Dear Kay,
Lest I forget, I want to share this Independence Day post from Andrew Sullivan: “The Quintessential American Word: ‘Hi!'”. Love it!
My summer knitting has been the sort of scrumptrelescent obsession that I hope every knitter someday finds. If life had not interrupted, I could have cranked this thing in a couple of weeks.
To recap, this is what I am working on, a project based on Challenge 2 from the Fiber Factor contest.
I knew the minute I read the challenge what I would do.
See, every day I look at this on the floor of my knitting lair:
You know it, you love it: it’s the Kiki Mariko Rug from our second book. I have always wanted to make a sweater using that stitch pattern.
So I’m using as many shades of fingering weight shetland wool as I can. No rules about the colors except that I can’t repeat them on the body of the sweater–the sleeves will mirror the body.
This stitch pattern is so simple that you quickly get the hang of it and just blast through the rounds. This is how God meant Fair Isle to work, really! This is portable knitting, unlike that Donegal sweater that could put a girl off knitting permanently.
As ever, I’m working this turned inside out, to keep the floats loose.
About halfway up the body, I thought about the way the color was playing out. (I like the riot of color–I am not worried about the wearability of this sweater, just so you’ll know. It’s a giant swatch.) But what would happen if you tried to mute the crazy as you worked up the sweater? What if the sweater started quiet at the top and ended loud at the bottom?
Each color is used for 8 rows. Sometimes the bar of color is bent in the middle; sometimes it’s an unbroken diagonal. I started wondering what would happen if you did all the bent bars in in gray, and used increasingly muted colors for the diagonals?
These colors make me kind of crazy.
The neck steek never fails to amaze me. Two inches long, gives shape to the neck. Who thought that up?
I think the top part loses energy once the diagonals become such a regular rhythm. On my next one of these (!), I’d want to keep swapping out the colors as in the bottom, not let the background be all gray.
Stay tuned to see how the top finishes out.
Love,
Ann
PS: 23 shades used in this Kiki Mariko Sweater:
Rowan Donegal Tweed Kelly Green
Rowan Lambswool Tweed Shale
Scottish Campion Night Hawk
Rowan Lambswool Tweed Bark
Scottish Campion Oasis
Scottish Campion Grape
Rowan Lambswool Tweed Eau de Nil
Scottish Campion Dark Purple
Rowan Lambswool Tweed Sedge
Scottish Campion Cranberry
Scottish Campion Fjord
Scottish Campion Seaweed
Scottish Campion Cloud
Rowan Donegal Lambswool Pickle
Rowan Donegal Lambswool lavender no tag
Rowan Campion Rosemary
Jamieson Spindrift Chartreuse
Rowan Donegal Lambswool burnt orange
Scottish Campion Bronze
Rowan Donegal Lambswool dark wine
Scottish Campion Yell Sound Blue
Scottish Campion Purple Haze
Scottish Campion Rosemary
I know you’re using your own rules, but after watching the Challenge 2 Fiber Factor judging last night, I believe you win.
yr fan xox gale
I’m loving this. Thanks for the inspiration. I feel a new rug coming on from the stash.
wowsa!
I am in awe that you know all the shade names and numbers. Genius.
B x x
I still have that rug on my list, but I’m loving the sweater too!
Wow!Just the other day I was thinking about that rug…someday I might make one. Someday.
You should have had your sweater in that contest–1st place winner hands down!
it’s late
all i can say is
holy crap Ann!
whatta sweater!
Nice. I agree about the grey. Keep things spicy!
Love this! I thought the same thing about that rug pattern. It’s great you are doing it so I get my vicarious thrills again!
It’s 90 degrees here right now but I still want to crawl into that beautiful wooly goodness. Beautiful.
It’s 90 degrees here right now but I still want to crawl into that beautiful wooly goodness. Beautiful.
Oh that aqua-gold-gray bit is kiiiiiiilling me. I need to make something gray with a gold and aqua stripe! Beauty!
hi ann–beautiful knitting! it makes me glad to hear you say that you’re working on somthing that you have wanted to do for a while. no matter about “life interruptions”, the progress looks fine to me. you’re good, ann. in the past, my life interruptions would cause me to put the needles down for months. it was you and kay who helped me keep my knitting passion alive at those times, and i have been grateful for that. so very grateful. things are better lately, though. 🙂
knit on!
lovediane
Yep, one more voice from the Universe telling me it is time to cast on a big heap o’ Fair Isle.
Yours is fantabulous.
I love the essay about “Hi!”. This is so true. We are living out of the US and people don’t say hi. They don’t even greet many people. Thanks for reminding me of my beautiful country at a time I miss it very much!
P.S. love the knitting too!
The gray is making me crazy too. I love this, and it is so going on the someday list. Even though it’ll take me years to hoarde up enough Shetland wool to make it. Can We call this the anti-Donegal sweater?
It is going to end up amazing! I love the pattern. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Dang! That is a ton of colors! It looks beautiful.
If I were to make one for myself, I think I’d do the diagonals in either white or black and use a simple variegated yarn to do the background (because I’m lazy).
Love, love, love the pattern and the colors!! Is there a pattern for the sweater or are you creating it as you go? If there’s a pattern, I’d love to have it!
Oh, to have my very own ‘knitting lair’!!!
I was searching for the like button…since I liked this so much!
I was searching for the like button…since I liked this so much!
Dear Ann, I love you! The original sweater IS completely unwearable (so hot!), but it’s still one of my favorite things I’ve ever knit. My love for Two-Fisted Fair Isle was born with that sweater. Yours, those gorgeous grey bits, is absolutely stunning. So much fun! XO
Dear Ann, I love you! The original sweater IS completely unwearable (so hot!), but it’s still one of my favorite things I’ve ever knit. My love for Two-Fisted Fair Isle was born with that sweater. Yours, those gorgeous grey bits, is absolutely stunning. So much fun! XO
What is happening? When I went to your site on my bookmarks list today I got a shopping site called masondixonknitting. Have you guys changed your direction and stopped the blog? Please say not so!!!!!!
STOP! This will make a stunning cowl a la Chickadee Cowl on Ravelry.
I’m fascinated to see this Kiki Mariko sweater developing. I have some handspun I’ve been meaning to crank through that chevrony color-mixer of a stitch pattern ever since I saw it in the book. 🙂