Divide Bravo

I like the purl side of knitting. It's sometimes referred to as the "wrong" side, but not because knitters hate it or anything. It's just a name. Recycling sweaters has exposed me to hundreds of sweaters in all their diverse constructions, but it's the more recently designed styles that are exposing that bumpy underside. In fact, the D Squared sweater I recycled this yarn from incorporated stranded color sections that were constructed inside out.



In the Divide Series (and previously in the Carve Series) I use the purl stitch to negate alternating sections of a dual rib stitch pattern, but I also do it as a visual negation of space. I've referred to stockinette as negative space before, but the purl side of stockinette seems to fit this description more accurately, especially when used to contrast other stitches.



Divide Bravo contrasts purls with an alternating garter ribbing. I prefer to have these diamond sections closer to the brim so that they expose that familiar knit side when folded up. I like how the angularity plays with that folded edge.

Purl side play coupled with the reversibility of ribbing affords some cool possibilities.



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Shear Bravo

The basic rules of Shear are the parallelogram shape in the middle, flanked above and below by bands of contrast stitches that match the crown section stitches. Alpha and now Bravo have both incorporated standard stockinette stitch in these areas.



The upper band is basically invisible since it's adjacent to the crown section itself. For now this upper band only serves as a visual gap between the upper parallelogram and the ribbed decrease columns. In later editions I'll explore the possibilities of this invisible divider, but for now I'm still rockin' that stockinette "white space," as I like to put it.



Rather fitting since this piece is very understated overall. The double seed stitch that sits between the ribbing ended up quite restrained, perhaps due to the combination of my loose knitting and a dark yarn. It's like a checkerboard shadow.

Speaking of which, this is a 100% lamb's wool yarn recycled from a Gap sweater. I think this is the fourth hat I've made out of this sweater. With what's left I think I can muster up one more hat. Maybe one for me?

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