Variety is the Spice of Life

I recently published a new pattern.  It took quite a long while to get the pattern written up, for a couple of reasons.  First of all, the yarn I had made the original prototype from (a couple years ago) had been discontinued.  Secondly, I wanted to include several sizes in the instructions, and wanted to actually knit them up and make sure they worked.  And thirdly, I had made a number of similar tams which were variations on the theme, and wanted to include these ideas as possible variations for the pattern. 

This particular tam was inspired by some beautiful, bright, rainbow-colored yarn with long color repeats.  The tam is constructed using kite-shaped wedges for the top, and I thought it would be fun to make a tam in which each wedge would be a different color of the rainbow.  I tried it with Bernat Mosaic yarn, and it worked pretty well.

The tam was colorful...really colorful.  I knitted the body of the tam, then worked a section of ribbing with a couple rows of bobbles.  It looked pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.

But when I found out the yarn had been discontinued, I had to find something else.  I settled on

Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable, which not only had a long color repeat, but also a lovely sheen.  I loved the Dragonfly colorway, and quickly worked a tam up.  It worked!

The yarn fairly glowed.  And the bobble rows turned out different colors, just like in the other tam.

I made tams in a couple of other colorways, and then faced a new decision.  I had made a very similar tam in this modular technique, using two colors of yarn.  Should I include the directions for this as a variation to my pattern?  Or should I publish it separately, on its own?

I got some yarn in two colors (solid colors this time), and tried working up the new pattern in two colors.  I figured that I could write it up as a variation to the pattern.  I did this, but called it by a different name (The Zigzag Tam) to distinguish it from the original (The Victoria Tam).

 I began thinking about other possible variations.  The tam could be made in just one color, for a textured effect, or in two colors with one for the tam top and one for the body.

 And what about using a variegated yarn with a shorter repeat?

 Finally, I remembered that I had made a modular tam several years ago in which each kite-shaped motif was a different color.  So I included that as well, for inspiration.

After making multiple tams in several sizes and variations, I finally got the pattern completed.  And here it is...Ta Da!!  It's available on Craftsy, Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/knitting/accessory/the-victoria-tam/112073
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-victoria-tam
https://www.etsy.com/listing/202953589/the-victoria-tam-digital-download?ref=shop_home_active_5

 

DIY Christmas Gift Ideas #4

Reversible Brioche Rib Cap and Neckwarmer

Today's handmade gift idea is a warm, cozy, cushy stocking cap and/or a matching neckwarmer.  The Reversible Brioche Rib Cap is suitable for either a man or a woman.  It is warm and stretchy, and fits a range of head sizes.  The matching Reversible Brioche Rib Neckwarmer is a fun accessory which can be worn in different ways to create different looks.  One ball of each color should make both a cap and a neckwarmer.

The Brioche Rib stitch may sound daunting to some, but it is actually not difficult to do.  In fact, I find the basic stitch to be good for relatively mindless knitting.  Because it is knitted in two colors, it looks more complex than it is.  Shhh...don't tell anyone that only one color is knitted at a time!  The basic fabric has only a two-row repeat for the cap (which is knitted in the round), and a four-row repeat for the neckwarmer (which is knitted flat).  The most complex part of the cap pattern is the decreases for the crown, and the most complex part of the neckwarmer pattern is working the buttonhole.  The two-color brioche rib fabric has one color predominant on one side, and the other color predominant on the other side.  The patterns for these accessories contain tips and many photos of the techniques used in the projects, to help you knit the item successfully.

The neckwarmer can be worn in so many ways!  It is fastened by a button, and can be worn with the fastener in the front, in back, or on either side.  Wear it over or under your coat, depending on your mood.  The collar can be worn up or down, or with one side up and one down, to create many different looks.  See this blog post for ideas:  An Unexpected Opportunity for Creativity  In the meantime, here are a few photos to get the creative juices flowing:

These fun projects work up relatively quickly, and either or both would make a great gift!


Visit Mountain Mist's Craftsy Pattern Store »

Meet My Model, or, The Pleasures of Photographing Product

The Lovely, if  Lopsided, Miss Fiberworks

As my human model wasn’t available today, I had to improvise. I do have a few head forms, as well as a dress form that I use in a pinch, but I don’t have a head to use with my dress form, and I wanted to photograph a hat and its matching scarf.

When you have an Etsy shop, you get used to eyeing everything in your house with photo props in mind. At least, I do.  So out came a folding slide projector table whose accompanying projector is long since deceased, a wooden stool, a head form, a blouse and a cardigan. And so, Miss Fiberworks was born.

I stacked the stool on top of the table, and clothed it with the blouse and cardigan. This looked like a stool with clothes draped over it; so I went looking for some towels to pad the shoulders, so that the form would at least somewhat resemble a human body. I placed a folded towel on the stool, to raise the head level a bit, as the head seemed oddly short when placed on top of the stool. I rolled the other towel, and curved it around the back of the head and out to the sides to create shoulders.

Head and Shoulders Ready for Clothes

It was necessary to thread my arm up through the sleeves of the garments, to pull the “shoulders” into the correct position, and even then they looked slightly askew.  She looked very odd from the side (Sorry, Miss F.!) but fortunately I didn’t plan to photograph the scarf from the side or back, so that was okay.

One nice thing about Miss F. is that she is very patient while I fiddle around with the product. Not a single fidget or complaint—I was very proud of her. Her expression can be a bit stiff at times, though.

Doesn’t she look jaunty? As long as I keep her legs out of the picture, I think she’ll work out okay.

If you want to see the finished result, check out these listings in my shop:

Indian Corn Striped Knitted Cap
Indian Corn Striped Knitted Scarf