Close, but no…sock
There’s a lot going on in my life right now, so my knitting has been suffering a bit. Nevertheless, I did knit a few rounds this evening on the second Cherry Tree Hill sock,
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bringing it almost up to the point at which I can start decreasing for the toe.
It’s supposed to turn off cold for the next few days, so if I could actually finish these, I might have a chance to wear them during winter’s last gasp. (Or perhaps you could say during the first chill days of spring. April is the cruelest month, after all.)
I’ve also managed to knit a few more rows of my green cotton cables and lace swatch:
                                         (Seen here looking very romantic in the candlelight.)
You can see at the top that I separated the two sides as though for a v-neck opening. I’m decreasing on either side of the cables so that the cables will run up the sides of the opening and the stitches in the body of the swatch/sweater would be eaten up by the decreases. I’m thinking that the raglan line should have a cable running up the center as well, with the decreases on either side of it.
Deb commented on the larger cable on the left-hand side, asking about how I might incorporate it into the design. Actually, I’ve pretty much given up on that cable in this design. Originally, I had envisioned it running up the center of the front and back, but as I worked on it I realized that it was just too busy for the rest of the sweater that I had in mind.Â
This is a problem that I often run into when designing–knowing when to stop. I have a tendency to think that the more details and motifs you include, the better. Really, the reverse is often true: knowing what to cut out so as to reduce your design to just the essentials, and letting those essentials carry the piece. Then include the little details of good craftmanship that elevate the “homemade” to the “handmade.”
Yup, that’s the goal. Plus, I need to finish those socks for the coming chill.
April 4th, 2007 at 7:04 am
Your design is going to be great. I am intrigued by the swatch!
Socks look good, too! After those, you can always start knitting socks out of Fixation or some other cotton blend yarn, of course, although I like to make wool socks year round. Just so I’m ready for winter, which always seems to demand more wool socks than I have!
April 4th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I like the design you’re working on too. I love a V-neck, so that’s always good to my line of thinking. I could see how there are so many elements you’d like to incorporate into a garment, but really less is more. I tend to like more simple patterns with some neat twist. How’s Blue Bamboo going? I hope that you finish that one, as I really like it.
April 4th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I love the full fashined shaping. Looks like it’s going to be a great sweater. Very pretty and very wearable. I also agree that less is more, but I do hope you use that other cable in another design sometime.
April 4th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
LUV the pink socks! Like you and Ellen, wool socks are my favorite; here in Oregon, it’s cool enough I can usually wear them about 10 months of the year. With trek sandals or Birkenstocks. I know the rest of the world thinks it’s tacky to wear socks with sandals but I really dig getting comments on my multi-color socks and being able to say, “Thanks, I knitted them.” Really wigs out a muggle. 🙂
Dying to see the new sweater design. Wish I had the design talent that you have in your little finger!
April 4th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
The new sweater looks delightful, but you’d better finish up those socks…the flakes are flying here!
April 5th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
My goodness but that v-neckline looks admirably fully-fashioned! Melissa would be proud.
I was very glad to get to wear my recently completed Jaywalkers today. It’s nice to need socks again, at least for a week!