What I Do

The last post got you started mixing and matching fair isle pattern motifs.
What next?

Here’s what I do. I swatch, circularly you see, for speed.

In this case I  didn’t have the yarn I would be using yet, but I needed to begin designing…deadline you know… So I went to my local yarn shop to pick up some yarn with the thickness that I was looking for, I wanted between 6 and 6.5 stitches per inch, and a good range of colors. Although I wanted a limited palette in the long run, I like to have enough colors to get some good ideas. I selected several colors of Rowan Felted Tweed. It’s a soft fluffy tweedy merino/alpaca/viscose blend, only vaguely similar to what I’ll be using, but very close in thickness. It is very pretty, has a good range of colors and values, and it’s fun to knit with.

I started with a ribbed edge, to see how long I might want it for the super secret item I am designing. Becoming bored, but with a general idea of my ribbing, I moved on to patterns. I knit up a bunch, centering the motifs as outlined in the last post. Usually I won’t rip out except when I don’t have much yarn, which was true in this case, so I ripped a few motifs out that I was sure I didn’t like, once for color placement and another time for a stodgy motif, too heavy and bulky looking for the intended use. When I was basically happy with things, I photocopied the swatch several times – first in Black & White to save ink– and then started cutting them up. Next I re-arranged the components  until I came up with something that I liked and would suit the criteria I had outlined for my project.

• No more than 9 colors
• Will easily translate to 2 colors
• Repeat is suitable for many sizes
• Begins with an easy peerie pattern
• Includes traditional OXO motif
• Simple enough for beginners
• Varied enough to appeal to experts
• Lots of room for individual variation

You’ll have to stay tuned in the coming months for the end result.

Very exciting coming attractions!