Last summer, I wrote a small serie of articles on my Patreon page. This summer, I’m reposting them here….
At the beginning, there is an idea. I can be inspired to create something because I miss it in my wardrobe or there is a yarn that tells me to transform it into something specific or because I want to associate some stitches or yarns or colouways. There also might be some construction idea stuck in my head…
With that idea in mind, event if I’m not good at drawing, I make a little sketch in my notebook, with a few notes to explain what I’m envisionning : ease, stitches, construction…
From time to time, an idea will go straight onto my needles. Sometimes, after a while and a bit of reflexion, I decide to not continue with one idea. But most of the time, my ideas and little sketches sit in my notebooks for a long time waiting… Waiting for the right time (because I might have other projects that need to come first) and for the yarn (because I don’t have such a big stash nor budget…).
Occasionnaly, I have the yarn in my stash begging me to transform it into one specific idea, but mostly, I don’t have what I need in my stash ans I must find THE Yarn… A yarn shop (Local or online) might offer me to create a knitting pattern with one of their yarn and I have this idea in my notebook perfect for it. I might contact a dyer I want to work with to propose them a partnership. I might buy the yarn without telling anything to anyone…
Once I have the yarn (and the time), I begin swatching ! I make swatches to find the needle size perfect for what I have in mind (fluidity…), to test stitches or a specific technique… I also use them later for the gauge…
When the yarn, the needles and the swatches/gauge are all chosen, I do a bit of maths… If I’m working an accessory, I usually try to use as much of the yarn I’m using and the maths helps me to be sure I can do all I imagined with the yardage I have. If I’m working on a garment, I make all the maths for the size I willknit as a sample : numbers of stitches and rows for every part…
Then, I can start knitting the sample. It’s what takes the more time : I may have to undo, adapt and knit again (likt the swaeter I’m working on right now). But it’s also really satisfying : it’s when you see your idea, stitch after stich, row after row, transform into a concrete garment… Let’s be honnest ! Sometimes, it doesn’t work at all and I have to start all over again. When I don’t have a deadline, I let my project sit for a while to let time sort it out a bit in my mind before starting over… But when it does work (or only need small alterations) : it is magic !
While I’m knitting my sample, I also write afew notes on a litlle notebook that stay in my project bag to remember and use later when I’ll write the pattern…
This summer, I’m writing a series of articles about a controversial subject on my Patreon page.
Some knitters swear by them, others utterly abhor them…
Let’s talk swatches !
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