I wouldn't rip out at the neck. The problem happened when you divided for sleeves, you put the sleeves in the front and back instead of the sides. So I'd rip back to where you divided for sleeves and turn it there. It's a pain to redo almost the whole body, but at least you're not undoing colourwork. I always find that if you rip out the neck, you'll have a line where you switch from knitting up to knitting down.
Undulation is a flowing, up-and-down movement like the motion of waves. Have you ever looked out over the ocean and watched the water flow up and down in waves? If so, you watched undulation, which is exactly that type of movement. Undulation is what I thought of when i saw the sweater with red thread over and under the cream threads in your sweater. The railway trail sure looks a mess after the hurricane. Struggled to walk past those stinky goats along the path. Tx for another great episode.
I love the fabric distinction as a first step. It's exactly where I am right now as I seem to want to make lots of everyday sweaters and the variation is truly endless. Thanks so much for sharing all your beautiful work!
So much fun to join you Beth! Of course had to do a wonderful stash dive and see what combos I could come up with for your latest Dimond Laine Vest... and yes I totally agree about the weights in Ravelry, and I regularly go into all sorts of thicknesses in stash to find the right weight I need... a very fun search, and definitely so fun to make my TAG groups for patterns. As usual, I'm also looking forward to your upcoming designs... I'm so ready to embrace some cooler days here... I'm definitely a pluviophile, plus I love the grey, cool days. Enjoy the descent into Autumn, look forward to next time, Cheers, Judith 💜💚
Hello from NS 🦞 Great episode as usual...so informative! Regarding Jeff's "FFS" sweater, it looks like the short rows for the back are now on the side. Ripping it back to the sleeve separation and turning it is the solution, no?? Super fun design. I love the glasses!!!
Hi yes that was exactly the problem. I had hoped to just cut out the neckline and redo but the short rows were too close to the colorwork. So yes, I ripped back the body to the sleeve separation. Back on track now 😅❤
New vest suggested name: Joan of Arc or Jeanne d'Arc. I'll definitely be applying to the test knit for this one....would love to do long sleeves in the 3x2 rib! ❤
Beautiful designs, as always! I need more hours in my day to get to everything I want to do. Hope your fur baby had a lovely playdate. Happy knitting 💚🧶💚
I really love your conversations around understanding the yarn''s properties and how to mix and interchange them effectively. Experimenting can be a bit of an adventure! The vests are so beautiful as if the slipstitch boxy pullover design coming up. Congratulations on all your creativity and thanks!
You awesome as always.. dont apologize for yr brain cos we have no control over it. And haha that's me every day so how I manage to knit fabulous things amazes me.. keep being you girl. 😂😂😊😊😊😊❤
Thanks as always for a peek inside your design process. I also go in color phases - currently blues-purple-pinks -- but that won’t last too long! I LOVE that new cable design - so pretty and thoughtful! 💕 Lorien
For your un-named vest: Butterfly (of course can use in different languages) another name: Tethered and lastly Defining....Hope that helps Thanks for yarn discussion - want more on that topic. Picked out some drapey yarn and having quite a difficult time finding the right pattern - do not want the neck line to grwo etc.
Oh yes - that is a concern with drapey yarn. Maybe just know that the neckline of whatever you choose to knit will need reinforcement like a single crochet round after the ribbing. I have done that quite a bit with fabrics I know will grow. Good luck!
Thank you for talking about the yarn and the fabric it makes, then choosing a pattern. I’ve just been knitting a year and it’s very helpful to learn from your experience. I look forward to trying one of your patterns as my skills grow. Thank you ❤️
Hi Beth , love your vests , I made the Gans vest by Albiona , great pattern , I want to a scrap yarn vest , any ideas ? Thanks loads , Fiona from Munich I saw pascuali yarns today 😮
Arent they lovely!?!?! Such a great yarn company... Scrap yarn vest, hmmm, I would do something simple for that. You could knit the Dimond Laine Vest just omit the colorwork and change yarns as needed. Basically, I would just look for a simple vest design with minimal extraneous details and go for that. Good luck!
I think the fabric conversation is important. I find that I like 'basic' designs that I can modify by changing sleeves, length, ribbing, etc. I have a v-neck top that I have knit 4 times with different fans and other mods that takes that one pattern from very casual tee in a cotton blend, to a tunic, to a dressy alpaca version. The yarn dictates my options.
I so appreciate how open you are with your upcoming designs and your design process. I love seeing things come to life from start to finish and hearing about what works and doesn't along the way.
That was such valuable information that you presented I really enjoyed the discussion of the types of fabric verses yarn weights…and the design results, it got me thinking of how wonderful it would be if you gave a class on this … I may be dreaming but how fun would it be to have a retreat in Bermuda with you sharing these ideas! You’re my favorite knitting podcast/designer. 💕
Thank you for your podcast, love all of your designs. Agree with your comments and many others on this thread. Hardest thing for me in knitting is yarn substitution. I will look at it differently by starting with gauge versus the “weight”. Great advice. Thanks
Oh yes, go the route of gauge and honestly dont even look at what the vendor says is the weight. I find that so misleading. Good luck and happy knitting!
You are so right with your information when we are dealing with yarn weights. I find they are rarely what the label states and fibre content can change everything as far as fit and wearability. People are afraid to create their own knitted items, even when using a pattern. I often find the fabric suggested is too loose for my liking and I often change to my preferred fabric. It’s all math in the long run and so easy to change. I learned this after many fit failures. It’s so much more fun to take a pattern and change it to your liking or create something from scratch thanks for the information. I’m sure will be able to change the outcome of their garments by paying attention to yarn weight and fibre content love your new vest.🧶🇨🇦
I absolutely love the "armor" vest. Can't wait for this pattern. I already bought a yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed which is 50% wool, 25% alpaca, 25% viscose. Do you think this yarn will work well for this design?
Oooh I LOVE Rowan Felted Tweed. It is in my mind one of those yarns that is not totally correctly labelled. It does work out to a DK (sort of) after blocking as the bloom is tremendous. But it really knits like a sport weight. Also the ply is better suited for colorwork, where a round multi-strand ply (5 + is ideal) for cables. Not sure if it is plump enough or round enough for this cabled vest. So sorry to say... Furthering my chat about yarn weights; the Pascuali Charis is labeled as a DK but it definitely knits up like a worsted. Such a shame! Always go to the suggested gauge on a ball band and ignore the other info. ❤❤❤
The cowl pattern will be out the week of Cakepalooza which is the event that it is designed for. I am aiming for Oct 16th for the publication but honestly it may go out late on the 15th since the 16th is a travel day for me. Thanks!
Thank you for inspiring me to order a cone of british 4 ply yarn in GB.I like to knit the purple vest .Are these two vest the same pattern ? Greetings from Germany.
How about ‘Clarias’ for the vest. It’s the name of a living Pacoderm, the walking catfish. It has armor. But it kind of reminds me of Clarice for Silence of the Lambs. 😮lol I have to catch up on wips so I can cast on some of your patterns! ❤
As lisas.4448 said, thank you for your Ted Talk. As a new, plus size knitter, I struggle with learning how to construct a strong enough garment that can handle its own weight as well as have a nice drape. A lot of consideration needs to go into selecting yarns and patterns. Thanks for everything you're doing!
Oh yes that is a really good point; strength for weight and not compromising drape... You may find it best to go for a lighter weight yarn by spin which would be a woolen spun and then knit on a slightly larger gauge for a bit of drape. Worsted spun is a denser yarn and may add too much weight which would really show in the shoulder and neckline areas, I'd be very cautious using a superwash yarn as it has lost all of its elasticity and inherent strength in the superwash process. Hope this helps!
Love your podcasts, designs and this talk about fibers and fabric. Key factors for me are reducing pilling and warmth. I crave soft and airy, at least sometimes, but the extra insulation of mohair and cashmere don’t serve me well at 55, and I am one of those unlucky people that react to alpaca. Plus they are just so warm! Some chainette merinos offer a lovely, light fabric with halo at first but then pill like crazy (worse than cashmere in my experience) requiring lots of maintenance and not really ever looking as good as they did before being loved. Your cotton second strand might really be an excellent alternative for these reasons, even if not so light. So you think that is the case or does the density of the resulting fabric play the central role? I would love to hear your thoughts on the range of gauges we can play with using various fibers but the impacts on wear. Thank you for always encouraging learning and play. And, yes, the struggle for a word or a quick pivot is very relatable!
Thank you! Yes I would definitely think the Pascuali Suave would be perfect for you. It is light and not too hot but works like a suri alpaca or mohair. Also it creates a lovely cohesive fabric if you like to knit loose for drape and air flow (when held with another yarn). Oh do try it! It sounds like it would be perfect for your needs! Good luck and happy knitting
Do you usually have more than one project going at a time, or do you tend to focus on one piece at a time? I’m making an afghan for my grandson and it’s so tedious. There are 250 stitches casted on and sometimes I only do one or two rows at night because of how slow going it is! 😂
Oh definitely! I usually have around 3 or 4 on the needles. Only one active design though, I cant devote the necessary attention if there are more active new designs. So usually I have a new design, something that someone else designed, a re-knit of one of my designs and a sock on the go at one time. It does help especially with the larger more time consuming projects. ❤
I love your work. I admire your creativity so much. I jumped back into the knitting world in January after a very long hiatus. My question is, do you ever buy any sweaters? If you see something in a store that you love, do you buy it? Or are all your sweaters handmade? I live in Michigan and I have a huge collection of cashmere sweaters that I wear all winter. So I was just curious as to whether you have any store bought sweaters,, and if you see something you love do you just buy it or just reproduce it yourself? Thanks!
I actually dont even look at new sweaters. I've been knitting for so long now and far appreciate the handknits over the store bought. I think I may have one or two store bought sweaters still in my closet but I have those because one is my Mothers old cashmere cardigan that she wore as her high school uniform here in the 50's (cant get rid of that) and I have another gauzy cardigan that I just couldnt be bothered to knit myself (its very much like the Hitofude Cardigan by Hiroko Fukatsu - although as I write this, I think I should just knit this one too!). 😂😂❤❤❤
Very very worthful and clever information about fabric and yarnchoice. Very useful for all kind of knitters. The diamond Laine Vest is a fantastic design and I will be knitting it for sure, In Denmark we have a very skilled yarndyer of luxurious yarns A knitters world - take a look on her . I will make my yarnchoice by her. Enjoy the pre-autum and thank you for today.
Thank you sooo much for your fiber/fabric "Ted Talk" 😊 and sharing your expertise and experience. It made worlds of sense and is very valuable information that I don't think would be readily available to us non-designers/non-professionals. I learn so much when you share your approach and thought process, and appreciate you so much for sharing your knowledge and thoughts! 🙏
I appreciate your fabric advice. What I don’t know is how to go about that. I don’t really have a stash, so either use recommended yarn or Get some help from my LYS on a substitution. I suppose with a lot of experience, one acquires more knowledge of how yarns cooperate with one another to create different fabrics. Thank you. Love the vest!
When I saw your new vest design, the name I thought of right away is the "Flying V's Vest." If you made the design as a summer tee, it could be the "Flying V Tee."😊
Great advice about yarn. I buy my yarn to match a specific project and not the other way around. It’s too difficult for me to make yarn work for a weight that it wasn’t designed for. As always, beautiful designs.
Yes that's a great way to go about it. Hard here since we dont have a yarn store so I'm forced to do it the other way around. Whatever works eh?!?! Thank you!
Hi sorry - yes the link for the Granny Square generator has now been corrected. Not sure what happened there. All of my knits are shown on my Ravelry Project page and my Ravelry handle is BethMacDonaldStone which is noted at the top of my show notes. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!
I really love watch g you lovely podcast. You have so many lovely sweater patterns and this new cowl is absolutely gorgeous. Can’t wait to see what you will name your beautiful sweaters. Tchau amiga 💖
Love your unarmed sweater. Since you fell in love with the yarn maybe it should be you “ Summer Love” sweater ha ha. Love your socks also. I also got the club and can’t wait to start mine. ❤
Around Yo Go With Entredeux! That’s all I could think of. What a beautiful sweater. Can’t wait to knit it. I was an heirloom seamstress so that was fun to see in a different medium.
Hi Beth! I just wanted to make sure that you know. M&J Trimmings are closing. They've already closed online. Their brick and mortar is also closing. The official word is December, but rumor has it it's more like October. I doubt they are restocking anything. Just an FYI.
Thanks for the company while I knit! You are so prolific with your designs!! (I love how casually you mention designs that you have designed but haven't published...like it's no big thing!) 💕xo-Kate P.S. The reminder to focus on the things we can control was timely. 😊
Thanks Kate! You'd be surprised at how many I have knit and not published - all part of the process for sure! Thanks so much for watching and looking forward to seeing you all very soon!❤
