all about the clothing; Part two – all about the hair & makeup routine.
Both ELLE articles are damn good reads, even if you have less than no interest in dressing like Kim Kardashian. I love a good clothing experiment, because I think a good clothing experiment really illuminates how powerful clothing can be in influencing how people (including ourselves) perceive us.
Other
A long article, but with nuanced & depth. “Why Women Talk Less” by Debbie Cameron.
“‘Let’s talk about genre’: Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro in conversation” – why are the boundaries between genres so wibbly? and yet, so rigid?
And finally, from BrainPicking “The Value of a Compassionate Lie,” because stories sustain us when reality can’t.
flip flops, the unofficial start to summer – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 45
The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels –
it’s a year about noticing patterns, trying things, and observing what happens.
Day 309 – Friday, June 5th
archer button up shirt // black tank top // jeans
pocket watch necklace // bracelets // rings // black flats
Day 310 – Saturday, June 6th
2nd archer button up shirt // black tank top // black maxi skirt
robot watch necklace // rings // black flats
Day 311 – Sunday, June 7th
black tank top // cascading flowers skirt
pocket watch necklace // rings
Day 312 – Monday, June 8th
2nd archer button up // black tank top // black maxi skirt
bicycle necklace // rings// black flats
Day 313 – Tuesday, June 9th
archer button up shirt // black tank top // jeans
pocket watch necklace // bracelets // rings // black flats
Day 314 – Wednesday, June 10th
2nd archer button up // black tank top // black maxi skirt
robot clock necklace // rings // black flats
Day 315 – Thursday, June 11th
the easiest vest ever // black tank top // cascading flowers skirt
bicycle necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops
While the official start of summer isn’t until the 21st, the unofficial start of summer for me is the first day I pull out my flip flops. Yay Summer!
Now I really better get started on those summer dresses! Do you have any favorite summer dress patterns? I’d love any suggestions.
PS. Robin Hunter interviewed me about knitting design over on her blog as part of her weekly knitwear designer interview series… so head on over to her blog to read the interview!
