First Things First

Monday, April 30, 2007

I thought I'd start the updates with the stuff that's been pending the longest: pics of finished objects. First up: the ribbed raglan turtle-neck I did in 2004 (*gasp*). I also added this simple six-item scale to rate my projects, and I plan to make it a recurring feature:

• $$$: Money, that's what makes the world go around. Knitters are always looking for the great yarn bargain, but do they really turn into inexpensive projects?
• Pattern: How much fun/variety/difficulty/love-hate-relationship/whatever I had with the provided pattern
• Techniques: What techniques were used, and were they enough to keep me interested.
• Yarn: A brief review of the yarn: how was it to knit/crochet with, was it right for the project, or would something else work better?
• Instant Gratification: So many patterns to do, so little time. How long did it take me to finish the project?
• Will I Wear It? (WIWI): I've noticed that much of the patterns I choose to make are stuff that's interesting to do, like intricate color-work or textures or fancy yarns or flashy colors. And that's why a rarely wear them. This has got to change.

To sum it up, a final score on a scale from 0 to 5, based purely on my subjective evaluation and whim. :)

And then some links to wonderful patterns. My philosophy is that if for some reason I can't provide a link to the pattern I used, I'll at least give you some pointers to similar projects to serve as inspiration. Here are the patterns I chose, filed under Ribbed for Her Pleasure (and the common theme here is of course ribbing).

Giraffe from the Fall 2004 Knitty and this white issue from Garnstudio DROPS #67 are strikingly similar to my ribbed poloneck. Giraffe, of course, has that huuuge turtleneck but even the yarn looks similar. The white sweater, on the other hand, has raglan sleeves but no turtle-neck. Very simple and cute.

These two sweaters, both from Garnstudio, have interesting diagonal ribbing at the sides. At first glance they look identical but they're not. The red one has narrow ribbing and is worked back and forth. The white one is made with K4, P2 ribbing and worked in the round. Even the sleeves are knitted on DPN's, and the body has a lovely, fitted shaping.

Finally, these two patterns show that simple doesn't have to mean dull. Tatania from Berroco is a stunning design with both horizonal and vertical ribbing. I'm not so sure about the mustard yellow, though... The gray sweater from Garnstudio might look boring at first but is has a wide K6, P5 rib, a round yoke that fascinates me, and slightly flared sleeves.

More pics to come soon!

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