The Advanced Knitting Architect

This is my first book-review blog entry and I had never intended to do one. That is, until I read this book, The Advanced Knitting Architect, by Sion Elalouf of Knitting Fever.

How did I chance upon this book? I was at Stitches West early this year and desperately hunting down books on knitting garment design. After an exhausting search for some/any such book, I found a few copies of Elalouf's books at the last booth I went to. In addition to this one, there also was 'The Knitting Architect' on the stand. They looked - how shall I put it - modest. No fancy images/colors and no marketing spiel on the back of the book. I peeked inside and found some matter-of-factly sketches on body-measurements and decided to go for the 'Advanced' issue. That's because I have had priceless training from Mum and Sis, both of who are excellent at fabric garment design/architecture and so, I'm not someone nervous about the process. I just needed a knitting-related reference.

It was only yesterday, that once I completed blogging about my newly completed project, did I sit down to read this book cover-to-cover. It starts with basic tape measurements and how to take them. And then, introduces the reader to one basic shape of a knitted garment. The instructions on how each stitch/row count is arrived at are clear, simple and elegant. The counting is simplified by using certain 'constants' depending on body-type. For example, you can either choose to measure the exact depth of armhole for your sweater or use a constant given in the book based on chest measurement.

Once the basic shape is drafted, the author then delves into a number of necklines, a variety of sleeves, and different styles of sweaters too like the dolman and the wrap sweater. What follows this is the side-knitting and top-down knitting techniques. This book is an amazing first-read and as good a reference. I like it so much that if there comes a time when I am asked to discard all knitting books but one, I'll keep this. This one teaches you how to fish. I mean design.

I firmly believe that there is no knitting without mathematics. Well, actually, 'math' is too big a word to use here. In all languages I know other than English (and I know 5), the word used is 'laek' or 'ginthi' - or a small variation of either. Translated, this means 'counting'. And I think that's what we do in knitting. We count. Most times, we use the simplest arithmetic and sometimes, the simplest of all geometric alogirthms. What we learnt until grade 9 is more than sufficient, really. How that is applied to charting a wearable design needs just a little more study. And knitters who want to be designers but are stopped by a mental block about garment design principles should take heart in that designing knitting garments is far, far simpler than tailored fabric garments. Well, one can make it as complicated, but the learning threshold required to begin designing is much smaller than the one required in fabric design.

Sion makes a point that I could completely relate with. He has observed that "In the other developed countries of the world,... the customers at the retail level are the architects. All they need is the yarns and the needles and they will custom design and knit." (I personally do not appreciate the terms developed/undeveloped since it presents a prejudice but that's another subject.) In India where I've lived most of my life, I've never seen a knitter refer to any book/magazine for row-by-row pattern for sweaters, shawls, caps etc. For that matter, I've never seen my Mum use a purchased paper-pattern for the million clothes she has designed and stitched. Knitting is so tightly bound to designing, that you cannot learn one without the other. Same with sewing. And inorder to simplify the counting, there are rules of thumb used - which Sion has presented as 'constants'. So, really, it's not a new concept but an incredibly useful one.

You can find 'The Knitting Architect' online here.

Another vest off my needles

.. And blocked too.
Yarn: wagtail 60% mohair 40% merino 8 ply purchased during the Knit and Crochet Show, Oakland, CA.
Pattern: Knitty Petrol
Swatch Gauge (in garter-rib pattern): 16 stitches and 20 rows for a 4"x4" square
Pattern tweaking:

1. This is a bottom-up pattern and so, I started with 2x2 rib for the first 1" and then started with the garter rib pattern. This gives a stable base.

2. I studied Petrol and created guidelines out of the row by row pattern. I then customized everything from width and length of vest, shoulder width, width and depth of the neck and also the depth of the armhole. Ofcourse, before I began, I had with me all desired measurements obtained from the recipient of this vest. Some highlights follow:

2a. Width x stitch gauge = number of stitches to cast on. But take note, for the 2x2 rib, you need a multiple of 4 but the stitch pattern on the body needs a multiple of 7. So at the end of the 1" rib, make necessary adjustment to the number of stitches. I cast on 148 stitches for the rib and then decreased 1 to have 147 stitches for the garter rib pattern.

2b. The row at which to begin armhole decrease and neck decrease (in case of the front of vest) can be easily computed. But note that both armhole and neck will have additional 1" bands of 2x2 ribbing during the finishing.

2c. Some care taken while dividing stitches for the front and back will give an impressively symmetric geometry to the front of the vest. The trick is to get the tip of the V (of the neck) at the very center of either the vertical knit-bands or the 2-stitch 'troughs' caused by the 2-stitch purl. My earlier version of the same vest pattern had the tip of V in the center of the 5-stitch knit band. Now that was easy because 5 is an odd number and you mark the 3rd stitch for your V. Now since this vest could not achieve that (owing to the number of stitches in all), I had to make a stitch between the 2 purls and mark the new stitch as center of V. That worked out nicely. Just make sure you have as many stitches before this mark as after it for the front of the vest and that front and back of vest are nearly the same number of stitches. It's easy, really. The symmerty achieved is worth it.

3. Okay, my 3rd point here is about picking stitches for the ribbing on neck and armholes. I've been watching Knitty Gritty for a bit now and have learnt enough that you should not try and follow exact number of stitches to be picked. This time, I marked on the edge, once every 2 inches and picked 8 stitches for every 2 inches. (My gauge gave 4 stitches per inch). This method removes the guess-work out of picking stitches, regardless of the shape of edge!

4. And finally blocking. The garment is not complete unless it's blocked. Just block it and bask in praises for the super-professional look of your newly knitted creation. Click here if you want to learn more on blocking.

Now, the pictures:

Back done, front being worked on:

Being blocked:

And, voila!

A taste of cookie-cutter fashion

I ventured out today to shop for clothes. The expedition was marked by much walking (inside the store), much disappointment and a very (I can't stress it enough) occassional pick. From my most recent experience, here's some feedback to the designers of garments that line the many miles of clothes-racks at 'fashion' stores in the US:

1. All brown is not of uniform color value!! Let me explain: Brown although is one single color, it does have many shades and hues to it. So also pink. And orange. And every single color I found out there. So then, why did I not find the many shades/hues? Why ONLY 1!????? (Ok, I did see 2 different pinks but 2? That's no different from 1.)

2. 100% cotton is the best for Summer. Where is the cotton? I don't like/wear capris - but it just so happens that that is the only garment I find cotton being profusely used for. Why can't I see any with summer tops? Or skirts? or sun dresses dammit??!!

3. Back to color: Teal and brown. I'm literally nauseated by the combination after seeing so much of it. And if you understand point number 1, you'll also understand that one teal+brown is EVERY teal+brown! Other combinations I saw: hot/pale pink with beige, hot/pale pink with brown, teal with beige, beige with beige with beige, brown with brown with brown, beige and teal and brown and there stops the entire range of colour combination. Oh, I forget pink with orange. Don't get me wrong.. I have nothing against the colors themselves - I'm only concerned about the number of hours I spent at the store in order to find some color (value - to be precise here) not already in my closet.

4. Alright.. between turtle-neck/high-neck-collar and scoooooooooping necklines are modest necklines which show the neck and just a little more, enough to look feminine without having to reveal. Now ask me, how easy was it to find a piece that fit this bill? Take a wild guess.

5. Repeat after me: 'feminine does not have to mean frills. or gathers. or synthetic fabrics.' How I hate frills and gathers! An elegant tailored cut with soft drapey fabric - now *that* is feminine. And no, it does not have to be pastels or beige. No, does not have to be brown either.

I tell you knitters - if you're in a knitting slump, just take a hike to one of your favorite warehouse-style fashion houses. Avoid walking into any small retail store along the way - keep the focus. Spend a good few hours at the store and see how rejuvenated you feel about being able to knit your choice of colors, with your choice of yarn, to create your choice of drape, with your choice of pattern and - most importantly - your choice of neckline!

I'm all ready to cast on for a glowy 100% cotton summer top in a unique shade of pink. :)

podcasts and ipod

Yeah yeah, I know, you don't need one to use the other but, you see, I do!

End of last week, I stumbled upon this wide world of knitting podcasts. I hadn't thought I'd have the patience to just listen to ramblings without visuals. So I just put 'find more on knitting podcasts' on my to-do and carried on with life. (Isn't that why check-lists exist, anyway?)

As an independent event, just today, what do I get as a gift but a black video ipod! 30 GB, mobility (crucial) and no choking of computer resources (with the itunes activity) while I'm trying to do other (more important?) stuff like work remote!! Perfect for podcasts as far as I'm concerned.

I'm having fun discovering, and sifting through podcasts to select my favourite. My WIPs are moving in slow motion as I'm giving my shoulders much needed rest to recover from their cramped state-of-existence. Nevertheless, there is some progress on a vest - pics next time. Until then, if you need me, I'm the girl blogging (or lurking) and listening to knitting podcasts all at the same time!

Added later: Relenting to the request for a picture.. here's the sexy ipod(der)!

A bag 'full' of surprises

I felted - no, the correct term is 'fulled' - a mosaic pattern handbag recently and posted the entry here not so long ago. This is how it looks.

And yesterday, I very idly turned the bag inside out to see how the pattern had felted from the reverse. And was I surprised! Look at this!! Isn't this just so sassy? That's Vickie Howell's favourite word but you know what, 'sassy' was the word that comes to my mind when I see this bag inside out.

On a beautiful Sunday in Spring..

I saw some curious sights. A car driving down the road which got me..err.. curious and the bark of a tree that also got me curious (uhmm.. excuse my prolific vocabulary today - or the lack of it).









We barbecued - hurrayyyy. For all fellow-knitters who've also posted pictures of their weekend bbqs, I have only this to say: "Me tooooooooo...!!" We had endless skewers of veggies, mushrooms, and potatoes. We also had grilled burgers, asparagus and tandoori chicken on the grill. Yumm food and many friends - that's what I say makes for a beautiful Sunday in Spring. Do I hear 'touche'! :)

The remaining three artifacts need explaining. While sipping on some warm chai after the barbecue, I was knitting ofcourse. The ruffled scarf is made with short rows. It's a free pattern given by Knitting Arts. The yarn is just about perfect for the pattern and I'm enjoying knitting it even though I had sworn off scarves and shawls.

In the next picture is the fabric of the skirt I was wearing. Posting it here to comment on it's beauty. It's a block-printed (or wood-stamped) fabric that is hand-made in India. Paisleys and flowers are a common motif with these patterns. What I like here is how the subtle colours and the fading in and out of the orange shades enhances the beauty.

The very last picture is a really cute gift I got from my friend Janani. It's a green oil-lamp - a working miniature! It has a tank at the base where you fill kerosene and a thick wick that you move along with a knob at the side - just like the full-size ones. Isn't it so so SO CUTE!!

Mosaic? Check. Felt? Check.

How do you like that! Before and after pictures of a mosaic knitted felted bag. The fulling process was pain-free and the wool gave way to a very soft felt.

West Valley Alapcas open house

I spun today and saw alpacas. Notable were the large eyes of the alpacas, my first spinning experience (that's me in the foreground, straining to keep the yarn from breaking as I spin), and my husband's *immense* patience and support through it all!