I spent a lot of the weekend swatching. I have, courtesy of my local library system, a copy of Hip to Crochet and have been eyeing the “On-the-Side” cardigan. I actually noticed this when the book was first published, but since it was the only thing in the book that appealed to me, I decided not to spend the $19.95. The library is your friend :)
Swatches and more swatches
I became enchanted with the pattern stitch this sweater uses (while not being enchanted with the pattern) and decided to play around with it some. The stitch is a multiple of 6 + 2 and a row consists of alternating Vsts and 3dc fans. On subsequent rows, Vsts are worked into the Vsts of previous rows and fans are worked into the center dc of the fans on the previous row so you end up with alternating columns of Vsts and fans. I altered that so that Vsts are made in the center dc of the fans and fans are made in the ch1 of the Vst. I really like the look this produces.
Stitch pattern
I liked it so much, in fact, that I started work on two things. Well, all right, I started work on the same project twice, switching to a different material when it became clear that I wasn’t going to have enough of the originally chosen fiber.
Runner/Tablecloth
This started out as an idea for a possible sweater but there is seriously not enough yarn for that and I was nuts to even imagine there might be. The material is Classic Elite Spotlight Cotton which is really nice stuff. I love working with it as it doesn’t have any of the hard feel so many cotton yarns do and the fabric it makes is positively silky!
Once I realized that there really wasn’t going to be enough yarn for a garment, I thought about ripping this back, but I like the stitch and color patterning too much, so I’m going to leave it and pick it up again later. It will become a runner for the coffee table or a small tablecloth for the kitchen table - and it will be adorable :)
So I tried it again with something different:
Possible sweater
I still don’t know that there’s going to be enough yarn, but it doesn’t look too bad at the moment. I would like this to be a basic, kimono-style coat. I’m working the pattern sideways in panels of 5 rows of pattern stitch with a row of single crochet - to give things a little more structure. It starts with the left front, divides for the sleeve, goes on across the back, divides for the right sleeve and then finishes with the right front.
Like this:
...only with straighter lines :)
I will probably also borrow the little square motif from the On-the-Side sweater too because I like the way it looks and think it will work well. A contrasting color for that, I think…
I am pleased to report that the swatching was worth doing and that the math derived from the exercise seems to be working out properly. I really tend to be more of a seat-of-the-pants kind of gal and swatching is always a grumpy process for me as I want to get on with things and not waste time with swatches. Except that it can be useful :)
Oh yeah - we put up the new feeder last week (see sidebar photo) and it is going to be successful. The first visitor - not ten minutes after it had been hung, was a blue jay. There have also been nuthatches and sparrows. It is so nice to have my birds back!
I hope all your holiday weekends were peaceful and pleasant!
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I’m definitely interested in what you come up with - all that swatching has to produce fantastic results, right? hehehe I like the look of the alternating V’s & fans - good call. :)
I need to choose a couple more patterns to make from the book to make it worth the $15.00 or so I spent on it. :::Grin::: I grumbled too much over On The Side Cardi - I’m crossing my fingers that the other patterns aren’t so poorly written.
Bron - I found that I liked the stitch patterns better than the garment patterns. The only other one I might try is the slippers - maybe the baskets. The suit was downright scary!
I agree about the suit! Can you imagine trying to wear something like that & function? I’d be dying of the heat & sweating buckets…not to put too fine a point on it. ;)
Plus the fact that it was just plain fugly. :::grin:::
