Why the #$%!@?! Yarn Restrictions?

I probably should have written about this in my initial CAL post, but the fact is that I am so annoyingly verbose when it comes to things like this that if I had, no one would have ever gotten around to reading the explanation. Instead, I'm giving the topic it's own post, so I can be as wordy as I please. Feel free to skip this if you are not creating-along!

The madness does have purpose, and it was a choice on my part, which I stand by even though I have about seven designs that I'm playing around with now and only one of them is in one of the create-along yarns.

Purpose the First:* One of my favorite recent knitting books is Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature. Gaughan talks extensively in the book about how she is more creative when she has a limitation, and in each of the six parts she introduces the pieces, both individually and as a group, by writing about each limitation - a shape found commonly in nature. This device wasn't invented by Gaughan. If you ever took a high school art or writing class you were probably asked to do the same thing: "Here is a theme that everyone has to work with, see what you can do with it."

I think most of us creative types chafe at these restrictions initially, but it is absolutely fascinating to see what different people do with the same limitation. It really forces you to start to think outside of the box and it gives an insight as to the perspectives and visions of others. I actually find that the first time I work with a theme it is difficult, but that during the process I come up with all kinds of ideas for working with the theme in the future. Sometimes we have to create that first idea in order to be able to move past it. A yarn limitation gives everyone a starting point (and in this case a choice of five starting points), but it's much less restrictive than suggesting that we all attempt to design around the concept of phyllotaxis. Agreed?

Purpose the Second: Yarn is a big part of design, and the way that a particular yarn behaves can make or break a piece. One of the hardest things to figure out as a new knitter or a new designer is how a particular yarn is going to affect the final garment. The second scarf that I ever made was an eyelet pattern in thick, chunky wool. Now if you are intending to break the rules and use big needles to make an over-sized modern scarf that is one thing, but I was fully expecting a lacy, drapey piece that conveyed elegance. My tweedy wool scarf with occasional holes did not achieve that goal. With many people using the same yarn, there can be significant discussion about its characteristics, and we can all learn more about the limits of certain fabrics. The particular yarns we chose are all yarns that Marnie and I have worked with before and have on hand. I chose the Premiere and Cotton Classic, she picked the Calmer and Denim, and we threw in the Kidsilk Haze because it's something we both have that can work in spring weather. Although I know it's ass cold in most parts this time of year, most of us will finish our projects in spring or summer, so it made sense to work with a warm-weather array of fibers.

I feel that our knowledge of these fibers is important for several reasons. First, we have yarn available to design something in each of the yarn selections during the course of the create-along. This will keep us active in the blogging process and in the process of helping other -alongers. We're also sure to have an example of at least one project made in each yarn. As we design there will inevitably be tips we remember that are yarn-specific. Working with each one keeps us present in the process. Second, we already know what these yarns are capable of, and can help guide create-alongers in their process if they are struggling with the materials. Third, and this is important to me, we know these yarns will wear well over all and that the quality of the create-along projects will not be compromised if you use them. It would devastate me if someone designed something for the first time and it looked terrible after only a few wearings. Although some of these yarns are more resilient than others, they are all reliable and you should be able to get significant use out of them.

Purpose the Third: Whenever you design a piece, you will come up against some type of limitation, and usually you will have several. It may be what yarn you have in your stash, the amount of yarn in a certain dyelot, or a specific color or set of colors. If you go on to design for publication, or if you have already designed for publication, you will find/have found that even more limitations are placed on you. In fact, unless you design for a specific yarn company or yarn in particular it will be pretty common for the publishers to look at your design concept and pick yarn and colors for you. Boy, oh boy, is that fun! (I'm not a fan of this convention, as you can see.)

Given this nearly universal propensity for limitations on design, I thought we could use it as a unifying principle. I think knitalongs work best when there is a common theme. I didn't want to go with choosing a specific type of project to design, because I wanted to attract knitters from a variety of skill levels in both design and knitting. I'm hoping that through this process we can take some of the mystery out of design and make it more accessible to everyone. Not all knitters will be interested, but I'd love it if those who are interested would be less intimidated. I feel that if you can start out with more simplistic shaping more people will join. I also think that the common theme of a few yarns can be cohesively repeated. If this is a success, we can do it again with fall yarns, and attract a different set of knitters.

*I've been reading too much Thomas Hardy. This is how he labels the parts of Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Anyone remember that book from school?

Photos, from top to bottom: River in Kidsilk Haze; Citrus Moon in Pima Tencel (same fiber content as Premiere); Thelma in Rowan Denim; Birch in Kidsilk Haze; Tea Set in Cotton Classic; and Marnie's Deciduous in Calmer.

Welcome to the Create-Along

I have always been a pretty crappy knit-alonger. I like the idea of the knit-along in theory. I love the community experience, and I value the knowledge that knitters are able to share when we make something together. It's the practice of the knit-along that gets me. I love to see cool variations of a project, but by the time I get around to knitting myself, I've seen the piece everywhere and lose interest, even if it is wonderful.



A swatch of stitch patterns for one of my designs.

I long to find blogs showcasing new and original pieces, and to find knitters who create projects that I haven't seen before or that put an interesting twist on a well-known theme. I came up with the idea of the create along (CAL) in the hopes that I could have the best of all worlds - the community spirit and shared wisdom and the originality.

The create along was also inspired by my desire to draw more people into designing. I think that a lot of knitters are intimidated by design if they haven't attempted it before. But the fact is you don't have to start by making a fitted sweater with set-in sleeves. If design intimidates you, you can start small. Play with a stitch pattern and see where it leads. You may start with a rectangular wrap or a baby sweater with minimal shaping. Begin inside your comfort zone and then move out as you feel more confident.

Remember that you don't have to re-invent the wheel. A lot of what designers do is to simply combine elements that they see elsewhere and like. They find a stitch pattern that works well with a particular yarn and apply it to a silhouette, adding details - perhaps a notched collar, or bell sleeves. All of these things have been done before, the designer simply has the vision to put them together.



My "studio" at Chez W. last year and the just ducky pillow plans.

Being the geeks that we are, Marnie and I get together and talk about knitwear design ad nauseum. Between the spin-outs, road trips, and slumber parties (aka "business trips to LA"), we have had a lot of opportunity to discuss process together. I am always amazed by the different ways that we choose to attack the same problems, and the ways in which our initial creative processes meet and diverge. I've learned a lot in the course of our knit blab sessions, and I find the process of design an ever-fascinating topic. So fascinating, in fact, that I think it's worth having an entire blog about.

So here's the idea: we'll take five yarns (yarns which Marnie and I happen to have in our stashes - yay! - stash-busting!) and see what our group of Create-Alongers can do with them. The yarns, and our plans to design something original are the common thread, much as the design itself is in the usual knit-along.

Here are the rules:

1. You must use Classic Elite Premiere, Rowan Calmer, Rowan Denim, Tahki Cotton Classic, or Rowan Kidsilk Haze as the main yarn in your design. It is fine to go outside these choices for accents, but one of these yarns should be the main ingredient.

2. Design something original. It can be anything you want - simple, complex, garment, decor, art, whatever.

3. Write about your creative process. This can be your thought process, the actual knitting, mistakes, accidental triumphs, brilliant problem-solving, etc. Feel free to pose questions that others can answer in the comments or give us a little tutorial on a technique or discuss a source of inspiration. As long as it's related to your process (or someone else's), it's fair game. Please keep it to process, though. It's fine to introduce yourself, but please do it in a post with knitting content.

4. Create as many FO's as you like from as many yarns as you want to use on the list.

5. Start now! We'll most likely run from now until September-ish. We'll see how it goes.

Marnie and I will try to get everyone's creative juices flowing early on with posts on our projects and processes. I will be starting with Classic Elite Premiere, and she's kicking it off with Rowan Calmer. To join, e-mail us at create along (at) gmail dot com with the subject line JOIN and we'll send you an invite to the blog, so that you can post.

Go team Premiere!