Sunday, March 4, 2018

Knitting -- Adventures in Argyle 5, the lines

I originally had this pegged for the final post, but once I finished the body, I realized it would be clunky to do the sleeves before the lines.

Here's the video and why this is displayed differently from other video links, I don't know. Musta been something I done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9St7SyHOeJA

Starting about minute 6:15 she starts showing you how to actually do the stitching.

So here's what my pullover looks like with the lines added.


If you had a close-up, you would notice that these are not perfectly even. Part of that is my fault. I obviously was not as obsessive as you are about following my spreadsheet pattern, where the same things happen on every pattern repeat.

The other issue is that it's almost impossible to get symmetrical diamonds and also symmetrical lines. RoxTalks shows a couple of ways of dealing with it. It will always be a trade-off. I did work out a chart that has single-stitch lines all the way through but, as Rox said, the diamonds are not all of identical sizes.  I can send it to you if you email me or post a comment with your email address, but since we are not all the same size and you might be using a different weight yarn from what the chart is for (worsted), it's probably better for you to work it out in your own spreadsheet.

My duplicate stitch looks more like feather stitch than lines when seen close-up.

The color I picked for the lines blends into the light color. If you don't like that, you can do the lines there in a dark color that stands out.  You could use the light color for the lines in the dark diamonds, and vice versa. But if you're doing something in three colors, just pick something that either coordinates or contrasts with all three of them and don't worry about it blending in.

And finally, do NOT pull your duplicate stitch tight. It will disappear behind the stitch where you made it, instead of lying on top of it. This is another reason to train yourself out of working stitches tightly.

Now you're saying, "yeah, but what does the seam look like where I wrapped the stitches?"  Here.  This shows that you might be happier leaving that seam open and knitting it closed, but do it before you do the lines so that things match up on both sides.

Duplicate stitch is worth learning. You can use it to make picture patterns; it's the knitted version of cross stitch.  You handle the many colors of yarns with sewing type needles, instead of trying to control both the yarns and the knitting needles when you have only two hands.

Remember back on the Fair Isle posts, I said I thought you should balance warm and cool colors, pastels and non-pastels, lights and darks.
I feel the same way about argyle.
So the diamonds are in chocolate and almond.
The lines are in purple haze. I did not make that up. When you go on the Knitpicks site and find their Wool of the Andes yarns, sort the colors by color instead of price or name. You'll see that among the purples, they have a light shade that they call Haze. Jimi Hendrix fan must have named that one.
(Please don't embarrass me by asking who Jimi Hendrix is. Google it if you must or look on Spotify or iTunes.)

A classic three color version would have black, red, and beige, white or gray. That gives you a lot of options for a contrasting or coordinating line.
When you see argyles in movies or on TV, they are often in shades of gray.  Lines could be in blue, beige, or some warm color, whether pastel or dark.
You could conceivable do each diamond in a different color. Then I would recommend something very neutral, like beige or gray, for a line.

BUT HOW MUCH YARN DO THE LINES TAKE?  Just under 1 (one) 50 gram skein. If you do diamonds and lines on the sleeves, you'll need at least one more skein for the lines. If you're making argyle socks to go with it, you might want one more skein since the leftovers from the other two parts might not be enough.

And finally, you could do a V neck vest. I am planning to do a pattern for that in houndstooth some months from now, after I finish a buncha other projects. But don't wait for me. If you have a V-neck pattern, chart some Argyle onto it and go for it. (And send me a link.)

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2020 All Rights Reserved

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