Thursday 2 April 2009

The Sweet Spot, Round Two

The sweet spot revealed itself. What an interesting knitting adventure.

See what you think. I be happy to hear your opinions.

This is the sample from yesterday, the 46 stitch wide sample. There is a very strong coppery colour pattern happening here. That strong v is definitive. It was interesting and cool and was repeating itself on the last rows I did after the photo was taken. Note how on the garter stitch rows, the colours repeat in the same general area as on the drop stitch rows? This makes the colour sections stronger, sharper more clear and well defined. The sample doesn't quite give a replay of the lozenge effect that showed so beautifully on the original design, but it is quite clearly saying something.

This 36 stitch sample shows a colour pattern but it is quite different than the 46 stitch sample. The blues show up more in the original design's waves, but once again, it is the coppery colour that tells the tale of the sweet spot. Though the lozenges of drop stitches show off the blues a little more boldly, the copper and gold are showing up strongly across the garter stitch rows. The effect is a little more subtle up close, but it is enough that the whole scarf is muddied and muddled. It just isn't saying what I want it to say. It isn't serving the yarn well.

These are beautiful colours, this is splendid yarn, and I want it to show off and be vibrant and wild and just a little bit of a rebel. These colours spoke to me, and who am I to muddy what they say.

I'll be ripping it back one more time, and restarting at 46 stitches.

Searching for the sweet spot has been interesting from the perspective of this one particular skein of yarn, but I think I learned a lot more than that. I've always felt that you have to look at a handdyed yarn a little differently, but I never understood why quite so clearly before.

In other BIG news, I got a letter from Stitches Saskatchewan yesterday. I got the class I hoped for, the Yarn Harlot's Knitting for Speed and Efficiency.

I am tickled pink. Bright Pink.

I should go sit down make a cup of tea and get hold of myself.


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