Dear Ann,
As proof that the Bang Out a Sweater knitalong is not over, because knitters are still finishing them, I present my own freshly blocked Stopover:
(I know this photo is gloomy. I’ve been trying to take a picture of this thing all week. In late February, a person who lives in a north-facing apartment can get kind of desperate for daylight.)
Notice anything about the yoke patterning? I know I once said I was going to skip the one-stitch pops of contrast color inside the square bit of the peacock-feather pattern, but I realized my lunacy almost immediately. The pops are everything. For my pops, I used the natural white color of Léttlopi, thinking that it would stand out brightly against the grays and the glacier. But it got completely mashed into the light gray. I worked that three-color stranded row for nothing!
I could rectify this, of course, with 10 minutes of duplicate stitch, but so far I haven’t. The only color I’ve got that would make a strong contrast is red. How do we feel about red? I’m mulling it over while I wait for an opportunity to hand this off to the size small person I made it for. But I’ve always liked red and aqua together, I’ve got the red–it’s looking good for red.
Hashtag #sweaterguilt
In other knitting, I feel some urgency about finishing the Ranger cardigan I’m making for my friend Gael’s Christmas (2015) gift to her hubs. Two months is not a long time to knit a man’s cardigan– at least I don’t think it’s a long time — but I feel kind of guilty for tossing it aside while I banged out a totally unplanned pleasure cruise of a sweater.
Ranger has arrived at the Three Tube Situation. Well, it’s a cardigan so there are only two tubes for the sleeves and the body is flat, but as it’s a yoke-construction cardigan, the joining-up process is going to be the same as for a lopapeysa. I’ve got that smug feeling of the person who studied hard for the test. I’ve got this, Ranger cardigan. Watch me work.
Ranger is no Stopover in terms of speed of creating the fabric. The textured stitch pattern is compressed; not as compressed as linen stitch, but it is similar to linen stitch with a relief row of plain knit between the pattern rows. So it goes kind of slowly. Still, I’m thinking that once I hit the yoke decreases, I’ll sail on through to the collar and front bands, and git ‘r done by Sunday night.
Stop laughing, people.
Love,
Kay
Not red, I think purple-ish.
Not laughing, cheering! “If you can’t do it, nobody can!”
1. I think red pops would be cheery!
2. Find a good tv series and the cardi will fly off your needles! ????
3. Good luck!
I like red. It will really pop. Go with your gut, and your stash.
Love the phrase “…a totally unplanned pleasure cruise of a sweater”!
I believe you’ve knit a sweater in just the colors I ordered for #2 that I want to make for Teen C. My choices were limited by Craftsy’s remainders (they offered me free shipping after poor performance on order #1) and daughter’s palette, but I too chose red for the pops. We shall see if she even wants said sweater once mine is done as her sample!
Cherry red, burnt orange or screaming acid yellow pops!
& yeah, Sunday, totally…. you’ve got nothing else on today or tomorrow, right? & you’ll be eating at knitting-friendly places or ordering takeaway? (Why does cooking a decent meal take so ooooh long? – I love cooking but sometimes feel that it seriously eats all my knitting time)
Yes to all three of those color options. <3
That three-color stranded row was good practice; it keeps your skills sharp. Use red as the contrast. You and Olive should take more walks, so you get your daylight. And, Sunday is probably optimistic for finishing the Ranger. You may have to knit the button bands on Monday, as Olive will be taking you for soooo many walks this weekend!
Purple!
I have a skein of purple and of cranberry. I would happily gift you either for your color pops.
I was thinking “red” even before I read that you had it. I wasn’t influenced by it’s availability, but I do like red!
Kay, I have some leftover minis, want me to drop a care package in the mail? Just PM me!
I would be very interested in an expanded discussion of 3 color stranded knitting. I’m struggling with that now. My rhythmic pick contrasting color with left hand; throw main color with right hand, has deteriorated to an arduous mess. Balls! (Literally and tangled no less lol).
I took a class with Beth Brown-Reinsel at Madrona last week; she showed us how to manage 2, 3, 4 colors. I do 2 colors in the right hand for most things. It’s easy to add the third with my left. Here’s what you need to know about color dominance, though. The yarn you strand from below is usually the color tht pops most, because the stitch is longer (travels higher to get to the needle). For most knitters, the yarn held to the left is usually the one that strands from below, and the one on the right rides above.
Since you’re used to using 2 colors in 2 hands, and the color pop is so temporary, I’d use your usual 2 strand method, leave the pop color ball sitting in front of me, and bring it up from below when you need it. It won’t tangle any more than your usual 2 handed method (which doesn’t, as long as you maintain their relative positions).
Good luck!
Thank you! Very helpful!
It’s hard to explain how I do it, and it’s not pretty, but I hold 2 colors in my right hand (the “throwing” hand), and I separate them with my index finger and just use as needed and hope it’s over quickly.
Thank you!
We are NOT laughing. We believe because you believe. Honest.
Personal preferences abound! If you’re going for one of non-cranberry reds, I’d consultant the recipient. Maybe even with the cranberry, I’d ask. I’m more thinking contrast without leaving the range of color palette you’ve got going. Blues, greens, purple and that acid yellow may be fun. Blues starting the trip to green have yellow in them, so it might contrast but relate to your aqua. Hmmm, then there is the whole hue/tone bit. Set your phone to black and white photo, take a picture of different colors agains the light grey. If it disappears, it doesn’t matter what color it is. I do like your choice of grey and aqua!
I’m at the kitchener and block stage–after the work day, that is. My yoke needs the miracle of blocking to occur!
Burnt orange. Or how about a duplicate stitch of a brighter white. Between a brighter white and the extra layer of duplicate stitch, you might get what you wanted.
Red. Definitely red.
“The pops are everything.” Go with the red!
Yes, red! Red, gray, and aqua would be lovely.
I am astonished that the white stitches totally disappeared! I blew the image up to massive proportions but found nary a trace. Thank you for saving me from a colorwork mistake somewhere down the road; using white to contrast with a light or medium grey is *exactly* the kind of thing I would do. Or would have done. But now will not. So thanks!
In my head it was going to be ultra classy!
I’m having a little color-choice regret, also. Guess I’ll have to knit a second Stopover. Mine is blocking right now and I hope to post a picture of it tomorrow if there’s some decent light.
We’re not laughing at you, honest. We enjoy your hopeful optimism. Should be a good project to finish up during the Oscars.
I’m fairly sure I saw an aqua/red combo in one of the finished Stopovers.
A color wheel shows orangeish shades opposite turquoise so maybe a burnt orange? I also think a bright purple looks great with gray and turquoise.
That’s funny, when I first saw the picture, I thought, “Oh, imagine a little pop of red it there!” Then I read your text. Definitely, try the red with duplicate stitch! It’s gorgeous as is, don’t get me wrong, but I’d love to see just a tiny pop of red, too!
Well, there is Oscar related knitting time on Sunday….
It definitely needs a pop! I have leftovers from the mini-skein swap, too (Not sure what Jen has left). You can see my colors as mini -skeins and duplicate stitched on my yoke on my Instagram (pdxknitterati of course). I’d be happy to send you any/all. Maybe you should duplicate stitch a rainbow and let your recipient decide?
As for your weekend plans, you go, girl! Me? I’m planning to seam up a poncho, finish a half-done shawl, knit a wristlet, and design another shawl. Yeah, sure.
Where do you think I got the duplicate stitch idea? I’m sending the sweater home with the recipient’s mom tonight so I think it’s going to be RED.
I’m a big fan of red and aqua. I’m sure it was well received.
😉
Red is good! We will want another picture when it’s done.
I think white in duplicate stitch would show up much better if you are unsure of another color.
Good idea!
Finishing that Ranger calls for some binge-watching on Netflix, Kay. In keeping with your North-facing apartment I recommend Hinterland–the gloomy Welsh detective series with darn good, hard-working knitwear.
Just imagine the brooding lead detective in that finished Ranger! You’ll be done before you know it.
Duplicate stitch is easy enough to do as a test. Just don’t bury the ends until you’re sure you like the look; if you don’t like it, a loose-ended duplicate stitch is easy to remove. I like red, but burnt orange would also look good with this pullover. Try it and see. Or try a different color at each position, why not?
I like the sweater as is. I was thinking how colorful it was with turquoise! Who knew I was so wrong.
Go for turquoise.
We knitters never laugh at the efforts of fellow knitters. Never.
Since you asked (sort of) my opinion is that it would be worth a try to duplicate stitch in the white, reinforcing the color that you already knit in. I personally do not like that shade of blue with red (but you know what they say about opinions…). If it were only coral, that would be nice. Maybe also with the blue. It would not be a third color, but it would work. Black would be nice, too. The important thing is that it’s what you think that counts.
Wishing you a great weekend!
LoveDiane
Looks good! I would go with a deep rusty orange for the pops. But you certainly don’t want to miss an opportunity to stop by Knitty City to check out all the possible colors before you decide!
All these sweater gifts – you’re a very generous knitter!
The KAL is definitely not over. I’ve done two nearly identical stopovers and I’m about to start the color work on the yoke of the third. Sweater one was cast on Sunday evening January 31 and finished Wednesday February 3; sweater two was cast on Friday February 5 and finished Monday February 22; sweater three was cast on Wednesday February 24 (after I drove in a pelter to buy more yarn on Tuesday before Wednesday’s crappy weather). I expect to finish and block sweater three tonight.
I promise photos on Rav and Instagram!
PACESETTER AWARD!
I really like aqua, red and white….not so sure about gray. How about substituting a dark pinkor fuschia?
Hi. Just wanted to say, that since I don’t wadte enough time online looking at ravelry and yarn shops now I’m spending time on Instagram looking at Stopovers! Thanks for making sure I can procrastinate until the end of time. : )
here’s the one I remembered seeing on Rav:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/afewpurlshere/stopover
I remember being struck by it because I liked it and because I would not necessarily associate red with aqua.
I do like red with aqua, and that’s a beaut.
I’m with the purple minority. Cranberry might be OK, but getting more orangey would not be good (just my 3 cents).
I love red. I am more and more drawn to it, and to other warm colors. (Red is even beginning to edge out my long-time favorite, green.) I also love aqua and red together…so fresh and so retro, at the same time. I say go for it!
Also, I “joined the tubes” yesterday on my own Stopover! It was a thrilling knitting moment—for me, right up there with my first hat decreases and my first large felted (with expensive yarn) object. Thank you again for the support and encouragement!
I like the red. Go for it.
Ahh, yes my Stopover is just past the spot of color. Probably have greater chance of completing by Sunday than your cardigan but you never know. The suggestion made me smile.
Bright regal purple is my vote…and while I like the red, I think the purple is much richer looking. Whatever you decide will be wonderful!
Red please. A pop should be a POP!
The red would be great! I finally started my yoke colorwork tonight – just two rows in – but I was questioning my choice of orange for the pops and was thinking about using navy, but this post has reminded me that the pops need to POP, and they will be orange!
I worry Red might pop too much. But that you have it is compelling. You could always try it on a few and see how that looks, but I think purple or peach might work better.
Aside, would you mind commenting on the fabric? I’ve held back on making one because it seems, with such large needles, that the fabric would be too mesh-y?
I love red and turquoise together. It will look wonderful!
Last night at the symphony, someone came up to me and said, “I like your stopover.” I was thrilled! A knitting sister! And, yes, the stopover and jeans were perfectly appropriate for the symphony. This is Idaho!