Yes, and…

Yes, and…

When performing improvisationally, there is a “yes and” rule that says that you accept the contributions of other in the improv and that you always add your own bit as well.  Although I sometimes believe I am the boss of my designing and in total control, other days I have to admit that the design is ultimately an improvisation between myself, the yarn, and the pattern.  The pattern or the yarn try to tell me something and I need to say, “Yes, and….”

Last week I wrote about my current design and how it wasn’t working out.  This week the old yarn is rapidly being made into a sweater (LivedIn by Alicia Plummer).  I think it is happier in its life now that it is being held double and knit on size 10.5 needles.

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I swatched a new yarn, with a new stripe pattern.  Of my possible solutions last week, I implemented two of them: larger yarn (DK weight vs. fingering) and a new stripe pattern using some other stripe designs from my swatches back in November.  Now I have a very easy to memorize four row repeat for the main body of the shawl cardigan with less stitches overall and although there is still an eight row repeat in the border, it is also pretty easy to remember once you’ve done it a few times.

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At my knitting group, they asked why I wasn’t just holding the old yarn double with the new stripe pattern.  Although it’s working out great held double for a sweater that’s virtually all stockinette, I wouldn’t want to deal with the chainette yarn held double with a lot of stitch manipulation because it’s a bit splitty.

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