Last month while at Churchmouse I scored a couple skeins of Loft:
Oh, such lovely stuff. For a month, those skeins sat on my coffee table where I could pet them daily, and imagine what they might become.
Last week I finally wound them into balls, and got started swatching. First up, basic garter and stockinette stitch:
I often do a swatch like this one, when I’m just getting to know a new-to-me yarn. Starting with a single stitch and working a kfb increase at the beginning of each row means I don’t have to think about how many stitches to cast on – rather, I just keep increasing until it’s “big enough.” Working in garter and then in stockinette (and then in seed stitch or tweed stitch, if I feel like it) gives me a decent idea of how the yarn behaves.
And I like how Loft behaves. Being tweedy and a bit rustic, it begs for colorwork. Yet some lace samples at Churchmouse intrigued me. I had to try at least one lace swatch:
This I kind of like. Maybe I’ll work lace out of some future skeins of Loft. These skeins, though, really want to be colorwork.
But what kind of colorwork? Simple garter stripes, perhaps in a hat where the rows ran vertically, would be really effective.
Sadly, however, I can rarely muster proper appreciation for simple designs; it’s the more involved ones that always grab my interest. Case in point: a scarf worked in double knitting, with a floral motif running the length of the scarf:
Mm, I really like this concept. But this specific design? Not so much: the petals/flowers are fine, but the leaves and vines are so small and delicate that they kind of get lost. And the design is fiddly. The pattern isn’t easy to memorize, so I have to refer to the chart for every row. Blech! Part of why I love charts is that they often let me memorize a stitch pattern before I’ve finished working the first repeat, letting me set the chart aside and knit on blissfully. Not this stitch pattern: I’m tied to the chart, and I don’t care for that.
So where does that leave me? Right now, I’m thinking I’ll restart the scarf using a simpler, bolder stitch pattern, perhaps something inspired by traditional mendhi designs. If that doesn’t pan out (or if I get bored by how slowly the double-knit fabric grows), I suppose I can go back to the garter-stitch hat idea.
Your thoughts?
Tagged: stash enhancement, swatching, ideas.
Hi, JC. I always learn something from your posts. The way you swatch, for instance. Your method would be more likely to hold my interest and, therefore, I might be more inclined to swatch. I love the vine lace in the Birdbook Loft. I see a shawl with contrasting border or stripes but that's no new challenge for you. Double knitting is not a technique I enjoy but I agree it does look good in those colors. Of course double knitting is not the only way to do colorwork... Try a garter-stitch hat first because I'd like to see how you do the vertical stripes. :)
» AnnP
Ann, what is it about my swatching approach that you think might make swatching more palatable to you? Remember that this is how I swatch when I’m just getting to know a yarn; if I was trying to match gauge, I’d swatch differently.
As for starting with a garter-stitch hat... it’s tempting, as I haven’t yet found a DK or stranded colorwork pattern that really turns my crank.
» JC
I like the floral motif, and would love to see it in stranded colorwork instead of double knitting. I'm betting Loft is really too bulky to make a tubular scarf, and I can't bear to wear a scarf that has a backside. How about a stranded hat?
» SandiR
Actually, Loft isn't too bulky when double knit. (After all, it’s Loft we’re talking about here, not Shelter.) And the DK fabric is more windproof, making for a warmer scarf. But I guess it all depends on whether you’re aiming for a warm scarf or a fashion scarf, eh?
» JC
Well, it's like two swatches in one. The getting to know the yarn triangular section and the nice square gauge section above it. Honestly, what really appeals to me is not having to decide how many to cast on.
» AnnP
Oh, the whole thing is a getting-to-know-you business. That’s why I sometimes continue with 3 or 4 or more stitch patterns.
But yes, not having to decide how many to cast on is pretty sweet. :-)
» JC