Comments | weasleysweaters: Reverse engineering

djinnj in weasleysweaters

Reverse engineering - Twins' Ski Cap

Aug 12, 2006 03:41

I'm in the mood for a reverse engineering project. I thought I'd bring up the perennial favorite and get some movement on it.

In way of beginning, I present to you all the obligatory ( screencaps )

reverse engineering, hat, knitting, character, reference pictures

Comments 21

tastee_wheat August 12 2006, 14:02:18 UTC

The fact that you experienced knitters can look at something and just come up with a pattern and the right techniques is so beyond me! Anyway, great project, and I'm looking forward to seeing your progress :)

djinnj August 13 2006, 04:46:51 UTC

Aw shucks, it's just practice. At a certain point, looking at the knitting becomes like looking at a chart. If you work with charts a lot, it becomes very familiar. So it's not really any special skill, but rather a way of looking at the fabric that takes some getting used to. It can be fun trying to figure out how something is constructed, too. Some stitch patterns are insanely difficult to figure out even when they're easily worked.

sleepsong August 12 2006, 15:40:17 UTC

Some of the colorwork is done with duplicate stitch or I'll eat my hat.

I can't look at the full-size pictures at the mo' as I'm on dial-up (::glares impatiently at her landlord to restart the cable modem::), but I'm going to agree with you on that. In fact, I think it all might be duplicat stitch. If you look at where the blue is, it pulls the white stitches together even tighter than I would think that stranded colourwork would.

djinnj August 13 2006, 04:50:07 UTC

There's definitely a lot of DS in it. I'm thinking the only part which may be stranded is the middle rows of the band motif and the only reason I think that is that that's the only place Fair Isle would be practical! Also, the band is pulled ever so slightly inward at that point, which suggests the effect of the floats pulling tight against the head to me.

fenix409 August 12 2006, 16:01:13 UTC

I tried to figure this pattern out too, but maintaining the pattern while decreasing towards the top of the hat was just too much for me :o)

I had originally thought the very edge of the cuff had just rolled over, the way stockinette stitch does, but from your pictures it does look like reverse stockinette.

Good luck and let us all know how it turns out!!

djinnj August 13 2006, 04:53:43 UTC

Since it looks to be mostly duplicate stitch, it should be a lot easier to work the chart. It'll still need some fiddling, of course. A count of the pattern repeat for the wavy blue line will clarify where the decreases start.

Mm, a rolled cuff would have had a more prominent profile, and also is less likely because the cuff is held in tension, which tends to pull the edge flat. I think it's interesting that RS was worked instead of garter st. I think someone in their design department likes smooth and simple lines even if a lot of the work seems otherwise rather full of "bits".

crayolaab August 12 2006, 17:07:50 UTC

I actually thought the hem/cuff area might not be folded up, but might actually be double-thick fabric with a provisional cast on, a la the hem on girlfromauntie's Rogue - but looking at your close up photos I'm not so sure anymore :(

feebeeglee August 12 2006, 19:49:48 UTC

I had thought this as well.

djinnj August 13 2006, 05:00:35 UTC

Ahhhhh, hadn't even considered a hemmed edge! Innnnteresting. I don't really see the need of one for a hat which doesn't need the extra stability. And it's considerably wider than a tubular cast-on which I can imagine being used.

Also, the two hats have the cuff folded up to a different degree in relation to the wavy blue line. It's mostly the clear offset demarcation of the edge of the cuff to the crown of the hat which made me think the other, though. A hemmed edge would have a very faint crease instead, and there'd be no practical reason to work some of it in RS to give the impression of a cuff.

chart! chart! secretsunsp0ken August 12 2006, 20:05:38 UTC

mwahaha, I wondered when this hat was going to come up again.

I currently have sitting in my bookcase a chart I attempted of that hat. I paused, zoomed, replayed, zoomed, and paused for hours to come up with a chart of the bottom area, and I think it's pretty accurate, although a large gap may exist between what I think and what is reality.

*goes and fetches chart*

I agree with you on the width of the repeat, but I pegged the height at the tallest part of the "diamond" at 10st. I will repeat it again, this is just what I got, after many erasings and frustrated growling noises, and I may be wrong.

I also tried to chart out the wavy bits.

I haven't tried swatching any of this, so for all I know it could be horrible, but I've done a good bit of work and I think it's a good start, if nothing else.

Re: chart! chart! secretsunsp0ken August 12 2006, 20:52:29 UTC

Oh, and of course I forgot to mention another important part: I'm going to a concert in a little while, so I might scan/post the chart tomorrow evening after work.

Re: chart! chart! djinnj August 13 2006, 05:04:39 UTC

Can't wait to see the chart!

It's a popular hat and as far as I can tell no one has come up with a pattern for it, so it seemed the logical choice. :D

Mostly, my count for the diamond came from looking at the angle and then figuring out how many rows are in the lozenge next to them for the middle count. Other than that, the "v" of the diamonds themselves are pretty clear cut. It all comes back to the lozenge, though, and the resolution isn't good enough there to get a definitive count.