Projects
Color: Wait for the Moment
Dear Ann,
I’ve had a small epiphany. I might have had this epiphany before, but once is not always enough.
When we heard Kaffe Fassett speak in Nashville last year, I had a little peek at this insight. He was answering a question about how he puts his colors together in such unexpected ways: is it instinct or planned, or both, or what is it?
In answering that question, he said, essentially: you can’t judge when you’re in the middle of it. Every color you add changes the composition completely, so it’s pointless to judge until you’re all the way there. You just have to keep faith with your own color sense, and wait for the moment you can step back and see the whole. You have to trust your instinct, your idea.
(Apologies to Kaffe for paraphrasing or even misunderstanding him. This was my takeaway.)
I recently worked my own way through what Kaffe was talking about, and nearly lost my sense of where I was going.
For my Bottom Line pullover, I had 4 skeins of Jill Draper’s Mohonk light in the Dark Roast shade. When we are sending this yarn out to customers in sweater quantities, we choose skeins that will hold hands and be friends with each other. Is there variegation in Jill’s solids? Yes; that’s her dyeing style, and that’s what gives this yarn the liveliness we adore. But it’s not leaps and jumps, it’s soft shifts and subtle striations.
For my own sweater, though, I wanted an adventure. This sweater is a long stretch of stockinette, on size 2s in my case, and I wanted some entertainment in the form of color play. I thought it would be fun to throw in an outlier skein.
The first skein would be for the yoke of this top-down sweater. I hemmed and hawed, but eventually I chose the outlier skein—the lightest, most variegated skein of the four—for the yoke. My thinking was that it would be nice for the sweater to be darker at the bottom and in the midsection, and lighter up near my face.
What followed: knit, knit, knit on that first skein, which took me all the way to Edinburgh and back home again. It also took me all the way through the yoke and past the sleeve/body divide.
Then I joined in the second skein.
Wow. The other skeins were darker than I remembered. I knit along for a few inches.
I started to doubt my plan. The color shift was too sudden, I thought. This was a terrible idea, I thought. I also realized I wasn’t going to need 4 skeins, so I didn’t have to use that lighter skein at all—I could rip it back and start over!
I put my Bottom Line in time out, while I contemplated whether it could be saved.
Last Sunday, I took the train up to Beacon to hang out with Melanie Falick, have lunch, and to look at some swatches for an upcoming Field Guide and some exciting page proofs from her own book project. I had my Bottom Line pullover with me, and I pulled it out of my bag, to unburden myself of my uncertainty.
“I love it!” She said, before I really had the chance to start in. She volunteered that it was so interesting, and that if we saw it on the runway, we’d be oohing and aahing at the singularity of it, and the rich color shading.
I told her I’d been thinking of starting over. Why would you? She asked me, in real astonishment.
Well. That fixed me! I saw my sweater with new eyes. I do like variegation; that was my original instinct, and I won’t know for sure how it worked out until it does work out. On the way home, I was happily knitting away on it, trying to finish the second skein, which looks like it will get me all the way through binding off the body of the sweater. Now I can’t wait to see it.
One More Mod
I did make another mod to the pattern. Instead of knitting 12 inches from the underarm before working the eyelets and ribbing, I got out my well-worn Relax pullover, which is a perfect length for me, hitting at the hipbone.
x
Whoa! I was nearly there, after only 10 inches on the body. So I stopped, worked the eyelets, and I’m nearly done with the ribbing.
This decision was totally about getting my favorite fit, not about being tired of stockinette. No, no, no. (Yes.)
Now, you may not like it. I may not even like it yet, or not for sure. But Kaffe was right. I’ll only really be able to tell when it’s complete. Melanie’s reaction made me trust my idea enough to finish it and find out.
When in doubt, phone a friend!
Love,
Kay
I’m with Melanie! I love it!
It is fabulous. Now i am excited to think I might have two extra skeins of Mohonk Light in spinach to play with another day.
I love it!
It looks so good! It looks interesting. It is exactly the type of sweater that makes me ask someone did you knit that? Because you don’t get that kind of awesome from the store. (unless it is a hand knit store. And someone designed it. ha!)
Stay the course!
Cannot wait to see the finished product !
Also, that color change isn’t really sudden. It is suggested in the yoke, then just pops out in all its glory. I love it!
Be sure to put it ON when you finish. It might look very different than when it is just lying there.
I definitely like it!! Can’t wait to see the finished sweater.
It’s beautiful! Let us see it on you!
I love that you are motoring on, as Meg Swansen always says. Too soon to give an opinion as the finished product will tell all! I love the yoke and the knitting is just beautiful.
It looks beautiful! Always trust a friend (and never ask a husband). I’m feeling your pain, my sweater on 2s is nearing completion- I’m on the second sleeve but I want to be DONE! The only thing saving me from madness is the planning of my next sweater, Malabrigo on size 8s, and lots of wine (maybe the occasional martini!)
I think it’s fabulous! And will be even better when you add the sleeves…
I love it too! To me, it gives the look of a colorwork yoke.
Great comments! My backup plan is to go to one of my knitting groups for comments. There is always at least one person in the group whose taste I trust completely.
Looking forward to getting together again soon, friend. (I have been fantasizing about making my own sweater in Jill’s French Roast color; it’s so beautiful.
I would have been absolutely delighted at that outcome. The only issue might be where that break hits you on the body, as that is where the eye will go first, but it looks like it’s in a good place to me.
Knit on!
We did have a big discussion of this issue of where the line hits, but I am not allowed to say n*pple on the blog. (It looks like it will hit underneath the bust, kind of at the empire waist point.)
Ha ha! That was exactly my concern, but I was trying to be subtle about it. I thought it looked like it would land in empire waist territory, but I didn’t want to assume, because you know what that does… 😉
(giggle) now there’s a measurement to add to a personal measurements list, isn’t there! Distance from collarbone to start of cleavage, or edge of “front porch”, or any number of useful landmarks.
Not only is it fabulous, but the lighter area at the top will brighten and frame your face.
Great progression description! How many of us have been there many times before? I will remember this helpful tale and buds of wisdom for my next event. Thank You!!
Kay, it’s gorgeous! The lighter yoke gives it so much character. Also, you’re my stockinette hero. I put 11 rounds on my Bottom Line yesterday and then needed to lie down.
Each round an adventure . . .
And worth it! One music teacher from my past used to say, “anything worth doing is hard.” Difficult, yes, but so joyful and fun at the same time.
Each round is so long that you have to write home before you see the marker again.
Exactly! Haha. Especially before splitting for the sleeves.
What a brilliant idea! I fear that I’m not confident enough to change up a pattern. But, as I have been avidly reading my daily MDK emails I may now be inspired me to at least contemplate variations.
I love it, too. I like color shifts that are “different, but not THAT different”. Your choice was terrific. Now, are the sleeves going to include hat shift?
Brava.
I’m so glad your friend convinced you to keep going- it looks like it is going to be gorgeous!
i LOVE this! good on you!
Love Love Love this color way. Thank you for the encouragement to try something new
I love it!! That’s such great advice!
I really do prefer to let the yarn lead and to let the yarn be full of serendipity! I love this! Oddness is always better ( I think)…
Love it. Love it. Love it. No mistake made here.
Oh. I’ll send you my address, if you don’t like the end product.
I love it!
And remember, Kay, the only person it has to please is you!
I love it, too.
Love this snippet! It’s so true how we doubt ourselves and our choices! Only in seeing the finished product can we truly step back and know for sure if our decisions were correct, which they usually are.
Beautiful! Good instincts!
I totally agree with Melanie: I love it!
You had a great phone-a-friend lifeline! As others have said, I’m with Melanie. Gorgeous!
It looks geeat! And excellent reminder. I now regret many froggings.
I love it!
I think it’s stunning, but I guess it’s all about your vision for it.
Totally agree with Melanie – it’s stunning! Awesome job!
Wow, yes, it is fantastic for sure. It is so hard to leave the expectation and see what is actually happening. It’s funny to hear this lesson from you, since I feel like this is the lesson I have taken from you, over and over. Make a formula. Stick to it (mostly). Trust the formula. end up with something amazing, and that couldn’t have been planned. Your buncha squares blanket, the mitered squares juicy & blahs, even the Kaffe inspired group project blanket with the dark squares and juicy squares…so many. I have such a hard time with it, I am only now finishing some crazy blankets I started a decade ago, but I keep not quite giving them up because when I look at them, they are NOT what I planned, but better. Mostly. I think. I mean, that one is, but the other one…
I heard Kaffe (I am not on a first name basis but I pretend a little ) speak years ago and someone asked a similar question about what to do when you don’t like the way the colors are going? And his answer then was, “Add another color”. I loved it and took it to heart… And I’m SO glad he is still saying it. I’ve quoted him every timr I taught someone to knit and gave him credit so they would look at his books. It applies to more than knitting too! When things in life get tight I find myself saying “Add another color!”
First, I like it, too! Second, I had a similar experience when trying to make a shawl from some handspan and a low contrast commercial yarn. Had reached the decision to rip it out just before knit night, but took it along before I did it. The folks at knit night were all “ooh!” “aah!” “love the colors!” So, I finished it, and it’s now one of my favorites.
I learned knitting basics as a pre-adolescent but it wasn’t until I was just shy of 30 that I took a class and learned the E.Z. method of knitting. I’m 66 now and knitting is a part of my daily life. The craft is growing and I continue to grow with it ! SO many beautiful yarns, methods, books. I was so fortunate to have stumbled upon a shop that had a sign in the window offering knitting lessons. It has been THE ONLY constant in my life and for that, I am grateful.
I’m in the process of organizing my stash with some of the most beautiful discoveries among the orphans. Initially, I would purchase yarns for a specific project and when that project had been completed, I would move forward to the next thing on my wish list. That isn’t any fun at all ! Now, I’m older, much wiser and more creative, no longer a “blind follower” and I know that I learn at least something new on a daily basis. Now, that is the PERFECT craft .