Ilga's Knitting World

Friday, November 06, 2009

Field and Forest

The idea to do a Landscape Collection began with this piece: Field and Forest.

As usual, I didn't start with the idea of the landscape as the theme. I just wanted to play around with some multi-directional knitting. It is the perfect approach for handpainted yarns, because the colours can be allowed to move as they will. The change in direction from vertical to horizontal to biased and back again takes care of the issues of pooling and striping.

What is normally a nuisance can become a "design feature".

Then when it came time to have the pattern tested and worked up in the larger, shawl size, I chose completely different colours. This time "Burnt Sienna", paired with "Amber" as the contrast colour. A subtler combination.

When I placed the two pieces side by side, I immediately saw them as Field and Forest. And the Landscape Collection was born.

Worked in one piece entirely in Garter Stitch, it includes a number of techniques including provisional cast-on, short rows, and picking up stitches. You can use the pattern as a template for your own imaginative play. Vary the stripes, add more colours, or choose to work the entire piece in just one colour. After the knitting is done, add the embroidery stitches across the joins and along the borders. Or anywhere you want.

I have spelled out the striping sequence that I used and have done all the math so that everything works out in the end. But within that framework, you can play to your heart's delight.

Because of the biased sections in the centre portion, this shawl has wonderful drape and tends to stay where it is placed on the shoulders. It has become a current favourite of mine to wear.
 
And it never fails to draw compliments whenever I do.

Thanks to Karen Ireland of Kitchener, Ontario, for knitting up the shawl-sized sample. When I had the pleasure of opening up the parcel with the finished shawl, I was delighted that it turned out to be even more beautiful than I had imagined. Thanks for the great knitting job, Karen!