Creative Food for Thought: Knitterly Inspirations

As you know, I don’t strictly look towards the world of knitting for inspiration. I have a lot of creative things that I enjoy, including photography. I thought I would share a few pictures with you that I retrieved from my Data Recovery when my hard drive crashed this summer.

I don’t know about you, But I have been wondering where the summer has gone. I think that is why this picture speaks to me. I took this picture a couple years ago when I purchased my second digital camera (it comes with a 12x zoom and I was trying it out). We have a little more than 2 acres, and these two lawn chairs were farther from my front door than your typical suburb lot.

They are sitting in our yard, under an arbor. I think they look quite inviting, and when I edited the picture in Photoshop I could have sharpened the image more (most digital pictures need some sharpening, something not entirely noticeable unless you have worked with photoshop).

At any rate, I wanted the image to look a little soft and hazy. Soft and hazy, like a cozy memory of a lazy summer day. There is a lot of contrast in this picture, too, so the softness is important so that the picture due to the lighting doesn’t make you long for air-conditioning.

Here is a picture of a purple coneflower that I took in our yard. If you click on the image you will see a litte bigger image, which is worth a look. It is amazing how many colors there are in this picture. I kept the contrast in this picture, and applied just a little sharpening. It is worth a click just to get a closer look and see how many colors you can see. Can you picture this in a colorway? I know I can. Notice how the dark background really makes the light colors pop. It is the contrast that does this. Along with the dark greens and olives, there are some lovely pale red violets, bright yellows, orange. There are more. Sometimes I like taking closeups as they reveal the detail that our eyes somehow gloss over.

This is a picture that I took of an American Flag (duh!) that flies over an auto dealer in Fort Wayne. It can be seen on Coliseum Blvd. I wish I could give you the statistics on this flag, but I honestly don’t remember and a google search did not turn it up. I can only tell you it is absolutely huge. This shot was taken with my 12x zoom, across the road at the mall . The orginal image has more detail (there is only so much you can see at this size and resolution). Notice the strong feel of movement in this picture. I know you are thinking well, the wind is blowing it, but the diagonal lines in the picture are what gives it the feel of movement.

So what does this have to do with knitting? Nothing directly, they are just examples of expressing feeling, reflecting the world around us, and motion via design choices. And these things do relate to our knitting.

How much detail do we want? What kind of texture will certain choices give? Do those choices give the feel that we want? Do they express the energy or movement that we want? If you are a really energetic person, you might like a busier stitch pattern that has a lot of diagonal movement. Then again you might appreciate a simple stockinette stitch sweater that has some special little shaping details.

I hope you all have good days

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Independent Knitwear Designers Web Ring: The Rest of the Best

Prior to jumping in to the remaining sites in the ring, I thought I would post a few comments on the ring. Why I started it, what I am looking for in sites that submit, and where I would like to see it go.

I started the ring because I have seen over the years so many comments about Indie designers. You don’t know what you are getting quality wise, good ones can be hard to find as you don’t necessarily have to be known in the popular mags to be a good designer, and so on.

While I know that there are many that I cannot attest to the quality of their pattern, there are certain assumptions I am making based upon how their web presence looks. One of the things I tend to repeat on the designing lists is that your website is your portfolio. It needs to be both easily navigated as well as look like a designers web site. The biggest assumption that I make is that if they show attention to detail on their sites, that their designs will share the same attention to detail.

I also am looking for something that asks me to linger. In the world of retail, I want designs that wow me in some way. I want designers with creativity besides practicality.  I am not saying every design has to be a work of art, but I AM saying that every design should be worthy of the title. By that I mean that it should look like something a designer would do. A plain gray sock that has generic toe and heel shaping with a ribbed top in generic wool does not cut it.  What makes it special? What kinds of detail does it have?

How much content is there, and if it is a blog how much of that content is related to their knitting design? If it is a personal blog, do they have clearly identified links to their designs or a list of the publications their designs are in, if they don’t sell pattern leaflets?

Is it getting tougher to get it? Yes, as the list evolves and becomes more defined. I always feel bad when I have to decline a site because they do not have enough content, or the site looks canned and the designs look generic. But I have to look at what I want in the end. And in the end, I want them all to be special in their own way. Not in the modern “every kid on the team gets a trophy” sense of special, but special because they really have something there that makes their work stand out.

Anyway enough of this. On to the sites.

KnitWhits is from designer Tina Whitmore, who founded Knitwhits and is the primary designer. Tina has been published in all the major US knitting magazines, as well as the UK magazine Knitting. She has also been on Knitty Gritty twice (the Just Beachy and Game Day episodes). From the website: “browse our online store for a vast selection of knitting and crochet patterns and kits for hats, scarves, new felted mittens, socks for all ages as well as a great selection of accessories: purses, designs for the home and lots more”.  And speaking of more, they have patterns for bikinis, too, and here is one I just had to show you in entrelac. Wow.

From designer Edna Hart is Edna Hart Boutique. This is a personal blog of the designer, and those are always interesting. I like them since you get to “know” the designer. Edna has a few designs that have been published in magazines, and she also has a shop”in Silverlake, Califorina that sells Yarn, Jewelry, Handbags, Baby gifts and Toys”. She shows her jewelry on her blog as well.

Stefanie Goodwin-Ritter (smgrdesigns)spends her days hand-dyeing for Lorna’s Laces. She is a budding designer and has a 6 designs on her blog, with links to the three carried by Lorna’s Laces. She has a passion for socks and it will be interesting to see how she evolves. She lives in Chicago and is a member of a band.

I was quite happy when Vermont Fiber Designs Sue McCain joined the ring. Prior to starting Vermont Fiber Designs, Sue was the Design Coordinator for Classic Elite Yarns. She has an outstanding selection of patterns and a tremendous range of sizes (5 to 6x). Vermont Fiber Designs also offers technical services in pattern writing, technical editing, and pattern publishing.

Right after this, Joan McGowan-Michal of White Lies Designs joined the ring. I have admired her work for some time as well. From the web site: “Designer Joan McGowan-Michael creates romantic knitwear with special consideration for a wide range of sizes from petite to plus”. Joan is also an author. Knitting Lingerie Style is her first book and it looks to be a classic. White Lies has wonderfully romantic knits in a great selection of patterns and sizes as well.

That’s it, and I will post intros on the new ones as they join the ring and are approved.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

The Economics of Design: I’d Rather be Knitting!

I had to go purchase paper yesterday to print patterns for an order. I have a nice color laser printer that I use for that job, and I have chosen paper that I am happy with and have used consistently.

There are a lot of things that factor into the price of the patterns that knitters use for their projects. The oil industry, for example, has greatly impacted the cost of sheet protectors. That pattern may cost the knitter 5 or 6 dollars, but if it went to your yarn store before you purchased it, then it either came from the designer or a distributor before going to the yarn store. In which case, 2 to 3 dollars would have been the amount received by the designer.

Out of that comes the cost of printing and associated costs of producing the printed pattern.Also out of that 2 to 3 dollar amount there are the costs of the design, if it is new. The test knitting, the tech editing, the photo editing. Even if you do any of this yourself as a designer, it isn’t free or no cost to you.

I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t work for free,even if it is for myself. (No pay for work is still no pay). My time has to be reimbursed before I make a profit on the design.

In the real world we all have our own budget constraints, and we may have to do certain tasks ourselves, as we do not have the cash to pay someone out of pocket to do repetitive tasks. But, there are also time constraints. Time I spend on other related tasks like knitting sample garments, assembling and stuffing pattern leaflets, and printing, is time I am not spending working on a new pattern.

I usually call upon my husband to help stuff pattern leaflets. He is truly cheap labor as he works for hugs, kisses, and a home cooked meal.

Getting back to paper, I found a good quality white paper that is about 2/3 of the amount I have been paying for the Ivory. It is the same weight, plus I get 250 more pages per ream. Let me tell you, a nickel here and a nickel there really add up. I realize that we are talking about pennies, but to put it into context for every 300 patterns that is a savings of 9 dollars for a difference of 3 cents.

If I were to purchase compatible toner, I don’t get the output that I want. Unfortunately, Okidata toner is more than twice the cost as the compatible. I recently found IT Supplies, a source for the Okidata toner that I need for my printer that is not only significantly cheaper but has had stellar service as well. A high yield toner cartridge from them is on average 16 dollars cheaper than I had found anywhere else.

When doing normal printing (not the size images I have on my covers, I can tell you that!) you are supposed to get 5000 pages from the toner cartridge. If I were printing in text, and used the same amount in coverage from all 4 toner cartridges equally, my cheapest cost per page for the toner is 7.5 cents. Black text would be 1 cent.  That savings in paper helps offset the cost of the Okidata Toner.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Design Discussion: LaMancha

This pullover is a ladies pullover, and is knit with worsted weight yarn. Chest measurements are as most of my other patterns, 40 (44, 48, 52, 56) inches. This particular design feature the Channel Island cast on, and has saddle shoulders. The design was inspired by one of the breeds of Dairy Goats we have at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.  Our local zoo is ranked among the top 10 in the nation and we enjoy going at least once a season. 

One of my favorite areas in our zoo is the Indiana Family Farm. It has an area that used to be called the petting zoo. Although the name is different, the animals are the same. The goats are highly inquisitive, sometimes obtrusive, and just a lot of fun. You have to watch anything loose and dangling though, as it is likely to end up in their mouth.

Typically, even when the rest of their bodies are still, their tail is moving. Their tails are often held stiffly at attention, with a bit of a curve in them, and they swish back and forth,back and forth.

The LaMancha goat also has small nubby ears. This is a distinguishing characteristic of this goat, and I wanted to bring that into the design. I felt the Channel Island cast-on was a good choice for the cast on as adds a layer of detail as well as reflects the inspiration fo the design.

I also chose to use panels of garter stitch in the design. There are those who turn up their noses to garter stitch, feeling it is too common or plain, but I really like to use it.

In this case, it is reflective of the feel of the inspiration of the design in an emotional or intellectual sense.

Imagination is a powerful part of design. I wanted something that reflected the very utilitarian nature of the inspiration. The farm, dairy goats, things common and simple. Garter stitch is perfect for this, and it also added a textural contrast to the eyelet zig zag. The columns of garter stitch are strongly vertical while having a horizontal texture, so the more formal or lofty feel you can get from strong vertical lines is balanced by the horizontal lines of the stitch pattern.

The eyelet zig zag is also representative of a portion of the body of the goat. I feel their tails are a lot of fun and so expressive. The eyelet zig zag makes me think of their tails swishing back and forth. The diagonal lines of this stitch pattern balance nicely with the vertical and horizontal lines. Lastly, I felt the garment needed just a little more detail to round out the design.

I don’t know if you can see it in the photo or not, but it has a saddle shoulder. For those who may not know what a saddle shoulder is, it is a portion that extends up from the sleeve across the top of the shoulder. It is used in Gansey and Aran knitting, but in this case it was another detail that made the design a bit more special.

Since I was dealing with fairly simple stitch patterns, I wanted to have details that were not so simple or run of the mill. That is why the Channel Island cast on is so important to the success of this design, as is the saddle shoulder. It will not be at my vendors quite yet, as the pattern is at the tech editor right now. If all goes well, Black Water Abbey will be introducing it at Stitches East. Up North Fiber Art Supply, my American Distributor, has already placed their order. So it will be available in the shops soon.

WooHoo! I finally have a new design that is out. This is the first new pattern leaflet since I had my accident a year ago this past March. It feels so good to be productive.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Creating in a Vacuum: Knitting Benefits From The Arts

One of the first maxims I learned regarding online business was that you don’t want to direct traffic away from your site. This is why so many websites, when you click on a link, open in a new window.

Over the last few days (I have no idea really, as I have had pneumonia this month and have been in a little of a fog) I have had a lot of attention focused on work other than my own.  There is a reason for that, not the least of which is if it were all about me, me, me, look what I have done, well that would get really boring quite fast.

Primarily though, I believe that creativity is fed when it does not exist in a vacuum. One of the things I miss from my metalsmithing days was the camaraderie of fellow artists in the studio. In those situations 1+1 doesn’t always add up to 2. The creative energy in the studio always made me think of a bag of popcorn. Ideas start here and there and erupt steadily into a frenzy.  Creativity feeds creativity, you see. It is fascinating to see how one topic or subject is treated differently by different artists. There are quiet moments too, time for introspection and assimilation. Then the cycle starts over again.

I sometimes see posts on lists or other sites that deal with getting in a rut with ones knitting. Like writers block, only with the fiber arts. The usual sage advice that I see is to turn to more knitting for inspiration. That is good advice, but it is limiting. At least in my opinion it is. How about looking at traditional Japanese kimono’s, or textiles from other countries? What colorways! What combinations of texture and color! And moving beyond textiles, what about paintings or sculpture?

I know it can be hard to make the leap between the two, but in the end you are dealing with an artist who has been impacted by something in their life, and the art that they create is a non-verbal expression of that which impacted them in some way.

When I get into a rut with my knitting, I like to look at things completely outside of the realm of knitting. I like to look at it without labels or definitions so that I can appreciate form, texture and color without the left side of my brain (the analytical side) getting in the way of the right side (the creative side). What I find then, is that appreciation leads to inspiration.

I can look at earrings or jewelry and start to think in terms of knitting design. Even architecture, music, and literature.

It is an abstract way to look at things, I suppose, although I would not have classified myself as appreciating abstract art.

I hope you enjoy the links to the other designers, as well as the blogs of those who have linked to this one. Bouncing creativity off of one another through cyberspace doesn’t have the same energy as in person as a studio, but it can still be wonderfully inspiring and may lead one down some very interesting paths.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

More Independent Knitwear Designers

Kanine Knits is the place to go if you are a dog lover and love to knit. Designer Peggy Gaffney offers canine portraits on sweaters that are seen at some of the top dog shoes. In addition she has knit one of a kind sweaters with portraits for some of the top show dogs owners in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and the US. She offers custom knitting as well as knitting patterns and books. Her books are distributed by Unicorn Books and Crafts.

Blue Flower Knits, from designer Karen Agen, features felted bags. There are 7 patterns on the site. They are aimed at being easy enough for a beginning knitter to do.

The Tsarina of Tsocks designer, Lisa Grossman, is also a writer. Her sock patterns come as kits, with yarn from VanCalCar Acres Sheep Farm. The socks are described on the sheep farm site as “an amazing collection of art…masquerading as socks!”

Kidknits has a wonderful assortment of designs for babies from Designer Erika Flory. Erika is also a member of the Association of Knitwear Designers. You may choose patterns or kits, and the patterns may be either printed or downloaded. The kits are very reasonably priced, and the garments are easy to care for. A plus for moms!

Sivia Harding Knit Design is the site for designer Sivia Harding. Sivia has some beautiful lace patterns, and beaded knitting patterns for lace and accessories. She also teaches. A wonderful assortment of patterns for lace knitters and knitters who are interested in beaded knitting.

Annie’s Woolens, from designer Anne Maillette, offers patterns for Christmas stockings as well as accessories (hats, scarves, mittens etc). Her business began in 1988, and in 1994 she moved her business to the Internet. She was featured in featured in the Feb. 2000 Midwest Living article entitled “Warm Up in Style - Toasty Togs from the Northland”.

On deck, the final five as of today, including two more very big names in the world of indie knitting designers.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Wow! What Color! Knitting On Impulse

Knitting On Impulse has a post on September 13 called Patterns in Nature. This is a subject near and dear to my heart, as I am often inspired by nature.

In this post she has a photograph which is then converted to a graph, and some other little patterns to go with it. What a great sense of color. I can see it knit with silk and beads. Or just maybe silk. Not a lot of beads, just a few.

I am going to pop back later to this site myself, as there is a lot to look at. The photography alone is quite inspiring. She has a web store also with Artisan Jewelry. Can you hear me groaning? Groaning because it really is too lovely and I know I am going to have to get some.

At any rate, an enjoyable read and thanks for the link on your blog roll.

Wine and Roses Mitts at Blue Frog Studio

Pennsylvania knitter Lillian learned how to knit in  2006, and already has her own blog. Plus, she knitted my Wine and Roses mitts that were in Interweave.

Kudos to you, Lillian, you will have a lot of fun over the years with your knitting.

Lillian’s blog is called Blue Frog Studio.

Too Scared to Knit a Sweater? Tips for Shaping

One thing I see over and over as a theme is the fear of shaping. I can understand the anxiety that comes with the unknown, and I do know it is a considerable investment in time and effort, as well as the money involved in yarn and pattern, to knit a sweater.

The truth is, other than a few refinements in techniques, most knitters probably know all they need in order to knit a very nice garment.

A review of the basic techniques include the ability to knit (duh!), CO, BO, increase and decrease. I know those pesky increases and decreases can be worrisome. The decreases are a simple matter (so are the increases).

When you work a decrease, such as a k2tog or a ssk, you will notice that the decrease leans a particular direction. In this case, k2tog leans to the right, and ssk leans to the left (unless you knit in Eastern Uncrossed or something a little different).

The advantage of being aware of which way the resulting stitch slants helps you remember what you need to do without having to constantly dig your pattern out to see what the directions say. Think of it as turning the wheel to your car towards the right if you want to make a right hand turn. If your map told you that you needed to make a right hand turn, if you had to dig out the manual to tell you how to do that every time you needed to turn, it would really slow you down and make you feel uncertain.

Shaping itself involves either making something wider or making something more narrow. At the armholes and at the neckline we tend to see certain methods of working the shaping.  Remember the line that the decreases make? Generally, the armhole decreases follow the curve of the armhole and lean in towards the garment. The the line of the neckline starts at the center neck BO and curves up around the sides of the neck. They too follow the line of the garment. In this case, the decreases lean away from the center neck.

If you stop for a minute and think about the direction of your knitting, you will see that knowing what decrease to work where becomes more intuitive. And really, that is where the fun begins. you can start making those decreases decorative. If you want less of a visible line, work them so that they lean the opposite direction (this breaks up the line). There are a number of ways to do this and too long a discussion for this post. But hey, it is fun to experiment. Think of it as your own textile version of a great Jazz riff.

That seems to be something we have a little trouble with here in the States. We like things to be spelled out for us to the Nth degree and when it is not, we freeze and do not know what to do. Relax, take a deep breath, maybe do a little Google. Remember this is knitting, not brain surgery.

I think our culture over here encourages us not to be as intuitive. I don’t know if it is partly a lack of exposure to knitting in general, or if it is patterns being written for beginners without adequate leading them from the level of beginners after they have been knitting. At least in terms of pattern writing. There is a big emphasis on knitting patterns being written for the neophyte (which isn’t a bad thing, but we must cut our knitting teeth and get off of the bottle eventually or we quit growing).

We do a lot of learning when we are relaxed and having fun. It is that knowledge that we gain that makes us confident…so play with your knitting. Look at what happens with the stitches that you make so that your knitting sings the way you want it to.

Peace and Knitting, JoLene Treace

Independent Knitwear Desginers: High Country Knitwear & More

22. High Country Knitwear, site for designer Pat Feeley, offers pdf patterns for download. There are also tips and tricks, and a newsletter. Patterns include accessories as well as garments.

23. Wendy Knits, a blog for knitting and spinning by designer Wendy D. Johnson and author of Wendy Knits, is a personal blog…a very popular one, too, so kudos to Wendy. Her blog has a link to her book, and she does discuss her designs and projects she is working on. She has a number of sock patterns that she has been selling that are quite popular, as of this writing there is not a clearly identified link to the sock patterns.

24. Pick Up Sticks, devoted to felted knitting, is from designer Maggie Pace. Maggie started her business in 2003, and it has been mentioned in numerous venues since then. By all accounts (and rightly so) the felted knitter’s dreamsite. The designs have been featured on Knitty Gritty, Knitty, Knitter’s Review, and various knitting magazines.

25. Carol Bristol Designs is another site for felted knitters, and features the designs of Carol Bristol. Bags, baskets, vases and more.

26. Red Bird Knits is a site devoted to sock and lace knitting. They carry yarns and patterns from a number of independent designers, besides their own “house” line. They are located in Canada, and it is a family run business that grew out one sock knitter’s quest for Regia sock yarn.

27. Gardiner Yarn Works is from designer Chrissy Gardiner, another member of the Association of Knitwear Designers. She is a prolific designer and has designed for Classic Elite, Y2Knit, Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and others. She has also been published in a number of books and magazines. She has a line of pattern leaflets as well.

28. The Woolen Earth is from Canadian designer Jennifer Appleby. She has knitting and crochet patterns under The Woolen Earth label as well as freelance work with publications such as Interweave Knits. Her online shop features her patterns and kits, as well as provides links to her freelance work. She also has a blog.

Up on deck, Kanine Knits, Blue Flower Knits, Sivia Harding and others!