Shear Alpha Five

In the previous version's blogpost on Shear Alpha (Four), I didn't really talk about this design, and how it has changed over the course of it's life. I think it's important to shed some light on that because it touches on some aspects of my creative process. A lot of knitters assume that because I design my own patterns, that there are downloadable versions of them out there, but there are not. I don't write knitting patterns, and I am not a knitwear designer. I am a designer. Knitting is just a medium in which I demonstrate my creative process.

With that being said, each hat represents a step forward in that process. Primary designations differentiate the shapes. Shear is the parallelogram. Secondary designations--denoted by NATO phonetic alphabet--refer to variations in stitch compositions that define the shapes, and clarifications to the structural mathematics. Tertiary designations track changes in yarn and color using a number. Every hat I have made represents an exploration of this process.



So let's talk about the Alphas. They essentially represent the bare-bones minimum of what a particular primary should look like. Shear's parallelogram shape is demonstrated with straightforward stitches and minimal deviation. There are also mathematical processes in there that need to be physically demonstrated. This physical manifestation of minimal, basic geometry helps me understand it better, and generates a design foundation in my mind. From this understanding I can follow it with the Bravos and Echos that have branched out into their own subprocesses over the years.

In contrast, the Foxtrots are very rare. They tend to deviate significantly from this Alpha foundation. There has only been one (pretty sure), designated Foxtrot Zero, and it was sold to a private buyer. It is in these late stages where all the improvisation really takes off, and I can put together such incomprehensible compositions, full of production phrases no one recognizes. Such preposterous improvisation could not exist without all the iterations of Shear before it. Maybe it could for somebody else, but I'm the only one living in my head.

Just me. So I guess the reason I don't write patterns is because this creative process is my own. I built it. And to write a pattern for one hat would be like telling you how to carve a wooden stick without telling you it was a rung of a ladder. I'm not interested in teaching others to copy my work. Being truly creative involves developing your own personal creative process.

Here's an in depth photo essay about the recycling of this yarn.
And here's the Etsy Shop Listing. (Item is now SOLD)
Oh, and here's a recap of my Instagram posts on Shear A5:

Shear Charlie Six

I've been knitting for five years now, and if my work has demonstrated anything, it is that knitwear design is a personal journey. I was at a craft party recently, hosted by my friend Amy. I got a few people asking me how I got started knitting, and it really was a spontaneous decision on my part. I've always had a visual aesthetic of geometric compositions in mind, and that's what I wanted to demonstrate. Could knitting work as a visual language to communicate that aesthetic? After five years, I can say: yes, it does.

In just this past year or so, I've been pushing out of the confines of my initial design classifications. For example, the Shear Series has always used middle weight yarns of average quality, like lamb's wool, and wools that were semi-soft. Generally, the yarn weights fell into the 'sport' and 'heavy fingering' category, not quite worsted, and not as small as lace. An increase in the yarn weight means reassessing the mathematical parameters that are pretty crucial in my compositions, but weirdly enough, I can handle it. I didn't expect that.



So anyway, that's what happened with Shear Charlie Six. The original sweater sat in my stash for years before I recycled it, and when I did, the yarn ended up being in that range of light-worsted/sort-of-sport weight (?). I didn't know how it would knit up. After one swatch, I just jumped right into this knowing full well it may end up failing spectacularly.

But no, I didn't. I predicted that the subtraction of one repeat would accommodate for the increased weight of the yarn, and I was right. It just so happens that by doing so, the math still remained harmonious. I guess multiples just work like that (well, not all the time, but sometimes). And I think that's where my insecurity lies: that the stability of the tried-and-true math I've employed thus far could crumble if I poke it.

In a way, all communication systems operate in this precarious state. Much like the absolutism of mathematics, I can't really invent new vocabulary, I have to work with the same words as everyone else. But what I can do is pull back, look at the message, omit, clarify, and most importantly: let the work speak for itself.

Shear Echo Four

I've been mentioning it here and there over the years, and the time has finally come. This is the last of this 100% lamb's wool. I have enough for two hats, and it's finally gone. You might remember me mentioning how I found two of the same sweater which never happens. This effectively doubled this yarn lot. So over the past few years, this yarn has appeared in more hats I've knit than any other yarn. I'll need to count how many there are one of these days (I probably won't).



So here we are: Shear Echo Four. In case you missed it, here are Echos Zero, One, Two, and Three. All the parallelogram structures are there, and the columns that set the foundation for the crown decreases, the mid-row transition breaks, and the yaadda yadda. All there.

The Shear Series has proven to be the most diverse of the three that I've been exploring. I've experimented with these parallelogram compositions a lot. It's interesting to note that the Shear Series is the middle weight yarn of the three. The Divide Series is worsted weight, knit on US7(4.50mm) needles, and Reflect is lace weight multi-strand, worked typically on US2(2.75mm). Shear finds a middle way between the two, usually ending up on US4(3.50mm). So it's logical that my mind finds a way to play with this series. I don't have to commit to the unrelenting row totals of Reflect, or rely on the low resolution of Divide's worsted weights.

In hindsight, I can't believe how prolific I've been with this work. I thought I'd be sick of this by now. I'm thankful that so many of you appreciate it. You guys are rad.

Etsy Shop Listing

Divide Alpha Four

According to my notes, I haven't knitted Divide Alpha since 2012. Time does indeed fly. I remember working on this for weeks, and being completely perplexed about how the transitions would cross. I remember the imperfections, and subsequent improvements that led from Alpha One to Alpha Two, and then to Alpha Three.

I modeled Shear Echo Three inside out. I wonder if those buyers noticed? They never said anything, but then maybe it was obvious. I did the same for this one. I like all that bloat on the purl side. There's something masculine about it, maybe because it reminds me of dragon scales or toad skin, or clumpy earth.



I still have yet to find fault in this vintage Caron 100% wool yarn. It's still strong enough to pass pull tests. There are no inconsistencies in color. It's still springy. Despite not being recycled like the rest of my yarn stash, I think I'm gonna miss it when it's gone.

Oh, and if you haven't already, check out my interview on the Woolful Podcast. Ashley was kind enough to feature me on this new podcast for fiberists, so if you're reading my blog, then chances are you'd definitely want to give it a listen. It's a perfect accompaniment to your knitting.

Etsy Shop Listing

Shear Echo Three

I have to say, Shear Echo has been rather exploratory for me. Prior iterations of Shear have had their variations, but Echo Series takes that design foundation of parallelograms, and demonstrates the most variation of all of them.

The design might just be perfect. I've been able to scale it into higher density and lower, by way of lighter and heavier yarns. I never do that, at least with the previous versions. I believe it is because the math is essentially harmonious. I won't bother getting into the specifics of that, but essentially the ratios of pattern repeats and row totals seem to scale quite elegantly.



If you've been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed how I started with one design for Echo Three, and ended up changing it. This was because I tried to change that math, and it just didn't work. You can't turn a multiple of three into a multiple of two. It's mathematically impossible. Well, okay, it can, but not within the confines of the row totals necessary for a proper fit of a hat on a human head. The convergence of the multiples simply doesn't happen enough to meet the target numbers. I'm starting to sound like a crazy person, so I'll just move on to the next paragraph.

I decided to model the work inside out. I've been reluctant to do this in the past out of fear of confusing people. I think people are capable of noticing that my branding tag is on the outside and come to that conclusion without difficulty. If I were to flip it right side out, you'd (probably) instantly recognize the triple columns I always do that converge into a trefoil. I like how subtle it looks with the purl side out.

When I recycled the sweater for this yarn, I made sure to get every inch of it because it was a sweater vest. No sleeves. One of the things I worried about while knitting this hat was whether or not there was enough yarn here to make two. Now that I've finished the first one, I can say now that there is. Why two? because I need to make one for myself. That's why.

So this item is one of one, and will not be made for sale again.
Etsy Shop Listing

Divide Bravo Nine

My Instagram feed has been green lately. I'm sure you've noticed Divide Bravo 9 flashing it's brightness over the past week among the olive drabs. It almost seems out of place among my usual color saturation preferences. I've always felt it was too bright. Maybe I also harbored some irrational resentment because it was recycled from an A&F sweater. But hey, that's not its fault.



The design hasn't changed, but it's interesting to note that this yarn opens up the design a little bit. It's slightly bigger in proportion than previous versions. I think this is due to the two-ply structure of the yarn. When I did this design with that amazing Italian wool I had before, it did the same thing. I don't have too many of these plied yarns, as manufacturers of the sweaters I recycle tend to prefer a more practical yarn structure consisting of two or more thread/lace weight strands machine-knit together. Consequently, the multi-strand versions of Divide Bravo have tended to be more stable, keeping shape longer. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, quite the contrary. I love how plied yarns create a fabric that opens up and drapes with wear. It basically means more slouchiness. And I like slouchiness.

Etsy Shop Listing

Process is the Product

With the completion of the new hat designs, I'm pretty much done with shop production. I might knit up some re-stock on a few pieces, but I might not. We'll see. After this season, no work will be available for sale, so if you wanted to buy, now is the time.

I've never liked using the term "one of a kind," but there are pieces that I've produced and sold that will never be made again. Others were of a limited run of two to five. That's the way recycled yarn lots work. I've recycled a lot of sweaters, and only once have I found the same sweater a second time. Once. Aside from the limited nature of recycled yarn, there's also the work itself to consider. A lot of hats I've sold were simply a pain in the ass to produce, and because of that will never be made again. Then the recycled yarn of the original piece will get used up, and the opportunity to duplicate will be gone. I guess the whole point of this long-winded paragraph is that good work is already "one of a kind," and that if the work is truly original, then using "one of a kind" as a selling point comes off to me as… I don't know… redundant?

My work has always been about design. Divide, Shear and Reflect (at their most basic) are shapes: the cross, the parallelogram and the diamond, respectively. Throughout each series, I have demonstrated that knitting technique diversifies the compositions of a single shape in some pretty cool ways. Each sequential variation within each series has utilized the space of it's designated shape uniquely, and I've organized them with NATO phonetic naming structures. It's all "Process." I produce tangible demonstrations of visual thinking. My work has never been about knitting. What I'm selling is my creative process.

Or at least I will be until I close my shop on December sixth. When will it be open again? I have no idea. Why am I closing? Because I want to do something else. I want to learn something new. I want to offer something other than hand knits. So in order to do that, I need to creatively explore. I need to go get lost in the wilderness or something. I need to evolve. And let's face it: the shop is just one aspect of my web presence. I'll still have this blog, my Facebook and Twitter, and all the rest. I'll never stop doing creative things, they just won't be for sale (for a while).

Divide Bravo Eight

This is the other color of that vintage Caron from the eighties I scored a while back. Compared to the khaki yarn, this one was of much better quality. Big Box yarn companies are notorious for knots and slubs, and apparently it's been happening (at least) since the eighties when this yarn was produced. From the four skeins in the khaki color, there were seven hanks (the twist donuts) produced. That's three knots that had to be cut. In contrast, the brown had no knots at all. Color was also consistent, as a whole. There were no faded areas, or inconsistencies.





So this is Divide Bravo Eight. I really need to go over my notes and see how many Divide Bravos I've made because it's way more than eight. That's just the number of modifications/clarifications to the design. I think it could also be the best seller in my shop, but I barely pay attention to such things. I've made a lot of these, let's just leave it at that.

The design has four different pattern stitches dispersed into intersecting dual speed simultaneous transitions. Does that make any sense to you? No? Good.

Etsy Shop Listing

Shear Delta Three

This is one of those colors that defines the power of accessories. As a sweater it was markedly feminine. In fact I avoided using this yarn because of that reason. But while I was putting my Fall Palette together, I realized that apparel and accessories don't contribute to a look in the same way, especially for menswear. When paired with neutrals, pretty much any color will work, and men rock neutrals. It's our thing.



Modern DSLR camera sensors--and all modern digital cameras for that matter--have this annoying tendency to oversaturate reds and oranges, and mine is no exception. The color of this 100% lamb's wool isn't nearly as intense as some of these images demonstrate. The color is best demonstrated in the detail shot below (the close-up of the stitches). As you can see it's quite muted. This makes it particularly harmonious when paired with khakis, completing the look with their warm neutrality.

Etsy Shop Listing

Shear Echo One

So the prototype I did last week taught me a few things about distributing stitch elements across the design of Shear Echo, and doing it a little more eloquently.

Since the trefoil crown extends down the length of the entire work, it defines the three sections in between them. That much is obvious. What's less obvious is that the stitch totals of these sections are not equal. This inequity exists in all my hats, and occurs as a result of the trefoil (a multiple of three) being combined with the stitch compositions (typically multiples of four or twelve). Some stitch patterns will fit, others won't. That's the gist of it. It all comes down to the math. Either it harmonizes with the existing inequity or it doesn't.



For Shear Echo One, I took the garter rib sections further into the legs of the trefoil by converting the inner knit columns. It sort of looks like a giant chevron of garter ribbing. The two sections essentially connect each leg of the trefoil to each other by opening up the columns.

The yarn I used is 100% wool, recycled from a sweater made by Hollister & Co. The original weight of it was bulky, consisting of five strands which I split back into lace. It's extremely soft. The deep richness of this red reminds me of roses.

There are still a few modifications I'd like to make to this design in it's future iterations. What I've been referring to as a 'full trefoil crown' has apparently evolved. I guess this would be fuller. Hmmm… It's a 'complete trefoil.'

Etsy Shop Listing

Shear Charlie Five

Hmmm... what can I say about Shear Charlie Five that hasn't already been covered? Oh right: it's knit with that ever present charcoal lamb's wool that I haven't run out of yet.

Aside from that, there's the obvious addition of the fully textured trefoil crown. That's it. Oh, and I've been experimenting with yoga poses, but uh... that has nothing to do with knit hats. But yeah.

Etsy Shop Listing

Divide Bravo Seven

This is another first for me. Up until now I've been offering knits made from recycled sweater yarn, but this particular version of Divide Bravo is made from a vintage 100% wool yarn. Based on the packaging (and a little research), I'd guess it dates back to the eighties.



It really is a testament to the resilience of wool fibers though, isn't it? When I found these skeins, I was really skeptical, not only because I never buy yarn, but because I just didn't think it would be that good. Honestly, I don't know why I thought that. I just never buy yarn this way, all packaged and ready to knit. Maybe that's it.



In terms of quality, this yarn is on par with the italian worsted I used on Divide Bravo One: soft but with just a little bite. Like most store bought worsted weights, it consists of a four ply structure which creates a lot of springiness. I like the springiness.

Etsy Shop Listing

Shear Charlie Four

This was one of the first pieces that I started adding full trefoil crowns to. You can see the previous crown design in the last image of the Etsy Listing. It was a plain column, a simple 3x1x3, but still a full trefoil, reaching from the crown all the way down to the angular transitions.

To further unify the design elements, I've added the garter stitch ribbing to the trefoil. I think it's got more visual "Umph" to it this way. Aside from that, it's still the same hat as the previous iteration, structurally.



The J Crew sweater that this yarn was recycled from was in great condition, and the sweater construction was easy to undo. With the exception of a few yards of chain stitching, there was barely any waste from this yarn lot. There is still quite a lot of it left, so Charlie Four will be around in the shop for a while.

Etsy Shop Listing