Yesterday in my comments Karen asked:
What type of knitting pattern/structure/designer would offer you a challenge? To keep your interest?
Like the title of this blog entry says, it’s all about color.
I used to love texture and knitting an aran was my favorite thing. But the last few arans I’ve done have bored me to tears. The last aran I remember really enjoying knitting was the last Inishmore I made. Hmmmmm . . . maybe I ought to knit another one and see if I still enjoy it.
Nowadays I’d sooner knit fair isles and Norgis. A design with a non-repeating pattern right now is the most fun I can thing of — like the Virgin sweater I made back in January.
Rest assured — as soon as this aran is outta the way, it’s back to color I go.
And Lucy would like to show off my progress on the back of Max:
And it’s just her color, isn’t it? The look on her face – you KNOW she knows she’s the most popular knitcat on the planet. Uh huh. That’s our girl.
Wendy: I’ve been trying to e-mail you but a message keeps coming up that your mailbox is full! What a popular girl! I just wanted to say that I sent of a dozen English “meecies” to you yesterday and was informed by the PO that they would only take 5 days – so here’s hoping. The “extras” are for you just as a very small thank you for all the help, fun and entertainment on your blog that so many of us “tune into” each day.
Hi Vera – hmmmmmmm, my mailbox isn’t full — there must be an internet glitch somewhere along the line. Are you mailing to jns-wjohnson AT comcast DOT net? (Properly formatted, of course).
Thanks for the heads-up on the mousies! I’ll let yu know when they get here and thanks so much for sending them!
I’m going to ask this question very quietly,as I don’t want to panic anyone.
Do you worry that you’ll become bored with knitting ? As the designs you enjoy knitting become more and more complex there’s a risk that you’ll run out of stimulating knitting.Ever thought of designing something really complicated / interesting for your self ?
Yes,I know about the fair-isle and baby norgi – but they were designed for mere mortals ! :0]
Knitting panic! Knitting panic!
Just kidding — no panic here. But only because I’m heavily medicated.
Good question, Emma!
Hopefully I won’t run out. As long as Dale of Norway keeps doing what they do, I ought to be safe.
And as you say, I can always design my own. That’s smething I’ll probably be able to do more of once I retire from my job — if that ever happens.
The yarn actually looks scrumptious to knit with, or is it just the ketzela that makes it look so good? deb
I understand what you mean about really getting into an interesting pattern. I try to make make the analogy (to my nonknitting friends) of how they feel when they get into a great book.
The Virgin sweater is definitely on my to do list, when I get brave enough. I am really addicted to Dale’s soft and luscious yarns. For me it is definitely about color AND feel. Can you suggest a Dale yarn weight substitution for doing the Virgin Sweater? Thanks.
Debala, the yarn is pretty nice to work with, but the ketzela does make a great spokesmodel, doesn’t she?
Purl, I think you could sub a sportweight wool for the Virgin Sweater — like Heilo.
Not a comment about today’s post at all, but I thought of you cat-lovers, and Wendy especially, when I saw the cat photo at http://www.knittingnow.com . If I tried all day I wouldn’t be able to capture a cat’s face mid-yawn!
Debbi
Wendy, when you substitute a yarn, how do you know how much yardage to buy? For example, in the Collector’s Item, Maximilian calls for AS Scottish Heather. Do you know a source for yardages of Alice’s yarns? If not, how do we make an “educated” guess?
Thanks for the b-day greeting, and thanks for reassuring us all that color-work is Your Thing! Hey, it’s Cari’s birthday, too, over at dogs steal yarn…I have a blog-twin!
Purl, yardages for Alice’s yarns were published in most if not all of her books where the yarn was used. Off the top of my head, I think Scottish Heather was 120 yards/skein.
Hi Wendy,
Will you accept machine knitted (fair isle) mousies? I just bought a terrific brother knitting machine and have been doing a lot of pretty swatches to learn, and I know I can easily transform them into cute little mousies.
Oh that Lucy!
I first remember you from long ago days on the knitted lace list, Wendy. Did you get bored with lace as well? (or just knit all the good patterns?) *grin*
I got bored with lace. 🙂
But I’ve still got laceweight yarn in my stash. I may go back to it, you never know.
Georgina, fair isle mousies sound cute, but I’m afraid they’d be a lot easier for a kitty to pick apart and ingest strands of yarn, since there are more ends. I hink one or two color mice are best. My mouse bags state that they are handknitted, so I think it’s best we stick to that.
Sorry to be a party-pooper. 🙁
Wendy, how long did it take you to learn color-knitting? I’ve just started a baby fair-isle and am very frustrated because I can’t manage the purl side using the two-hand method (I’m a righty). I’m hoping to give this sweater as a Christmas present. Is there any hope for me? Do you have any suggestions on technique? I feel a color-knitting addiction coming on!
Colorwork isn’t really my thing (yet), but I also get bored with arans or chart patterns after working the same row repeat two or three times. It gets a bit monotonous after that, but I still love to knit them because cables always look so spiffy in a finished garment 🙂
I think you should try lace knitting again…. Some of the non repeating patterns are a bit of a challenge and not very boring.
That colour is most becoming on Mizz Lucy!
i’ve been on a lace knitting jag lately, perfect for hot muggy florida summers 😉 the latest is the legends of the shetland seas pattern, only i’m widening it and shortening it to make an afghan, using a lisa souza seaglass colored yarn, it’s flowing off my fingers, i think i’m in love 🙂
Vanessa, I know what you mean — I’m using Seaglass to knit Creatures of the Reef Shawl, and am equally in love.
I wonder if you might not find texture work more interesting if it wasn’t a small-ish repeating pattern — or maybe you’d find color work less interesting if it was limited to small repeating patterns?! Agile minds need challenges. I think color work patterns provide more of a challenge right now than texture work does — mostly because a non-repeating texture (like a gigantic, intricate celtic knot) requires a whole lot of thinking and some heinous charting to realize…