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Schleppenheimer
Seriously Hooked
USA
627 Posts |
 Posted - 02/23/2004 : 09:01:50 AM
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I am knitting my first Kaffe Fassett sweater -- The Big Diamond design -- and I would be very interested in hearing from other people who have knitted Kaffe Fassett sweaters, and how the project progressed. I'm particularly interested to see if others tried knitting like Kaffe suggests -- by cutting yarn in 2 to 3 ft. (or is it yard?) lengths, which he likes better than using bobbins for intarsia or fair isle. Did these lengths get jumbled up? Did you enjoy mixing yarns? What were the problems/pitfalls?
Thanks,
Kris |
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n/a
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Posted - 02/23/2004 : 09:45:21 AM
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Kris,
I have knitted a couple of sweaters with that method since first reading about it in Brilliant Knits, Brandon Mably's book. He is Kaffe's partner, employee, whatever. I haven't yet knitted a Fassett sweater, but am putting together the yarn for a "waistcoat" from one. Back to the subject, I use the 2-3 yard yarn lengths whenever I do intarsia knitting, and highly recommend it for minimizing the frustration factor in yarn tangles.
AJ |
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Luann
Permanent Resident
USA
2611 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2004 : 1:34:34 PM
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I took a color workshop with Brandon Mably a while back (fwiw, he's always referred to as Kaffe's "assistant.") He had us use the short lenghts of yarn during the workshop, and I found it to be an easy, no-fuss way to work.
We had all been told to bring 3 or 4 balls of different color yarn for the class. We sat in a circle and put the yarn on the floor in a big pile. Then as we worked through the exercises, we'd jump out of our chairs, grab a color we liked, pull off a short length (18 -24 inches) and keep knitting. Then noone was hogging a particular color because the main supply was always out in the middle.
It wouldn't work very well for fairisle, but for any multicolor pattern where you have lots of blocks of color I think it works great.
Luann
Knit and let knit! |
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Schleppenheimer
Seriously Hooked
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2004 : 1:53:30 PM
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Thanks so much! It really helps to hear from others about trying something new. I'm really looking forward to working on this sweater. In the one that I'm doing, the instructions have you combining two yarns for one row, three yarns for the next three rows, then FOUR yarns for the next four rows, then back to only two or three. Did you do this, and did you see a huge difference between rows? Or is it not that big a deal when you are working with DK weight yarn?
Kris |
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AJ Wisch
Chatty Knitter
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2004 : 4:06:25 PM
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Not that big a deal. You just have to trust the instructions and keep knitting. It will all come out beautifully in the end.
I made a shawl collared knit jacket from a one-size-fits-all pattern of Kaffe Fassett's in a Vogue Knitting a while back. (I had forgotten about it.) But it used 3 and 4 colors stranded in your hands all the time and turned out gorgeous. I wore it to a Kaffe Fassett lecture here in AZ and he and Brandon actually complimented me on it. I was in heaven!
AJ |
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Janice
Warming Up
USA
94 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2004 : 5:41:16 PM
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I've done a Tumbling Blocks and a Lattice, both from Glorious Knits. The problem I have is I leave my ends too short and have to keep pulling them back to the wrong side, especially the Lattice for some reason. If you've got enough yarn, do the short pieces. I used bobbins and untangling got pretty old after a while.
Janice |
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AJ Wisch
Chatty Knitter
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2004 : 11:12:04 AM
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Yeah, I tried it with bobbins first, and then just started using the 2-3 yard pieces like Kaffe and Brandon recommend. It was a whole lot easier to untangle that way.
AJ |
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susnp25
Chatty Knitter
Australia
346 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2004 : 4:18:49 PM
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Kris,
Yes I too had always used bobbins for small sections of colour knitting but after buying Sally Melvilles Styles book and doing one of the designs with the small lengths just hanging free at the back found it much easier to work with than the bobbins if the yarn seems to be tangling just an easy pull through with your fingers will untangle it immediately. I don't think I would ever use a bobbin again.
Susan in OZ |
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Ilonka
Chatty Knitter
141 Posts |
Posted - 02/27/2004 : 10:10:51 AM
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Hi, I too am leaning towards Fair Isle Work or Intarsia. Have done some years ago. Bobbins are a nuisance, therefore I think with threads in back of the work should work. My Question? Does any one know where to buy a chart guide Brand name "LoRan" or any chart guide. I loose track of the pattern easily.
Helene M. Diener |
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Julie914
Gabber Extraordinaire
481 Posts |
Posted - 03/01/2004 : 09:55:05 AM
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Helene, www.patternworks.com. Try to bypass the really pretty stitch markers and stuff or you'll go bankrupt. :)
I recently got a LoRan magnetic chart holder-marker and loved it so much I got their static cling row markers, too. Love them both and color stranded patterns are SOOOoooo much easier now. I suggest copying your pattern before 'sticking it up' because once you put it on the chart rack, it'll get frayed and marked. (Of course, yours may not so much... my cat dislikes mine and knocks it to the floor every chance she gets.)
Julie
I'd try recreational drugs, but they'd cut into my yarn budget. |
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AJ Wisch
Chatty Knitter
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 11:30:17 AM
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I got mine, in the big size at Michael's. I used one of their 40 percent off coupons that come in the local paper. I'm SO proud of myself, because I use it for everything, not just for knitting. I also use it to prop up papers at the computer, because one of my jobs is working at home doing a database for the local museum.
AJ |
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kitoko
New Pal
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 12:00:19 PM
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I also use it to prop up papers at the computer
Be VERY careful about using magnets near a computer! |
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fmarrs
Guardian angel
USA
9776 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 6:39:01 PM
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That pattern holder is very widely available at places like Wal Mart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby etc.......but......it is in the counted cross stitch department, not the knitting department. When I did embroidery with a lot of different colored threads, I always made a braid out of them. I could pull one from the loop end of the braid and it would just slide out, yet then remained tangle free. It is the same principle as that use by Kaffe Fossett.
fran |
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Schleppenheimer
Seriously Hooked
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 03/02/2004 : 8:35:23 PM
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Fran:
That is such a COOL idea! I hadn't read that was what Kaffe Fassett did with all of these threads. I've been using (what I guess is . . .) a cross-stitch "palette" -- a thing that looks kind of like what an artist uses, a platter-like thing to mix paint -- except this thing has holes in it to loop each different yarn into.
I like the braid idea better, but: how do you keep track of 25 different yarns? How do you know which is which?
Kris |
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PamS
Seriously Hooked
USA
943 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2004 : 12:30:33 PM
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I have to say that I'm in awe of anyone who can tackle a Fasset design! His colors are just goregous. Maybe one of you could post a picture of the finished product! You should be very proud and I promise to ooh and aah over it.
I too gave up bobbins because of the tangled mess. It's much easier to work with strands, although mine aren't as long as what everyone else was saying here. Also, I was told that it's OK to carry across yarn if it's 5 stitches or less.
--Pam |
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Ilonka
Chatty Knitter
141 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2004 : 08:23:57 AM
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Thank you for all yor sugg. I was soo exited that I had some replies. ( I am very new) I did order RoLan from Jo-Ann (it rimes) and hope to get it today. We are very rural and don't have many of the stores mentioned. I am dying to do something from Alice Starmore design's.I have many of her books. More feminen. I will never ever be able to do anything from Her "Tudor Roses" book. But everything is so beautiful.
Helene M. Diener |
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Schleppenheimer
Seriously Hooked
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2004 : 07:21:23 AM
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Helen:
You WILL be able to do something from Alice Starmore's "Tudor Roses" book! You CAN! You CAN! I know they look hard, but I bet once you started you would get the swing of it.
Kris |
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fmarrs
Guardian angel
USA
9776 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2004 : 12:55:45 AM
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<I like the braid idea better, but: how do you keep track of 25 different yarns? How do you know which is which?>
I still thread the yarns on some time of gadget to separate the colors. My favorite was a index card with a hole punch for the holes, then I wrote in the colors next to the holes. after I had this loaded with the thread, I made the braid. When I needed a strand I took it from the top, near the holes.
fran |
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Schleppenheimer
Seriously Hooked
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2004 : 07:33:55 AM
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The sweater is going very well, thanks to all of you ladies! I went out and bought the LoRan chart holder, and that has helped to save my eyes! I'm carrying the thread over every other stitch, and that has helped the knitting to not get too bumpy. The sweater is looking quite nice, even though instead of using this nice palette of yarns that graduates from one shade type to the next, I just basically used all of my leftover yarn and threw it together. Somehow, it's working!
The only thing that frustrates me is that I've seen other people's work on the INSIDE of the sweater when they've done fair isle and intarsia, and somehow they seem to work in the ends better than I do. Their sweaters look almost as good on the inside as it does on the outside. I'm looking at mine, and I'm not showing ANYBODY the inside -- it just doesn't look that good. Any more suggestions?
Kris |
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terivan
Chatty Knitter
Australia
240 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2004 : 5:27:16 PM
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The inside of the intarsia I've done is a mess, too. Think of it as duck-like - all serenity above, while paddling like mad underneath !
Terry |
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Schleppenheimer
Seriously Hooked
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2004 : 8:37:19 PM
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Well, thank you, Terry. Now I know I'm in good company!
Kris |
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