Like a Quilt

It really is. Like a quilt I mean. Bits into strips, then strips into sheets. Come to think of it, I've never made a quilt, but I'm guessing that's what you do... maybe that wasn't a very good title if I end up being wrong. Oh well, that's how I did it. This wrapping paper is made from a Gap Inc. annual report, and an Anthropologie catalogue.

The how-to of it all is pretty self-explanatory, but one thing worth mentioning is that I used a glue stick. I've used spray adhesive before, but learned that it renders paper un-recyclable. Glues such as those found in glue sticks are fully recyclable.

I wish you all a happy holiday season!

Divide Bravo Five

As I progress from one iteration to the next, I find the stitch counts rising. My hats are getting bigger and bigger every year. This is the fifth version of Divide Bravo, and with this new version comes --well, I guess I already said it-- more stitches. More hat. And with more hat comes more slouchiness. I had already upped the stitch counts on Divide Alpha, so now it's Bravo's turn.



Bravo Five made the jump from 96 stitches per row (spr) to 108 spr. For any other hat design that would have no bearing on the amount of rows, but with angular transitions it tacks on 6 additional rows to complete each transition. Okay, I'm getting too technical. It's bigger because it's colder this time of year. I think everyone can see the logic in that.

This is that same recycled lamb's wool I've been using since way back when, and there is still much more to go before it's all gone. I know I'll be bummed when it's all gone. But hey, there are plenty of sweaters out there waiting to be recycled.

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Reflect Bravo Three

I like pushing these design concepts further. All this angularity started off as really basic shapes, and now they are maturing into intricate, nuanced designs. It's funny because the things I used to think were a pain in the neck are now pretty much standard design elements.



Take this trefoil shape for example. It has always been there, on the crown of every hat I've ever done (except the very first one, but I frogged that one). As the designs developed more complex combinations of ribbing, it became necessary to align the trefoil columns with the ribbing.

This lead to what I've been calling 'isolation decreases.' When the columns are aligned with the pattern ribbing a discrepancy occurs in the amount of stitches between each column. In order to rectify it, I'll decreases these bigger sections until all sections are equal. Of course it gets more complicated than that, but you get the idea, and I don't want to alienate all you non-knitters out there.

Now that the alignment thing is second nature to me, I can push forward, and incorporate the pattern elements into the trefoil. I've already been doing this with Divide and Shear. Since they're lower in gauge, it was easier to figure out. Now I feel confident enough to apply these full trefoils into Reflect, the highest gauge hats I offer.

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Reflect Echo Two

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll recognize this one. When I first started posting pics of Reflect Echo Two, I referred to the color as Roger Sterling's hair. Its like a luminescent gray, like silver. When it was done that luminosity asserted itself in the early modeled shots. This yarn seemed to reflect a lot of the warmer light in the room, and that subtle variation in the color proved problematic for me. I try to get as close to the actual color as possible, and this was a serious wrench in my gears. I managed to get it as close as possible, but I think I just need to man up and buy a gray card already.



This yarn is a recycled merino thread weight knitted in quadruple strand. What can I say… I love this hat, not just because of this dynamic neutral, but because it's a Reflect Series piece: The highest gauge I offer with the best fibers I've collected and recycled.

This is definitely the best color I have found so far in terms of defining that Gridjunky look. I'm all about the neutrals, especially complex neutrals like this one that play with light, and demonstrate a sophisticated contrast when paired with equally subdued colors.

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Reflect Echo One

I'm not sure if I'm unlucky, or if pure blacks are just rare, but this is the only black merino I've ever found. Maybe I've griped about it before, but sweater recycling usually means you get what's available, and there's never any black. Sometimes there is, but the condition is horrendously faded, damaged, etc. I guess people really love their black sweaters. So much that they either never give them up, or wear them into the ground. Maybe that's it.

The baseline stitch of Reflect Echo is 3x1x1x1. It's like a 3x3 rib alternated with a 1x1 rib. I incorporate seed stitch along the transitional banding, and then directly into the baseline stitch. The resulting seed stitch verticals sort of look like vertebrae to me, and the diagonals subtly warp the ribbing.

Because of the multi-strand structure of the Reflect Series, this yarn will get used up pretty quick, so it's not likely that I will have another one available for sale after this one. Unless, of course, I luck out and find another black merino sweater to recycle.

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