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| Designing and dtermining the knitting sequence. |
The second session of the
Mitered Diamond Adventure modular knitting workshop was full of inspiration, design, creativity... and a few calculations.
After learning the modular knitting techniques and determining their preferred cast-on method and double decrease, workshop attendees gathered their swatches and commenced with designing. Hands down, the preferred cast on was the knitted cast-on, and preference for the double decrease was a split between a center double decrease and the slip 1, k2tog, psso. Knitting, as I tell my students, is all about choices!
Design
This phase of the Adventure was to choose a garment silhouette. For this workshop, we're using the
Mitered Diamond Shawl pattern as a roadmap, however students are encouraged to try a different garment style using the shawl pattern as an inspiration springboard.
To provide some design, color and texture "food for thought," I presented a digital slide show (using Keynote on my iPad and connecting it to a projector) of the various shapes, color and texture options that can be used for modular knitting. We are working primarily with mitered squares and diamonds (squares on point), but modular knitting can be done using many other geometric and tessellating shapes. There is also a wealth of design, pattern and texture potential with this technique. The presentation sparked ideas for their projects and their modular knitting adventure took off.
Here are some of the sketches and layout mock-ups they are working on.
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Using "line" as a design element.
Miters can go in a single direction or different directions. |
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| Mitered square vest. |
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| Mitered diamond wrap. |
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| Calculating unit size and garment width. |
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| Knitted swatches and a mitered diamond ruana or poncho layout. |
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| Mitered square vest. |
One of the considerations we discussed was determining the sequence of knitting the modules. If the diagonal of the miters are going in different directions, which unit do you knit first, second, and so on? It's like putting a puzzle together and following a recipe. You have to add the correct ingredients at the proper time.
