In Defence of the Humble Swatch

Yes, I said the S word!

Swatching gets a pretty bad rap in knitting circles. I'm guessing the same is true for crochet circles. It's that boring first part of your project that slows you down from jumping into the fun part.

And depending what your project is it can seem a bit pointless. I confess, if I'm working with a yarn I'm very familiar with, in a stitch pattern I've used with it before, I have a tendency to just jump in. Especially if it's an item that doesn't need to fit someone, like a shawl or blanket. Or a tote bag. If these are bit larger or smaller than the designer's measurements, they're still useful. Scarves fit in this category too.

However if you're not familiar with the yarn or haven't used it  with a particular stitch pattern, it's usually best to try it out. This gives you a chance to try the stitch pattern without committing to the full project. Or check if a color combination really looks like you hope it will.

Someone once said to me that as a designer it must be nice not having to swatch. I laughed. 

As a designer I do far more swatching than you'd probably imagine. Do these stitch patterns look good next to one another? Will I have weird floats if I pair stitch pattern X with V and W. Is there enough contrast between Color C and Color D? Do I prefer the single color version or the two color version? This doesn't look "right" in fingering weight, but what if I try it in worsted? I've never tried this technique, *grabs a ball of yarn and some needles, proceeds to teach self new-to-me thing*...

I have a lot of swatches around from my various experiments. And where my back isn't in a good place the last couple days, I'm working on yet another one.

This probably looks a bit familiar to you if you've followed me for any bit of time. It's 3 color 2 pattern double-knitting which I tried out last year with this swatch:

Last year's swatch was to familiarize myself with 3 color double-knitting, both knitting it without creating a tangle and charting it effectively. I used yarns in my stash that happened to be all the same brand and yarn line (Bernat Satin if you're curious) in a worsted weight yarn. I find worsted weight perfect for experimenting like this. It's light enough that carrying several strands doesn't feel cumbersome. At the same time I can see the pattern without straining my eyes or it feeling too delicate to examine.

My current swatch is also yarn from my stash (Briggs & Little Sport) which I'd describe as a heavy fingering/sport weight as that's the weight I want to use for the eventual pattern.

There are other design elements that will be in this swatch as I work on it that I want to see knit up. Having a chart you like doesn't necessarily mean that it looks how you want it to when it's knit. I think this swatch's chart might be included in the pattern as the test piece so it can be used for color selections and to familiarize the knitter before launching into the main project. Double-knitting requires a decent amount of contrast between the colors and that can take playing a bit to find a combination you like and that works. Especially when using 3 colors.

I'm also playing with colors a bit. Not necessarily a color combination either; on that I'm not 100% settled yet. I'm considering if I want to use a variegated for one of them, for instance. I want to see how much of each color is used compared to the others. I'm guessing I'll use more green and purple than yellow, but how more? Will the green and purple be more or less equal in use? Or will there be a clear "this color uses more than the other 2"?

Which of course leads to gauge. How many stitches and rows am I getting to the standard 4 inch (or 10cm) square? And by comparing yarn usage to the gauge and the total stitches in my charts, I can figure out how much yarn this whole project will take. I have a rough idea already, extrapolating from a standard 2 pattern double-knitting design of mine. Is that a  reasonable assumption for 3 color 2 pattern double-knitting? I don't know yet!

And so, I swatch. 

Are you swatching today? Or jumping straight to casting on something new? I've admitted I do it, so absolutely no judgement here :)

Yours in yarn and swatching,

Síle

Light Reel Cowl is updated!

Good morning, everyone!

It's re-release day here at Knit Dance Repeat Designs! And I'm happy to say it's the Light Reel Cowl 🔗 (within site link) that's gotten it's refresh!

Once again I worked with the talented Krista of Krista Dani Photography 🔗 (link to Facebook page), and I'm so pleased with the new photos! It was hard to narrow down which to use on pattern pages and for the main photo in the pattern!! Here's a sample:

What else has changed with the re-release?

Most of it is purely cosmetic: new photos, my logo is in place, I fixed up the headings.

The biggest change is to the low vision pdf. I changed from 22 point san serif font to 24 point. I fully justified everything; my page numbers weren't before, sorry about that!! But the biggest change was eliminating abbreviations and making sure the file is screen reader accessible as well as low vision accessible! It took some time to get it right but I hope it opens this pattern up to more knitters. I have tested this capability using VoiceOver, the built-in voice accessibility tool on iPhones and iPads. 

In honor of the re-release, as I mentioned on Saturday, for today (March 14, 2022) only, the Light Reel Cowl can be purchased for 10% off with the coupon code NEWDANCE. 

That makes two patterns of 12 updated. Which one's next? Stay tuned!

Yours in yarn and lightly reeling through the day 😉,

Síle

Whatever Happened to Pattern Updates...

If you read any of my January posts, you might recall my intention to re-release my current patterns with the photos updated and logo in place. Garden Blooms got its update in January. Unfortunately February got away from me.

But! Monday I'll be re-releasing another. And this one I've not only got new photos to show off. I've edited the large print/low vision pdf from 22 point font to 24 point font, and also for screen reader compatibility. I have checked this using my phone's VoiceOver accessibility function, which I believe is the same built-in feature on iPads. Hopefully that means it will work with other screen readers as well. It's my intention to do this with all of my patterns that have the large print/low vision pdf included, which means future patterns as well.

Because this is a re-release I'm offering a 10% off code on this pattern, good for Monday (March 14) only. The code is NEWDANCE. This is only good on Monday, for this specific pattern.

Check back Monday to find out which pattern has a new look!

Yours in yarn and dropped hints,

Síle

Welcome, March

I can't believe I've been in Newfoundland for 10 years today. That chance to move somewhere I'd never even seen has paid off big time in so many ways. Not that there haven't been rough spots. But that's life. I don't believe anyone goes through without a bump or two in the road. Cheers to us on 10 years together, Newfoundland 🥂

I happily finished the Hornpipe Bag on the weekend. 

I'm in the process of going over the pattern and after photos are done and decided on, it will be off to my techeditor. Keep your eyes open for the test knit when those steps are completed.

What am I working on now?

So glad you asked! I'm preparing the next pattern re-release, to be out later this month. Watch this space!

I put a teaser out on Instagram today for my currently in my hands WIP. Here's the photo and my post:

"My Hornpipe Bag is finished and after I get done going through the pattern and working with my favourite photog to get the best pics, it'll go to my brilliant techeditor. And then will come test knitting.

But until then I'm working on a little something I can't show you just yet 😉 I can tell you it's worsted/aran weight (my sample is in this gorgeous "Blue Mix" Briggs & Little Tuffy (80% wool, 20% nylon)), unisex, and suitable for most knitters. It uses knits, purls, yarn overs (yo), knitting through back loops (K tbl) , purling through back loops (P tbl), knit 2 togethers (K2tog), knit 2 together through their back loops (K2tog tbl), and purl 2 together (P2tog). Instructions will be written line by line and charted, with a separate pdf that is low vision accessible and (hopefully I get this part right; thank goodness for a brilliant techeditor) screen reader accessible. 

I'm aiming for the end of August so we have time to make it together 😉 in time for colder weather.

Stay tuned!

[Image: 3 balls of wool of varying sizes and a hank of the same wool. The color of all is dark denim blue with some black heathering.]

#SíleKnits #SíleAtWork #SíleDropsBigHints #KnitDanceRepeatDesigns #NewDesign #UpcomingPattern #UpcomingMKAL 😉 #CanadianWool #WoolLove #BriggsAndLittleTuffy #BriggsAndLittle #GottaLoveWhenThePerfectWoolsInYourStash"

How's that for a teaser? 

In all seriousness, I'm really looking forward to this idea. The knitting is going fast! I love when a design just flows like this. It feels really good.

As I'm sure you're aware, there's additional conflict in our world with Russia invading Ukraine. Correction: Putin invading Ukraine. Many Russians are completely against these actions, and have been arrested for protesting them. With the continued bombing of Yemen by Saudi Arabia, the US bombing Syria, and Haiti still reeling from last year's earthquake, many people are in dire circumstances around our world.

It's unsettling to see these things from the comfort of our homes. I can't begin to imagine what it's like to experience it first hand. People are in dire situations and I'm a believer in helping those needing it no matter where they are. If you're able to please consider donating to organizations that are helping the people in these awful circumstances that are completely out of their control. I know there are various agencies doing very important work world wide. I'm going to give some links that are located in Canada. Most large aid agencies have sites/chapters in many countries, and replacing "ca" or "Canada" with your own country's abbreviation or name in the url should bring you to the right place. 

Canadian Red Cross🔗 there are campaigns for Syria, Yemen, Haiti, Ukraine, and other places. The Red Cross works directly with the Red Crescent to provide much needed funds for medical supplies and essentials for refugees in Muslim predominant countries as well as their direct works.

UNICEF Canada🔗 There's a campaign for Ukraine on the front page, and campaigns for other places like Haiti and Syria can be found by using the search bar on the site. 

Canada Helps🔗 This site brings together many more campaigns and agencies working around the world to help in war torn areas and those devastated by natural disasters. 

And while we're talking about people that need help, the First Nations people of Canada have continued to find the remains of children near the so-called schools that were sent to after being stolen from their families and communities to be "educated". In truth they were beaten, tortured, raped, murdered, and traumatized. It's only recently come to public light the numbers of children murdered. I believe the current number found is 5,296. This link is to a blog post with links to 10 First Nations initiatives🔗 that can use financial support

Yours in yarn and humanity,

Síle