Black Dog

I don’t really fancy myself as a designer–I mean, I have a couple things rolling around in my head that I feel want to be pushed down my arms and come out via my fingers. I don’t think I’m all that creative (I’m awesome at following the patterns of others….) and I don’t think I’m all that fashionable (I won’t tell you of the travesty that is my wardrobe–two parts “big and tall” and one part “lazy and cheap” makes for too many polo-style shirts and jeans and khakis). But sometimes there’s something that has to get out and I like watching it develop.

I mean, I read a wide variety of blogs and other online journals where people look at two photos, three skeins of yarn, and a fashion magazine, pick up a pencil and sketch pad, and VIOLA! out pops a new design. Matt and I watch things like Project Runway every season (we’re nothing if not good little gay boys, tho I did confess a very lackadasical interest in musical theater yesterday that brought out shreiks of terror from someone……), and he scans various magazines to keep up on couture. I do a little trend-spotting because it helps run ThreadBear and we need to keep up on color forecasting and shapes and how knitwear and various shapes figure into each season’s apparel trending. While I find it interesting, I’m more Al Bundy than Austin Scarlett.

I mean, this morning I went out with the dogs and the digital camera and found some inspiring shots

That’s a mallow plant, growing along our front walk, planted by the wonderful Janeen. Check it out close up

Beautiful! And around the corner, there’s a lobelia

that Matt planted last Thursday afternoon, after the groundbreaking for our new shop. Because the building is being renovated to LEED standards, a local greenhouse supplied flats of native Michigan plants so that all attendees could take one home and plant it there. Being some of the last to leave, we got several plants (columbine, lobelia, and more) and they now reside along our walk, as a constant reminder to the growth going on just over the river, at our new space (ready in about nine months). Speaking of the river, I snapped a peaceful shot of it, as well

That’s snapped from our front deck, looking to the east across the Grand River, which flows right by the house (and we’re lucky enough to have large decks on both the front and back of the house). I’m sure someone out there who designs could find some sort of inspiration in each of those shots, or all of them combined, but that’s not me.

I did, for some reason, become inspired by a popular shape I’ve seen in both ready-to-wear and knitwear–the a-line cardigan/swing jacket. Many women have commented on wanting to make one, and we have one or two patterns in the store for them, but I wasn’t quite “YES” about them. And after talking with a couple customers about what they wanted in a swing-type jacket/cardigan, I came up with a basic shape in my head, added a couple details to it, and have something that I’m working from. Unfortunately, I can’t sketch to save my life (seriously–art was the only C I received in high school, and the art teacher said “you deserved that C grade”…..and before you get all angry, he said it from a place of love; no, really–my artistic endeavors in that class SUCKED ROTTEN PIGEON EGGS)., so you don’t get to see any rough images or line drawings or some of what “normal designers” tend to work from.

Even more strange, Matt and I have (no surprise here) completely different design/work styles. I’m knitting and writing down design details and shaping instructions as I go, after having completed two different swatches (or three…see below) to get a feel for how things drape and feel. He, however, knits up an entire skein of the yarn, gets a full gauge swatch to work from (and to estimate yardage from), and then sets to working out the shaping instructions on the computer, emerging with a pattern written from start to finish, minus the verbage that goes between shaping directions (it looks alot like some of the Japanese knitting patterns you’ll find in books from there, as well as patterns from Habu Textiles, US distributor of Japanese yarns). He then works out instructions for all sizes and then commences to knit. Me, I’ll knit, rip (I abhor ripping!), make notes, knit, make notes, shape, make notes, and emerge with my own version of shorthand that will then be fleshed out into instructions for one size. Then I’ll take a mathematical approach of inches, stitches and rows per inch, shaping, and a good calculator and PENCIL and work out other sizes. Then I’ll employ some geometry and figure out square inches of fabric, work with my yarn usage from that, and then calculate other square inches of fabric in other sizes to estimate yardage for those sizes. WHEW!

Neither is right or wrong, in my opinion. Both get you to the same place, and everyone out there has their own style and way of working. I just find it interesting that we couldn’t be more different in approaches to design and pattern writing. But that’s no surprise, given how totally different we are when approaching almost everything else (I guess opposites attract…..but then they drive each other NUTS for the remainder of their lives…right darlin’?)

So, what the hell does this project look like to date? I don’t have swatch shots (tho both swatches are still in existence..hmmmmmmmm). I do have a distance shot of what it looked like on Monday

and a close-up of fabric

note the lack of knitting needles in that piece…..it’s a goner. But the fabric is pretty in the “real” piece in progress

The astute reader will notice a difference in edging (a.k.a. welt) on the two pieces. Here they are in comparison

stacked on top of each other. So, when I envisioned this garment (from the front), I saw it in my head with a wide band of seed stitch down the front and across the bottom of the fronts. Then why, you might ask, did I start the back with a little bit of ribbing, should I want seed stitch for trim? Beats the hell outta me, so off the needles and rip away! Oh, and a few choice words my mom doesn’t like hearing……good thing she’s 800+ miles away, cuz there were several!

In the mean time, I’ve knitted a bunch on this piece, almost to the armhole shaping. I have the rest of the back “in the can”, mentally, and it will be done shortly–possibly tonight (seriously!)–despite my starting something completely different this morning. Hey, I was called by a pattern and yarn last night, while teaching a baby bootie class (I may have to share that finished object with you soon–it’s ADORABLE and it’s CASHMERE).

Astute readers may also want to know more about the yarn I’m using…….all in due time, my sweets. But I’ll warn you of this–it’s coming to the shop for fall, it’s 70% merino wool and 30% silk and it drapes like nobody’s business. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVELY stuff, I tell you. YUM YUM. I’ve already seduced a couple folks with it just by having some sample skeins around. Mwahahahahahah…I’m evil.

Strangely…while writing this blog entry, I thought about an aran sweater design that’s been rolling around in my head. I have the yarn for it (some BEAUTIFUL Koigu KPM–their nearly solid stuff) and it’s almost exactly the same shade of rich, deep green. Hmmmmmm, I sense a green period coming on. This could be dangerous–I adore that shade of green, almost as much as blue.

Off to go knit (well, to fix dinner for us first—we’re grilling steaks from Goodrich’s tonight…another great recommendation from Dr. Beef, their in-house butcher). All that, from the back deck of the house that also overlooks the river. I have it good…and I appreciate it!

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