There is an incredible amount of conscious math and logic involved in this art...we all know there are subconscious measurements required to make lifelike portraits, but in knitting, pattern creation, and pattern following, I have to stop and COUNT so many things so that I don't have to buy 50 extra skiens of yarn--mostly for the "bobbins" (and there are a LOT of bobbins; the number has risen to 42, plus 5 yarn skeins!) The conscious logic I found mostly to be in organizing the pattern differently; I had printed them out to be book-like, so 2 consecutive left-right segments would sometimes be back-front on a page--but then I realized how much easier it would be to see them both at the same time! So a few minutes were taken to work out how to get a whole page-row to show side by side, without leaving the next page-row invisible because it's on the back of the "current" row. Now I just need the time to print them...
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At last! The microfeathers are nearly over, and each row won't take 1 to 1.5 hours because of a miscount at the beginning of the needle! I also realized that this and projects like it teach you to plan ahead, sometimes quite far...in reaching the long feathers, I've realized that most of the lines draw all the way to the end of the wing, so instead of wasting time weaving all the way across, I'll save time by giving each its own "bobbin..." but I must make sure that the bobbin has enough string without wasting too much. The picture didn't quite get all of them (they're hiding underneath the blanket), but I have 31 "bobbins" consisting of crocheted "circles" and 7 skeins of yarn. I realized that tying all of the long-feather bobbins together greatly decreases time wasted untangling them (after wasting much time untangling them), but this doesn't help when the "idle" needles continue to attack the skein strings.
It is sad that I must wear a mask to knit; this particular type of yarn is so fibrous that it's like working in a sawmill, or rug-beating. It is also sad that I've finally reached the wings--after all the wonderful fast-paced progress, the big solid patches of color are over. I might not be able to get all 15 rows per day with all the little alternating stitches of color...On the other hand, I learned this week that my knitting techniques are a combination of "intarsia" and "stranding"--but I haven't found the name of the weaving that I do much more than stranding.
It's so wonderful to see visible progress! Plus I've hit the quarter-point on the white horse, which means I just have to haul palms and forget all other projects if I want it done by Almond Festival. I have so many new projects to work on afterward--it's always the way, so many things I want to start, so little time to do them! If I'm lucky, I'll be able to finish the blanket early and have a couple of them for the festival, as well!
...On another note, Craftsy has made patterns easier to acquire than Etsy, with fewer fees--check it out! |
Author and ArtistI finally realize the importance of the dated progress page...it shows just how much I'm actually working! Archives
September 2021
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