The Invasion of the Tomas Swatches

Posted in Design Process, Etrusca Top, Film, Gauge, Karabella Empire Silk, Personal, Random, Swatching, Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer, Vogue Knitting, Yarn, on 16 April 2008 - 7:59am

16_apr_002_web With each of my last few projects, the number of swatches I have done has steadily increased (I hope this trend doesn't continue!).  I've done multiple swatches for different reasons; for my project for an upcoming issue of Vogue Knitting, it was to find different stitch patterns that played well together, while for Etrusca, it was to find an assortment of yarns in different gauges that could be substituted for the Karabella Empire Silk I used-- and to choose among several stitch patterns.  The swatches pictured here are for the next project I hope to turn into a pattern for sale:  a top-down* (my first!!) raglan pullover using Tilli Tomas Fil de la Mer, a lovely, lovely yarn.  By the way, I'm NOT planning to incorporate all of these stitch patterns into one garment.

On a COMPLETELY different topic, I read in some trashy magazine at the gym that various actresses have "girl crushes" on Angelina Jolie, and I thought, "Hmm.  To each her own, I guess."  Then I wondered who my girl crush would be, and having recently seen A Bridge to Terabithia, Zooey Deschanel came to mind.  Then I saw this article about her recent CD release; in the article she is called a "crafty girl" who knits and crochets.  OK, found my girl crush.  Who's yours?!

*Knitting From the Top by Barbara Walker is a great book, but I kinda wish they'd update that cover photo.

4 Comments

4 Comments on this post:

Swatches are so much fun to look at! Next to sketches, they're my favorite things to peek at. And your swatches are gorgeous. I feel really lucky to have been able to see them in real life :) Thanks for bringing them along that day.

Posted by connie | 17 April 2008 - 3:10pm

Patty-- The swatch in the lower left-hand corner is a stitch pattern from a sweater designed by the peerless Norah Gaughan, in The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes. I spotted the stitch design in a photo in the Winter 2007 issue of IK; it was on page 12, in an article by Ms. Parkes about alpaca yarn. The photo was uncredited, so I emailed Ms. Parkes and she told me where to find the pattern. The diamond & cable stitch is so distinctive that I would never use it as is in one of my own patterns, but it was difficult to figure out just from looking at the photo, so I was curious as to how it was constructed, and I also wanted to see how it would look in a very different yarn than that used in the book.Misty--I'm a little nonplussed by the whole chapter on knitted pants, but that's part of the fun of that book.

Posted by Angela | 17 April 2008 - 6:21am

I know what you mean about the cover but I sure get a blast imaginging the knitted pants she describes, especially the lace harem pants to be worn over satin shorts. Wow.

Posted by Misty the Kneedler | 16 April 2008 - 6:39pm

in the lower left hand corner is a cable type swatch that reminds me of a diamond. Is this something you designed or is that swatch pattern to be found in a book. Of course, the next question is which book. I have a thing for geometric cables, who knew!

Posted by patty | 16 April 2008 - 10:42am

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