September 12, 2005
A New WIP
I have a new WIP (work in progress). I can't believe I've done this to myself. I set several knitting goals for the year back in January and the first goal was to finish a project or two before starting a new one. Yeah, like that happened. One look at the Current Projects section of my blog tells the story. And this list doesn't include all of the UFOs that are stashed away and lonely in the bins in my craft room.
What is this new project? The Crayon Box Jacket by Chris Bylsma. For about six months, I've wanted to make this jacket. I had some cream colored yarn in my stash and decided I'd like to make a monochromatic version of this jacket. I've collected a few "special" cream yarns since then, along with the pattern, but have been completely stymied in trying to start the project. The problem is that I just couldn't visualize how to create monochromatic squares and combine them into a pleasing palette. I've searched the web, looking at various finished jackets. I also joined the yahoo! knit along for the jacket to try to get inspiration and advice. Alas, not a single monochromatic sweater in the bunch. I've been completely stuck with no idea how to get started with confidence.
Last week Thursday, I received a notification from the NETA list for a Crayon Box Jacket class that was being offered this weekend at a lys, The World in Stitches, in Littleton, MA. I immediately e-mailed the shop and learned that there was still space available. Yahoo! I was so excited I could hardly stand myself. On Sunday, I gathered up my stash of yarns and headed out to Littleton for an afternoon class. The instructor and former students brought in a variety of jackets to provide inspiration. Each jacket was gorgeous. No monochromatics, though. We immediately began our first square, which gets used as a gauge swatch. During the knitting time, the instructor discussed the best ways to combine base and special yarns to highlight the special, using the completed jackets as examples.
When it was time for me to start my second square, I was a little crabby because I was frustrated since I still didn't "get" it . Well, OK, more than a little crabby. I got some focused help and suggestions for additional yarns, which included class participants and the instructor tossing me skeins/balls of yarn from the shop. During the third square, click! The light bulb came on in my mind. Suddenly, my mind started racing and I had all sorts of ideas for square designs. I am so eager for more knitting time to get another square or two or three done.
I'm so glad I took this class. My pocketbook is still suffering, though, from the cost of all of the additional yarns I purchased. This project is not inexpensive by a long shot. There are two more class sessions, two weeks apart, and I hope to get the sleeves done before the next session where we will learn about the gusset construction. In the final session, we will cover finishing techniques. So, in the first class session, I completed three squares of the first sleeve and purchased more yarn. Can you believe that I had more than a dozen yarns that I reluctantly put back on the shelf due to monetary limits? Here's a picture of the beginnings of my sleeve:
And here's a picture of my yarns:
I'll inventory the yarns in a future post.
What is this new project? The Crayon Box Jacket by Chris Bylsma. For about six months, I've wanted to make this jacket. I had some cream colored yarn in my stash and decided I'd like to make a monochromatic version of this jacket. I've collected a few "special" cream yarns since then, along with the pattern, but have been completely stymied in trying to start the project. The problem is that I just couldn't visualize how to create monochromatic squares and combine them into a pleasing palette. I've searched the web, looking at various finished jackets. I also joined the yahoo! knit along for the jacket to try to get inspiration and advice. Alas, not a single monochromatic sweater in the bunch. I've been completely stuck with no idea how to get started with confidence.
Last week Thursday, I received a notification from the NETA list for a Crayon Box Jacket class that was being offered this weekend at a lys, The World in Stitches, in Littleton, MA. I immediately e-mailed the shop and learned that there was still space available. Yahoo! I was so excited I could hardly stand myself. On Sunday, I gathered up my stash of yarns and headed out to Littleton for an afternoon class. The instructor and former students brought in a variety of jackets to provide inspiration. Each jacket was gorgeous. No monochromatics, though. We immediately began our first square, which gets used as a gauge swatch. During the knitting time, the instructor discussed the best ways to combine base and special yarns to highlight the special, using the completed jackets as examples.
When it was time for me to start my second square, I was a little crabby because I was frustrated since I still didn't "get" it . Well, OK, more than a little crabby. I got some focused help and suggestions for additional yarns, which included class participants and the instructor tossing me skeins/balls of yarn from the shop. During the third square, click! The light bulb came on in my mind. Suddenly, my mind started racing and I had all sorts of ideas for square designs. I am so eager for more knitting time to get another square or two or three done.
I'm so glad I took this class. My pocketbook is still suffering, though, from the cost of all of the additional yarns I purchased. This project is not inexpensive by a long shot. There are two more class sessions, two weeks apart, and I hope to get the sleeves done before the next session where we will learn about the gusset construction. In the final session, we will cover finishing techniques. So, in the first class session, I completed three squares of the first sleeve and purchased more yarn. Can you believe that I had more than a dozen yarns that I reluctantly put back on the shelf due to monetary limits? Here's a picture of the beginnings of my sleeve:
And here's a picture of my yarns:
I'll inventory the yarns in a future post.
