The Spark & The Reinvention -- "Opulent Cowl"

Shortly after announcing the release of a new pattern, I enjoy putting a post together about its design origins (the "spark") and the design process leading up to its final finished form...

My latest design "Opulent Cowl" was first inspired by this designer inspiration Pinterest page put together by Knitscene editor, Amy Palmer, for Knitscene Accessories, 2015.  The board revolved around three themes to inspire designers: "LBD -- Little Black Dress", "Capitol Couture" and "Around the Home".

"Little Black Dress" caught me and took me to the internet...

Of course, I found Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn... too bad about the smoking... but keep that jewelry in mind...

Next, I did some searching for "little black dress accessories", and before very long I found something that I wanted to recreate...

Photo Credit: Net-A-Porter, +Eleven Everything

I do love this kind of high fashion spark... "Foil Print Merino Wool Snood" (then available at Net-A-Porter for $270)... it made me think of a cowl that was like a piece of jewelry...

It was obvious to me that the ribbing in that snood is fisherman's rib, and the gilded ribbing is two-color fisherman's rib.  I had just seen an article on this kind of ribbing in Interweave Knits, Fall 2014.  (BTW: There is a whole lot that I can write about fisherman's rib and its relationship to brioche, and how cool it is when worked with more than one color, but I will save that for another day.)

I pulled out that magazine and I began swatching (using two colors of worsted weight wool yarn).  Then, I located some Berroco Captiva Metallic in bronze, and Schachenmayr Sun City in black and egg shell.  I made this swatch:

I drew this sketch with two length options (one like a long necklace, and one, a smaller cowl that would stand up like a turtleneck or snood):

I included the swatch and the sketch in my proposal.  About a month later, Amy Palmer sent an email that said that she "really liked" my cowl (Oh, happy day, I really love working with everyone Interweave!)  Amy said that she thought that it would be "great for the Capitol Couture story", and that she would "like to play with untraditional yarns".  Her first suggestion was a tape yarn that came in mostly soft colors and nothing near a metallic.  I told her that I had my doubts, but that I would do my best to find a yarn as close as I could get to that, and do some swatching, ASAP...

Later that day, I went to Gosh Yarn It!, my LYS, to see what they had -- and they did not.  However, the shop owner, Jill, had some very lovely ONline, Linie 346 Arona tape yarn in her personal stash and she kindly gave me a skein for my swatching.  I wound off a small ball of lighter tones in order to have two colors, and then later I tried some spool ribbon from my local Jo-Ann's.  Sad to say, but it just wasn't right.

I included this photo in my next email to Amy:

I wrote, "I am mostly back to where I was before the [latest] swatching. I would [still] like to use a metallic with a solid color."

There were a whole lot more back and forth emails with Amy. I am grateful for her relentless search to find just the right yarns.  We decided on Prism Elise in 'antique' with violet and orchid shades of Prism Petite Madison (for more information see my Ravelry project page).  Amy let me choose the length for the cowl.  I think that both the lovely yarn, and my decision to go with a l-o-n-g length, eventually lead to a very opulent cowl, indeed.
 
My last photos are my own from right before I sent the cowl to Knitscene.

I love the piece and am looking forward to getting it back one day!

Opulent Cowl is just one of 33 beautiful new designs in Knitscene Accessories, 2015 which is available online and on newsstands everywhere. 

First Look --> Knitscene Accessories 2015

Opulent Cowl

My newest published design is available right now!!!  The digital version of Knitscene Accessories 2015 just became available at the Interweave online store.  Physical editions will be on newsstands and in yarn stores in early June.

Knitscene Accessories 2015

As always is the case with Knitscene & Interweave, I am quite impressed with the styling and the photography throughout the entire issue.  But even more than that, I loved working with editor, Amy Palmer.  Her early enthusiasm for this design, and her relentless search for just the right yarn (I was pretty well set on using a metallic) were followed by a final decision of mine to go l-o-n-g and narrow.  The results are kind of breathtakingly beautiful... (don't you think?)

Opulent Cowl is only one of 33 amazing designs in this gloriously gorgeous 2015 edition of Knitscene Accessories!  

Photo credits:  Knitscene/Harper Point Photography

Midweek Meditation

"A design isn’t finished until somebody is using it."    ~ Brenda Laurel

A couple of my designs will be finished/used very soon!

Knit Tip: What to do with mixed dye lots & kettle dyed yarns?

I have named my red vest project "Crimson and Garnet" and I have made a project page for it on Ravelry.  I ripped out the entire piece that I showed you in my Reentry post last month.

My latest photo shows my color blending in progress.

Garnet Lite Lopi & Garnet Létt-Lopi

The Garnet Létt-Lopi in my previous knitting was a bit lighter and pinker than the Garnet Lite Lopi.  And the Garnet Lite Lopi was a bit deeper red with a hint of purple.

I could not see these differences when I laid them out in the grass (approximately two years ago).

Two Reds (or was it Four?)

But it did show up in the knitting.

Two Dye Lots

"Knit Tip":  Whenever you DO need to knit with two or more skeins that are not from the same dye lot, knit two rows with dye lot ball #1, and then knit two rows with dye lot ball #2.

You could alternate with each round if you are knitting in the round.  But when knitting back and forth in rows, alternate knitting a right side and then a wrong side row from one skein and then from the other.  Just carry the unused yarn up the side.

I used this same technique when knitting my Color of Flowers pullover with the kettle dyed Canopy Fingering yarn.

Detail Kettle Dyed Canopy Fingering

From the Kelbourne Woolens website:  "The unique blend of fibers [in Canopy] are spun into a smooth yarn and then kettle dyed, and the different way the fibers absorb the dye creates a beautiful depth of color with subtle heathered tones."  And on the yarn label: "This yarn has been intentionally hand-crafted with subtle texture and color variances... In order to achieve optimum results, we encourage you to alternate skeins for an overall blended effect."

That is why you can see two balls of yarn in my work in progress photo.

And that is why the colors blend as well as they do in the finished sweater.

The Color of Flowers