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Jan 4, 2017

Temptation

Knitting is a funny thing, and striking the right balance can be a challenge.

When there are too many projects on the needles, I get twitchy. I feel as if I should be knitting more and certainly much faster, but the quantity becomes distracting and interferes with my ability to focus, so I'm even less productive than I might be otherwise.

Oddly, I have a very similar reaction if there are no projects on the needles and no urgent ones waiting in the pipeline. When that happens I have severe withdrawal symptoms. I'm generally unsettled, I feel cranky and out of sorts, and my fingers itch to see productive action.

That's when swatching comes to the rescue, providing precisely the fibery fix I crave.

This means, sometimes I swatch to test new stitches.

Easy slip stitch (front):

Sometimes I swatch to see how different stitches handle color.

Easy slip stitch (front):



Sometimes I swatch to test reversibility.

Easy slip stitch (back):


Sometimes I swatch to see how different yarn weights and needle sizes affect gauge and scale.

Lucben | Worsted weight (grey) vs. sport weight (cream):





And sometimes I do what normal knitters do and swatch as a prelude to a specific project. 

Tikkyn | Front & back:




Here's my dilemma. I have one project in the finishing stages (Tikkyn Flagstone) and two on the needles (a shawl and this Valere afghan), all of which are progressing at a decent pace. 

There's also a new design in the works, which I'm eager to get underway. After several false starts, however, one thing has become painfully clear: The core concept works, but I've not yet landed on the right stitch

Since my top priorities this year are to focus and finish, we all know what I should be doing. Instead, I'm succumbing to temptation and indulging in some swatching. 


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4 comments:

  1. If you finish a swatch, the does still count as finishing something...right? :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am loving the reds and red/white ...is that going to be a pattern for sale?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love it, too, Helen, but have not yet found the right design for it. I see more experimentation in the future, and hopefully it will turn into something tangible one day soon :)

      Delete

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