Koishe one
January 26, 2014
Like raked gravel in a zen garden, this project was a study in calm. Koishe one is done. What could have been balls of black linen yarn sitting indefinitely until inspiration struck, this modern knit linen blanket almost rose on it’s own from the remnants of the aborted sweater project from last fall. It seems that once the yarn was doubled and a suitable stitch pattern revealed itself, it was all done except for the knitting. And, the pattern being what it was, that went quickly as well. The end result was even better than I had imagined; beautiful hand , weight and drape with a richly textured bobble on one side reversing to a deep ridge on the other. I’m starting to think that this is what that yarn wanted to be all along. I should have known. What could be more simplequietmodern than a black linen blanket?
Home Stretch
November 20, 2013
Eighteen hundred yards in and a few hundred more to go before binding off, it’s nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And, with the holidays drawing nearer, it’ll be nice to have this off the sticks. I gotta say, it’s a big thick lapful of linen blanket…and it’s shown folded in half.
Second Chances
October 3, 2013
I was determined to find a perfect application for the 1800 plus yards of black linen that were left in the wake of the aborted test knit project. So, I got to it…knitting up swatch after swatch on sticks sized 2 and up. It soon became clear to me that this particular yarn wasn’t the perfect medium for a garment…at least not for me. Then what? Another blanket? Knitting with the yarn doubled proved to be successful, particularly in this simple stitch configuration that ends in a deep narrow rib on one side of the fabric and a textural bobble on the flip. Looks like we may have a simplequietmodern winner.
I got an A…
September 24, 2013
but my yarn selection got a failing grade. After finishing the body of this test knit I realized that the black linen yarn I was using had a life of its own. Growing and stretching under its own weight, all of the fabric that I had worked into this Mens Sankai by Kirsten Johnstone had become, more accurately, a linen pup tent or car cover. Seriously. That’s how important it is to match the right yarn to the project…or perhaps the needles to the yarn. After much deliberation it’s clear that no heroic measures are called for here…no resuscitation…just the pulling of the plug. Please join me in a moment of silence.
This is only a test
June 11, 2013
And, as it happens, I’ve always done pretty well with tests. So, let’s see what happens this time, after some brief study…a quick round-up of materials and tools. Stay tuned.
simplequietmodern 