#knitting colorwork

[strongbookthoughts]

Notes on Stitchionary 3 published by Vogue Knitting

Volume three is color knitting! And, as usual, Vogue Knitting has given us a well designed books with complex techniques that mostly show a sense of taste. (Crocheters can play along on this book, btw.)

So what we have here is a collection of color motifs that can be used to design knitwear. This is volume 3, so it's all color-based design. The other volumes are knit&purl and cables. I thiiiink I own one or both of those from back in the day.

Publication date is 2006, but the colors run a little bit more classic/conservative/vintage for the most part. Though you can totes change any colors you see in the book.

Every entry in this book has a chart and an example piece. This is especially good if you are trying to understand how the designs shift when you translate them from a grid to the shape of your stitches.

The majority of the designs are based on just switching colors on flat stockingette, so easily adapted for crochet. I'm less sure that the section on texture and slip stitching will translate as easily, but I'm not the fiber police. You can totally try it.

The series is a solid collection of design reference for knitting, and if I found them used, I'd certainly be tempted to snap them all up.

Aaaaand I just checked. Volume 4 is crochet, so I've just put in a request for it. Will review when I get it in my hot little hands!

[gaviicreates]

Gavii Learns Stuff - Colorwork and also FFXIV

I don't know colorwork, so naturally I'm making G'raha Tia's Endwalker scarf. Oh, and I'm also primarily a crocheter, so let's plan to knit it instead.

I have no self control when inspiration strikes, and also I like to learn by doing, so here we are - this'll be my journey.

Step 1: Screenshot the hell out of Raha

Can we talk a moment about how strange this scarf design is? Not the colorwork, but the actual structure of this strange piece of material.

The main center design drapes down from his right shoulder to his left, then down the front, but then the opposite length somehow wraps, then pivots to turn right back down the same shoulder. There's gotta be a button or something, and even with the twine or rope that's clearly keeping everything together, I can't figure out the full construction of this one. If inspo strikes along the way we'll see, but for now I think I plan to just make a full scarf, and worst case, it can be knotted on the the left shoulder to create the effect where the two length drape down the same side in the front and back.

We can make it work. But, darling, your scarf makes no sense.

Step 2: Study the design, draft, re-draft, rinse repeat

I'm not accustomed to making my own graph patterns, or patterns in general, but I guess the concept is what it is. Make the thing into pixels and color code?

I got to work in Excel, copy & pasted. Compared it to the scarf, and tried again. Then once I figured out the general shape, the hardest part was figuring out what repeat would work for both the bottom design and the main in order to have everything flow.

There will end up being quite the length of stockinette in grey between designs. I haven't yet figured out how far I want to go, so that's another thing we'll be winging.

My plan is to work the pattern in the round to create a scarf tube, so this can be two sided to account for some of the fabric waving I think is going on Once complete I can sew up the ends and add the fringe.

Step 3: Yarn and Go

I'm writing this having started the project already, so I think if I make this again in the future I might go down to a DK weight. The pattern is working, and I think it will be fine, but it will be a big scarf - somewhere between a scarf width and a shawl width. My pattern might end up a bit bigger than anticipated, overall. That said - I am using a value acrylic in worsted weight - JOANN's Big Twist in Titanium, Varsity Gold, and Black.

For the first few rows I was figuring out the tension for my floats, because while I did actually practice with a different yarn and needle size for a bit, who has time for swatching? Remember that jumping right into a project thing I like to do?

Yeah, I did that again.

Thanks for coming on my THIRD ffxiv project! I'm excited for this one, and I am so glad it's going to be such a good one to learn from. I know I haven't posted too much lately, but I promise - I'm always crafting.

[basketghost]

Starting a new scarf 👀

[sleepy-craftologist]

Starting on a classic dishcloth. I wanted to make it a bit more challenging so I'm doing the border in a different color. It's going well so far!

[seaviewandmaine]

I bought yarn to make the stripe overload cardigan and im already questioning the color choices. Also i haven't knitted anything bigger than socks in years so let see how this goes.

[malocclusive]

LOVED that "fuck you, Seychelles your pride flag" trans egg explosion post, and had to make it a knit thing since.... Tapestry crochet is new to me.

It's past 3 am, but I've been hyperfocused on this and I cannot WAIT to finish it and block it so it isn't goofy. Luckily, I have the acrylic stand to keep this gorgeous gal off my keyboard to flatten it.

[handmade-lilianade]

I charted out an Akatsuki cloud for everyone's colorwork Akatsuki sweater/bag/etc needs!

[aetherdragon]

https://www.philosopherswool.com/Pages/Twohandedvideo.htm

Just stumbled on this tonight - the Two Handed Fair Isle Technique. I've always hated and despised floats. My tension on pieces I've done with colorwork has always been wretched, and that's half the reason I work almost exclusively in double-knitting for colorwork. 

Having discovered this technique, I may actually be able to start doing some more stranded colorwork. It carries the yarn along with color changes in a glorious method. Watch the video!