Celtic Shaw Series #3: On the Moor Shawl

sketches for On the Moor Shawl

Just thought I’d share a little of the design process for my next shawl — this the 3rd in a series of Celtic Shawls (the first is Margaree Harbour and the second Lady of the Canyon).

This new one, On the Moor, is a Faroese-style shawl. Faroese-style shawls include a unique shoulder shaping that stops the shawl from slipping.

Here are a couple of sketches that started the process. The dark lines going out from the neck (bottom drawing) are the lines for the shoulder shaping.

I tried a number of different cable patterns for the wings of the shawl but finally decided on the lattice pattern (derived from one of the pattern stitches in Annie Maloney’s The Cable Knitting Handbook), since I didn’t want the side patterns to take away from that centre-back cable panel — it’s really the star here.  The centre-back cable is an original.

You can see some of the ‘in-progress’ project pics on my Ravelry project page.

The pattern is due out around the first of June 2011.

Lady of the Canyon Shawl has arrived!

“Trina takes her paints and threads and weaves a pattern all her own,” Joni Mitchell sings in her ‘Ladies of the Canyon’

Another example of music influencing design….it’s the inspiration for this shawl…  the combination of the very unique Aran Lace stitch patterns¹ and wonderful merino / silk blend  yarn².

This is the second pattern in the Celtic Shawl Series – Lady of the Canyon. The link leads to the Ravelry pattern page.

(The first pattern in the Series is my Margaree Harbour Shawl)

::wink:: little plug here for our new software program: the written directions for this shawl were generated using knitXpress  - 132 lines of written directions took less than 10 seconds to be formatted to all caps at the beginning, periods at the end of each line, identifying all of the repeats within each line and all of the row repeats, etc.; needless to say I love it!  

¹ from talented stitch designer Annie Maloney’s book Aran Lace

² Knit Picks Gloss Fingering yarn

Design Inspirations and what they have to do with Star Trek

sneak peek

I am inspired by nature and music –

The shawl I’m currently working on was inspired by a Joni Mitchell tune — there’s a sneak peek at the left It’s a centre-out construction and will be available through the Knit Picks’ IDP as well as Ravelry in about 3 – 4 weeks.

I have another in the works based on a hauntingly beautiful Jay Ungar melody ….. but back to Star Trek!

“The Inner Light” from season 5 is my all-time favourite TNG episode – the piece of music that Jean Luc plays on the little flute (composed by Jay Chattaway)  is just so beautiful….. I think I feel another shawl coming on

________

a little aside: Wikipedia states that the flute used as a prop in the show was sold at auction in 2006 for $48,000 USD

Men’s Standard Sizing Charts

For quite a while I’ve been meaning to consolidate all of my men’s sizing information into one chart and I finally did it! It just takes so much out of knitting time

So, I’ve just added the following charts to the Designer Resources page:
–  men’s standard measurements (in inches)
– men’s sweater measurements (in inches)
– men’s standard measurements (in centimeteres)
– men’s sweater measurements (in centimeters)

The charts represent averaged numbers from various sources in chest sizes 34″ – 52″ (86 – 132cm). Please read the caveats, limitations and source information on the Designer Resources page. Please feel free to use the information in these charts in your designing if you find them useful.

I’ve also added some resource links to other sizing information for preemies, babies, children and adults.

Designer Notebook: Colour

Colour is interesting and weird. The effect of colours on one another never ceases to amaze me. Just changing the background behind a picture makes different colours in the picture “pop”.
(Example from my Design Binder)

Interesting Blog
So, here’s another tip from Jenna H., my well of wisdom for all things nifty, wonderful and fibre-related. Kris is an artist in Italy and on her blog: Color Stripes she posts pictures and then below each picture shows colour bars for each colour in the picture. (I would have posted a pic, but think it’s not so nice grabbing them from the other website even though it would really make this post so much more eye-popping. You’ll just have to follow the link.) This idea is a definite keeper for my Design Binder.

I’m going to give this a try and will post the results.

Knitting Books of Note: Teach Yourself Visually Knitting Design

by Sharon Turner

This is another Master Pattern book with a slightly different approach. The charts for the master patterns are interspersed with text which may be good for some knitters.

The Master Patterns are written in 5 gauges (2 – 6 st / inch). There are Master Patterns for:

• scarves,
• shawls(3),
• hats (4),
• bags (2 including felting),
• socks (5 sizes: 1 heel, 2 toes, toe-up),
• mitts (lots of cuffs), hand warmers, gloves,
• vests,
• sweaters (22″ – 55″; round and V-neck; collars, turtleneck, neckbands)

There is a yarn estimate chart in the back of the book and a small section on colour theory.

What I liked:

• good section on techniques with lots of pictures
• small stitch dictionary
• design/gauge charts are spread out throughout the text which is better for some readers

The Flip Side:

• no metric
• no knitting in the round
• a little skimpy on the “choosing the right yarn” for novice knitters
• some instructions are vague e.g. Stockinette Drop Stitch “purl across, dropping yo loops as you go” might leave one without any stitches at all!
• mentions baby/child sizes allow “generous ease” but never says how much that is; no ease amounts are given for adults but an ease table is included — again, just a little unclear; do child sizes include ease and adult ones don’t???
• there’s a short rather cryptic written section on how to do the math for your own designs

Maybe borrowing this book from the library first would give you a good idea if it fits your designing style.

Designer Notebook: keeping track of pattern files

When creating knitting and crochet patterns I go through many drafts before I get the final document. Personally, I can’t work just on the computer. I print out versions that I edit as I knit my samples. So, sometimes, it can get confusing which is the latest version.

So, while working on writing drafts of knitting or crochet patterns I add the following information into the document header:
1) automatic page numbering
2)the file and pathname (so I can remember where it’s saved),
and
3) the current date and time so I always know which is latest incarnation (don’t use the auto date and time-it will change every time you work on the document — not helpful).

Perfect Pitch for designers

Those lucky individuals who can visualize a 3-D garment just by looking at a stitch pattern or those who just magically can put colours together in that WOW combination just blow me away. You are awesome….you know who you are and the rest of us envy you!

Zen moments

When you’ve just had one of those days and need some total non-challenging activities, take some zone-out moments and take one of your charted knitting/crochet designs and colour all RS chart rows with pastel pencil crayons. While providing some much needed destressing time, it will also make tracking the pattern rows easier without obscuring the symbols.

Another little trick is to put the chart (or printed pattern) in a page protector and tick off rows with marker without writing on pattern. The static in the plastic should keep the pattern from moving, but it you’re concerned, a couple of small pieces of tape will do the trick.

Depending on how your brain perceives and interprets the world, sometime colour-coding design areas makes it easier to keep track of when to change stitch patterns.

Designer Notebook: Inspiration

If you are looking for inspiration for a knit or crochet garment, take a piece of white cardboard and draw an outline of a mannequin wearing the sweater, hat, mittens, scarf or skirt you are designing (you could trace this from a catalog or magazine if your drawing skills are still in the artistic waiting room, or there are croquis patterns online) , then cut out the shape of the garment and use the cardboard with the removed silhouette to preview colour combos. Just place the cardboard cut out (CCO) over a picture or swatch you like and move / turn it around to see how it would translate into your design. Here are some examples. The first example is the CCO placed over a test swatch of knitted Bamboo Stitch variations. The yarn is Bernat Soy Naturals, a blend of 50/50 soy and acrylic: a very nice soft yarn that is machine washable (and you can put it in the dryer on low if you use one).

The second sample is the CCO placed over a picture. The 3rd image shows the actual picture (source: Harrowsmith magazine).

I’ll post a few more examples over the next few weeks.

If you have a digital camera, take pictures of the combinations you like or make several cardboard cut outs and tape or glue the combos you like together and keep them in your Design Binder (more on this later).