Knitting Projects Part 1
I'm gonna talk knitting with you today :) Because that's what's on my brain right now. An in-progress knit is much easier to stop and store than sewing so during term I'd get a little knitting obsessed. :)
I think it's easy to write of knitting as a creative outlet because it seems so repetitive and something little old ladies do. But I think a lot of effort goes into picking yarns and adjusting patterns. So! Let's take you through the process!
First up! When I find a project I just like:
This is Convey and it's a free pattern from Berroco yarns. I like this design 100%. I might find different handles, but in terms of shape and stitching, I definitely won't be changing anything.
Obviously, it's designed to be used with Berroco yarn but I have so much random yarn stashed away that I try to match projects with stuff I already have first. It's important to match the feel and size of yarn, so in this case, I want yarn that's varigated and and comes in about 98yd/50g. The ratio of length to weight is important, not just the weight. Also, you want to match the ratio as close as possible. Just knowing that a yarn is "worsted" doesn't mean you can substitute just any other worsted weight yarn.
In terms of matching feel, this bag wants to be sturdy and non-stretchable. I can use any yarn that will give me those qualities, even if it doesn't match the fiber content of the original yarn.
So, step one, pull out the stash!
This is just one box of stash >.>
I need to find two matching weight varigated yarns so I can make the stitch pattern used in the bag. I don't like how helter skelter the sample bag is so I'm looking for two colorways with complementary palettes.
Originally I wanted to use this yarn, TLC Essentials, but I didn't have enough of it and I found out this colorway is discontinued ...
So, I switched over this yarn, called Red Heart Super Saver. This is a pretty colorway~
There's some lavender in there as well but it's hard to see
And I bought a nearly matching colorway. I like that this one has some green and yellow in it. Very pretty.
This is what it looks like knit together in the Convey stitch pattern.
I'm not 100% on the colors. They're cute together but I'm not sure how they'd look as a bag. It's a little to bright for my tastes but I'm going to at least finish the base and see if I like it then. :)
For a bag, you don't have to worry so much about how the yarn knits up. If it drapes "wrong", it's not going to be unflattering, just different. When I'm picking yarn for clothing, I spend a long time seeing how the different yarns I'm thinking about knit up and drape. I'll show you some examples in Part #2. :) If you knit or crochet or think you might like to, I'd recommend getting a free account on Ravelry.com. I can't recommend that website enough for how convenient and useful it is. I'd never be able to do half the "research" I do on projects without it. :)
I think it's easy to write of knitting as a creative outlet because it seems so repetitive and something little old ladies do. But I think a lot of effort goes into picking yarns and adjusting patterns. So! Let's take you through the process!
First up! When I find a project I just like:
This is Convey and it's a free pattern from Berroco yarns. I like this design 100%. I might find different handles, but in terms of shape and stitching, I definitely won't be changing anything.
Obviously, it's designed to be used with Berroco yarn but I have so much random yarn stashed away that I try to match projects with stuff I already have first. It's important to match the feel and size of yarn, so in this case, I want yarn that's varigated and and comes in about 98yd/50g. The ratio of length to weight is important, not just the weight. Also, you want to match the ratio as close as possible. Just knowing that a yarn is "worsted" doesn't mean you can substitute just any other worsted weight yarn.
In terms of matching feel, this bag wants to be sturdy and non-stretchable. I can use any yarn that will give me those qualities, even if it doesn't match the fiber content of the original yarn.
So, step one, pull out the stash!
This is just one box of stash >.>
I need to find two matching weight varigated yarns so I can make the stitch pattern used in the bag. I don't like how helter skelter the sample bag is so I'm looking for two colorways with complementary palettes.
Originally I wanted to use this yarn, TLC Essentials, but I didn't have enough of it and I found out this colorway is discontinued ...
So, I switched over this yarn, called Red Heart Super Saver. This is a pretty colorway~
There's some lavender in there as well but it's hard to see
And I bought a nearly matching colorway. I like that this one has some green and yellow in it. Very pretty.
This is what it looks like knit together in the Convey stitch pattern.
I'm not 100% on the colors. They're cute together but I'm not sure how they'd look as a bag. It's a little to bright for my tastes but I'm going to at least finish the base and see if I like it then. :)
For a bag, you don't have to worry so much about how the yarn knits up. If it drapes "wrong", it's not going to be unflattering, just different. When I'm picking yarn for clothing, I spend a long time seeing how the different yarns I'm thinking about knit up and drape. I'll show you some examples in Part #2. :) If you knit or crochet or think you might like to, I'd recommend getting a free account on Ravelry.com. I can't recommend that website enough for how convenient and useful it is. I'd never be able to do half the "research" I do on projects without it. :)