If you are a knitter, or probably a crafter or maybe any shopper in general, you know this is the time of the year when the chickens do come home to roost (yes, a farm colloquialism) meaning it is time to pay the consequences of your bad decisions. I'm not sure what chickens have to do with consequences but now is not the time to worry too much about such details.
Each year there is a certain amount of planning that takes place where I have high hopes of getting stuff done. Then reality sets in and even though there's only 23 days to Xmas as I write this, and I do have a day job; I think, sure it is still possible to get everything made, I just have to focus. In the end things never quite pan out that way. But I keep thinking this year it might be different.
So before I panic, let me write about a class I just took called Two-Handed Colourways. In it I learned how to knit Fair Isle items. Go ahead click on the link for a definition, if you like, but here's what end results made by others can look like:
The idea behind Fair Isle knitting is it follows a design using different colours for the foreground and background to make a rather stunning garment, IMHO. Of course as one learns this process the item made is, as would be expected, a bit less "stunning." Here's my swatch:
It is a simple diamond shape but the most amazing thing was learned in class! I can knit using both my left hand and my right. The left was used for the more purplish colour (background colour) and the right for the turquoise colour or foreground colour. Once one gets going the design forces you to knit faster and faster just to see it develop, or so it seems. I have to admit it was a joy learning this skill. (I have tried to do this on my own and done it wrong. The two yarns were getting twisted around one another and about as much time was spent straightening that out as knitting. This two-handed way eliminates all the twisting because the two yarns are kept apart by, well, my body!)
Additionally, we learned about steeking which refers to a process of cutting open a garment knit in the round. One does, of course, prepare the knitting before any cutting takes place; we learned to crochet over the stitches. Again the process was not nearly as scary or complicated as I had imagined. But then it was only a swatch being cut apart so the consequences were minimal. (Perhaps there's a lesson to relearn here -- just dive into something completely new, it generally isn't nearly as bad as you think!)
The class was so inspiring I am going to attempt my first full-fledged Fair Isle knitting project in the new year. The yarn is, of course, purchased and the pattern stored. Nothing like wishfully thinking my way through the holidays!
Now I must get back to the gifts and nightcap that need to be finished soon. Time's a wasting with all this chit chat.
Each year there is a certain amount of planning that takes place where I have high hopes of getting stuff done. Then reality sets in and even though there's only 23 days to Xmas as I write this, and I do have a day job; I think, sure it is still possible to get everything made, I just have to focus. In the end things never quite pan out that way. But I keep thinking this year it might be different.
So before I panic, let me write about a class I just took called Two-Handed Colourways. In it I learned how to knit Fair Isle items. Go ahead click on the link for a definition, if you like, but here's what end results made by others can look like:
The idea behind Fair Isle knitting is it follows a design using different colours for the foreground and background to make a rather stunning garment, IMHO. Of course as one learns this process the item made is, as would be expected, a bit less "stunning." Here's my swatch:
It is a simple diamond shape but the most amazing thing was learned in class! I can knit using both my left hand and my right. The left was used for the more purplish colour (background colour) and the right for the turquoise colour or foreground colour. Once one gets going the design forces you to knit faster and faster just to see it develop, or so it seems. I have to admit it was a joy learning this skill. (I have tried to do this on my own and done it wrong. The two yarns were getting twisted around one another and about as much time was spent straightening that out as knitting. This two-handed way eliminates all the twisting because the two yarns are kept apart by, well, my body!)
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| Steeking in process pre-cut |
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| Steeking process post-cutting |
The class was so inspiring I am going to attempt my first full-fledged Fair Isle knitting project in the new year. The yarn is, of course, purchased and the pattern stored. Nothing like wishfully thinking my way through the holidays!
Now I must get back to the gifts and nightcap that need to be finished soon. Time's a wasting with all this chit chat.
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