The design process, for me, is one of trial-and-error, to say the least. For all of my rhapsodizing about gauge swatches, I have been known to launch into a project, pretty much by the seat of my pants. The only thing that keeps me sane, in the end, is the fact that I am very, very good at making myself take notes.
Design Log, Felted Slippers
Day 1:
I've dug up all of my feltable bulky-weight wool and some size 11 needles. I will work double, and try out that short-row toe idea I came up with when I was talking with Lime and Violet. (Episode 98 - Great Big Head, http://limenviolet.blogspot.com/)
15 minutes later: Um, that is waaaay too pointy. Will try again, with some plains rows of garter stitch in-between two short-row segments. (leaving short-rows by 2 stitches at a time)
1 hour later: Ok, I finished the slipper. It's still a little more pointy than I like and, to be honest, absolutely huge. In the washer it goes.
2 hours later: Wash and dry cycles complete. It's still really, really huge. Bigfoot-huge. Bigger-than-my-dad's-feet huge. Should-have-done-a-gauge-swatch huge. Sigh.
Day 2:
Trying again, casting on fewer stitches, and making less pointy still by only short-rowing 1 stitch at a time. Also, am adding purl rows to make corners sharper.
3 hours later: Knit, liked, and felted. It's still about 4 garter stitch ridges too long and 2 stitches too wide. On the plus side, I am completely out of my stash wool and get to go shopping.
Day 3: I am utterly charmed by the result. The last piece of the puzzle is closing up the toe well. I've tried it three times. The results look fine, but I think they could look better. I've been trying the three-needle bind off from the inside, but I want to see what the same bind-off will look like from the outside, after felting.
So, there you have it. The 3.3 time is the charm. Probably. In the meantime, I have one gigantic slipper, one not-as-gigantic slipper, and three slippers that are pretty cute, but all have slightly different-looking toes.
Final Test-Knit: I love it! The three-needle bind-off on the outside of the slipper seems to be the way to go. It looks nice, once felted, and is easy to work.
The final pattern is attached to this post. I have only test-knit it myself, so please let me know if it is wrong or unclear in any way.
Interview: Franklin Habit
My interview this week is with the delightful Franklin Habit, a knitter, designer and blogger who lives in Chicago. We talk about learning to knit, starting a blog, knitting in Chicago, and a bunch of other stuff, including exactly how short we both are.
If there is anyone you think I should try to interview for the show, please leave me a comment, and I will make an attempt.
I have my next victim, er, subject, lined up, so hopefully I can have an interview section for a little while, at least.
Links:
Franklin Habit's Blog
Franklin Habit's First Book
Franklin Habit's Stitches in Time Column at Knitty.com
Fiber Festivals and Classes We Mentioned:
Yarnover in Minnesota
Hands on 2010 in Chicago
UK Knit Camp in Scotland
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival
Yarn Con in Chicago
My Guest Appearance on Lime and Violet is on Episode 98
My Previous Instructions on Felting
