A Whole Field of Thistles

Greetings, Gentle Readers! I think it’s happening again: Over the weekend, copies of my Thistle Stole pattern started to fly out the digital door at a prodigious rate!

First and foremost, please accept my sincerest gratitude. Your purchases, as you know, support an independent artist, and allow me to continue operating my website as the (rare as a Dodo) ad-free space it is. This windfall is particularly appreciated right now, as I’ve been searching for a new day job since June, and I was really wondering what the remainder of the holidays would look like around here. Many, many thanks.

For the uninitiated, the Thistle Stole is a luxurious rectangular piece which is worked in a big round of stranded colorwork, with knitted hems at the cast-on and bind-off edges. Once complete, the round is cut open along a designated steek (!) to become a rectangle. Then the cut edges are bound with more knitting, and big bougie thistle-shaped tassels are added. Because as you know, Gentle Readers: More is More.

I don’t yet know who this group of Thistle Knitters are. Maybe it’s an extraordinary coincidence. Maybe it’s a private knitalong. Or maybe it’s a well-publicized group project that I have failed to find online. It’s a tantalizing mystery, and one I hope you’ll help me solve.

In any case, I’m compelled to offer my knitters, both the new and the Repeat Offenders, my help in addition to my thanks.

If you would like to add yourselves to the Royal Order of the Thistle (which I totally just made up), I cordially invite you to join in the fun!

Here’s How: Grab your copy of the Thistle HERE. Then if you have a question, want to send a photo, or would just like to say hi, Drop me a line any time as you progress. Here’s my EMAIL, and here’s where you can reach me over on RAVELRY. I’d be honored to act as your mentor and guide you through the process.

Additionally, if you’d like, I’d be happy to create a special Ravelry group just for you. That way you can easily talk amongst yourselves, share your photos and let me know what’s going on with you. If this is something you would like, please contact me and I’ll post the link to such here on the blog.

Since the original yarn I used to create the Thistle is no longer available, I’m especially interested in what yarns you’re selecting for your projects. I’m glad to offer opinions/suggestions/enabling for your substitutions, and a Ravelry group would be great for that. Again, stay tuned here for details.

I’m so honored and delighted that you you still love this pattern, because it’s a favorite of mine. Who knows? Maybe I’ll join you in a Thistle Redux: I’ve long thought this motif would make a gorgeous sweater, and have been waiting for the right time…

Greetings from the Other Side

Alert Reader Amy from Seattle cleverly asked of the Chinese Garden wrap "What does it look like on the other side?", prompting me to spend a little time reflecting on the notion of "Right" vs. "Wrong" sides of things. Of course, we can always diplomatically change our vernacular to "Public" and "Non-Public" when we refer to insides and outsides. But as knitters, we're always referring to the planes of our work. Have you ever wondered how to make colorwork that's presentable to the world from both sides? It's easy. I do it all the time, and so can you.

Today I would like to challenge you, Gentle Readers, to think about the insides of things. I often hear that part of the fun of seeing my trunk shows is getting a good look at what's going on behind the scenes of the pieces. For those who haven't seen yet, here are a few:

View fullsize

Chinese Garden Outside

View fullsize

Stars and Stripes Outside

View fullsize

Regnbue Outside

View fullsize

Butterflies Outside

View fullsize

Chinese Garden Inside

View fullsize

Stars and Stripes Inside

View fullsize

Regnbue Inside

View fullsize

Butterflies Inside

One of the many charms of Stranded Colorwork knitting is that its insides can be just as lovely (more?) as its outsides! How can we achieve this? Those who have been to  my introduction to Stranded Colorwork class, 2 Strings=Not Scary already know: We can easily keep our floats beautiful and our tension perfect by applying two concepts (okay, they're really just Sexy Party Tricks, but who cares?).

Thing One: Strand Orientation. Don't twist the unused strands around one another. Ever. This is especially easy if you are knitting from one of my patterns because I design the motifs in such a way that you will never have to tack (twist) a float. Period. So just don't do it. Ta-Da! Instantly beautiful insides.

Thing Two: Float Tension. Mechanically introduce extra slack into the unused strand as you knit by stretching the stitches you are carrying across the back of. This extra float length will magically disappear during blocking, wearing, etc [insert Interpretive Dance here]. Yes, if you work on Stranded Colorwork with me, I will explain float tension via an interpretive dance; just one more service I provide.

That's it. There are only two things to know in order to make the back of your knitting as beautiful and interesting as the front. Mischief Managed. Come see me in class to get the full explaination/show on this. CLICK HERE for my upcoming session, or if you aren't in that neighborhood, contact me to schedule a class with your guild, event, or group of knitting pals!

Oh Knitting! You are so beautiful and full of surprises. Aren't we lucky to know the secrets?

Next Time: Who's up for a Knitalong? I've been asked for help with a pattern, and you know how hard it ISN'T to trick me into knitting something with you...