I get binary about heels

I thought of a way to illustrate what’s going on with some heels. Imagine each one below represents one stitch in a short row while zero is the needles not engaged

regular heel - peak row ½ of the stitches
111111111000000000
111111110000000000
111111100000000000
111111000000000000
111110000000000000
111100000000000000
111000000000000000
110000000000000000
111000000000000000
111100000000000000
111110000000000000
111111000000000000
111111100000000000
111111110000000000

sweet tomato heel - peak row ⅔ of the stitches
111111111111000000
111111111100000000
111111110000000000
111111000000000000
111100000000000000
110000000000000000
2 rows knit plain
111111111111000000
111111111100000000
111111110000000000
111111000000000000
111100000000000000
110000000000000000
2 rows knit plain
111111111111000000
111111111100000000
111111110000000000
111111000000000000
111100000000000000
110000000000000000

y heel - peak row ½ of the stitches, for 1 wedge, the second either has more or less stitches than the first
111111111000000000
111111110000000000
111111100000000000
111111000000000000
111110000000000000
111100000000000000
111000000000000000
110000000000000000
111000000000000000
111100000000000000
111110000000000000
111111000000000000
111111100000000000
111111110000000000
111111111000000000
111111111100000000
111111111110000000

y heel has one wedge that is larger than the other so that when you look at the heel of the sock you see a ‘y’ on either side of it. The ‘y’ I illustrated is for a larger heel. It may also be shorter. Really it depends on the shape of the foot.

Personally I like a deep heel but I think mr gobbism’s feet need it less. I suppose if I make socks for more people I will find different heels work better for each. A big future challenge for me is my mother’s feet. She had polio as a child and her feet are shaped quite differently as a result.

Anyway, if you add up the number of short rows, you’ll see that the sweet tomato heel typically is deeper than the standard heel but one may eliminate a row or 2 from 1, 2, or 3 wedges if you like.

Cone of yarn

I wound some yarn onto a cardboard cone. I did it the old fashioned way

This next image is from a Creelman Brothers Manual.  I do not have the same sort of swift but my bobbin winder is quite similar.  With an old fashioned bobbin one must be very careful in how it is wound.  A cone allows a lot of leeway as it already has a good slope but since I over filled it I had to be careful.

It is worth enlarging the second image for the text about Bobbin-winder Operators.

I don't like to photograph my worksite

because frankly I am messy.  I have been working on a little design on my Legare 400 but it is a christmas surprise so I cannot elaborate.  But what I can share is that Cat Bordhi's sweet tomato heel is a good design for a circular sock machine.

I actually am getting to know this thing which I have decided to call Black Bette because she has been my bête noire.  She is Quebecoise so of course French.

I just finished cranking a pair of thigh highs which don't quite match for several reasons including not keeping track of the tension.  I'd like to make myself a bunch of pairs of stockings and then to figure out how to size them for someone whose legs are not as thin as mine.  I think I might have a friend or two willing to be a guinea pig.

I'm working on something

I'm using the sock machine but of course it isn't socks.  Nope.  My brain forces me in the strangest directions.  I can't share details because it's a secret santa project.  I am just terrible with that sort of thing.  Honestly I tend to make most things for myself anyway.

So I am impatient and selfish.  But I think I am a mad genius.  Can I possibly keep a secret until late December?  I'm not sure.

OK, what I should do is finish this and afterwards I will of course have different permutations from this idea.  Those I can develop and share before Xmas.  Yes, that's the ticket.  Maybe I'll finish writing up those scarves and I'll finish up that cardigan design.  I still do not have anything I am proud of on that front.

I should also make some more socks.  Below is one of a pair I made for Todd.  Once I get some parts I can rib.

And now a pair

they don't match but considering all the mistakes I'm not concerned.

I know I should finish writing up those 2 scarves but

I have a new/old/old toy

This sock was made with a handcranked machine

Here it is before it was cleaned up.  The miracle is evaporust, it made everything work, even the cylinder spring.  I'd say it was the springs that were most iffy.  I used old needles which are not in good condition  but they worked well enough, I just can't crank as fast as what I have seen in videos.  Still if I made this by hand I'd be somewhere past the toe.  In theory I will be able to crank out a piar of socks in a few hours.  I'm not sure exactly but it should take less than what it did for this 1 sock.

I got this circular sock machine off ebay years ago.  The resources for this are much better now.  Just Ravelry has made this much easier for me.

I can't wait to get stuff to get this going top speed.  I need one part and don't know if I can find it or if I can improvise something.  I have improvised a lot already.

The creeks

They resemble a Mandlebrot design, sorta.

Just when I think I'm done

A kind knitter, yes, kind knitter, showed me some errors on the written version of Monongahela.  I think I should look it all over again.  They are thankfully not at a critical part and the sort that some knitters might unconsciously correct.  I swear, once you get going on Monongahela that it has a rhythm so you don't generally need to check you pattern often.

Anyway, I don't say this to be mean, but it's hard writing patterns in written as opposed to charted form.  First off, there's more to write and second, written it's harder to see mistakes.  That is why I won't be writing out anymore patterns.

I do hope that there are no more errors but if so, I want to know and to correct them.

OK, so I finished the 2nd creek.

It was closer to being finished than I remember.  Maybe my attention span is getting better.  I certainly have been drinking enough coffee to keep my mind sharper which has in recent years gotten more difficult.

So I finished that and picked up my cardigan project and again I realized that I am farther along than I thought I was.  And it looks nicer than I remember too, but again, I wish I were able to just pick up some suri yarn and go.

Maybe if I sold my homespun, for an insanely high price it could catch on as a new luxury yarn.  My goal would be not so much to sell it, but to force others to make it.  I think if I paid myself a decent wage I'd charge 200 bucks per 100grams, naw, it'd have to be higher than that.  Uh anyway, my sockyarn cardigan looks OK.  I have been good about charting as I go and I even remember what my made up symbols for things mean even if I have no idea what it's actually called.

Yes, I am making up things again.  Yes, I should test knit this before release.  Yes, this time I will be pickier about my test knitters.  I want to make them sign an agreement in blood that they WILL document, photograph and communicate with me in a timely manner.

Most of my test knitters were awesome but some just kinda flaked out.  Granted, by my casual attitude I allowed myself to be equally irresponsible but over time I took my project very seriously.

But I digress.  I need now to rechart all for this cardigan in mirror image.  It's one of those left half, right half things, a side to side thing.  I know once I throw lace into the mix that I will need to be very careful to accomodate knitters who are not gobbists like myself, that is 95% of the knitting population that knit one direction only.

Anyway, before I get there I will reacquaint myself with my pattern as I finish my dull sockyarn version.  I did take a few days to spin up most of what I will need for my spectacular suri version but now I am back to writing and knitting.

I was all done with the creeks and then...

I thought of a way to make them nicer.  I called them 'pools' but now I want to do away with the originals but I don't have my prototypes knit up and I wish I had made them of my homespun suri.  Alas most knitters, or dare I say 99+% will not be able to find a yarn comparable to my homespun.

If you are a spinner who goes fleece to finished object you should get a very nice raw suri fleece.  They are harder to process than other fibers but I've become addicted to the results.  You can use a drum carder but it's very tricky.  I think combing works better but it takes much more work.

Anyway, it is frustrating that I have ideas and I can't knit them fast enough.  I am trying to finish a sweater.  Again I used sock yarn for my 1st prototype, which I am changing a lot but it sorta makes me sad to have to use wool instead of my nice soft drapey suri.  This sweater is designed for drapey fibers.  I suppose silk can work too but I don't like it as much.  I intend to incorporate some lace in this, of the sort that Kieren Foley does.  I want it to fit the structure though which is complicated.

I really should finish the creeks first.

Nine Mile Run 'Pool'

Below is a test knit of Nine Mile Run 'Pool.'  I kinda like this variation better than the original Nine Mile Run, but that's me being picky.  I guess that there's pluses for both.  Anyway, varigated yarn isn't best for this.  I might overdye it so that the lace shows better but I did get a sense od what this pattern is like. I always like alpaca better though.  I intend to knit up the Turtle Creel Pool variation shortly. 

Notice the 'crown point' shape that I blocked this.  I like that better than straight points.  For this I chose 21 repeats because I estimated that that would be just enough to use up the 210 meters of yarn in my skein.  My estimate was off.  I needed a bit extra.  Based on my current calculations 210 meters can accomodate 20 repeats in this pattern and a each repeat needs 13 yards or 11.66 meters.  I am really bad at estimating yardage.  Maybe my gauge got loose or something.
ETA:  My current guess, with more input, is 10 meters a repeat.  This is actually my 1st guess.  In this case I added up the stitches of the repeats and the stitches of the edges and it works out.  At least until I find some glaring error on my part.
ETA:  I had a couple numbers wrong.  It's kinds tricky reconciling the edges to the repeats.  Anyway, my current number is 11 meters a repeat or 12 yards.

Also, as of yesterday, the 12th of September Monongahela was downloaded 1500 times!  This is amazing.  It's also amazing to me that only 2 projects  that I know of have been started since Monongahela's release.  C'mon folks!  That's 0.1333333333 percent of the downloads!  I was think maybe 1 in 5 downloads would turn into projects.

But now I consider my own track record.  I will pause and look at my project to queued ratio on ravelry.  Hmm, I only queued 4 projects and I think I will eventually do at least 1 of them.  I too have downloaded a free project without intending to make it right away.  OK, a more realistic expectation is perhaps 1 in 20?  I can't really say until a year, or at least a few months pass.  It has been 2 months already.  I do like to pretend that if this pattern had cost 1 dollar that it might have sold like it did free and then I'd have $1500 in my bank but I know that that's not realistic at all.

I can say that the Youghiogheny has been bought 7 times in 3 weeks.  I'd imagine that the Monongahela, being a shawl would sell at 6 to 8 times that, just based on the hearts each got.

Another variation in my head

I feel like it's pretty obvious but still, I think it'll be a hit.  All I need to do is expand the tributaries into shawlettes.  That sorta says 'river' to me, but it's not.  I see it as more of a holding pond.  Imagine the stitches pooling together and ending with a waterfall, that's what I see.  What could I call that?

Contrasting Cricks

The sister patterns Nine Mile Run and Turtle Creek are similar but different

First of all, the patterns are different

Secondly, the gauge for each prototype is different

The larger one, turtle creek could be worn as a shawlette, though in yardage they are just about the same.  Can you see other similarities?

I will sell the patterns both individually and separately.  I still have bit of writing to do and a few more photos to take.

Turtle Creek Blocking

This is in the Monongahela family while Nine Mile Run is in the Youghiogheny family.

Turtle Creek

Locally we call it Turtle Crick

Here it is still on the needles.  I chose some 2 ply suri of a DK or worsted weight.

Made a mistake... designed a new scarf.

You know that first draft of Nine Mile Run?  I messed it up.  OK, so now I fixed it I think, but the result is a new design.  I am sticking with the waterway theme so this new scarf is called Turtle Creek.  It's till on the needles but will be off shortly.  I think I will offer each pattern separately for 3 dollars or 2 for 5 dollars.

Eventually I will offer everything in the waterways theme in an ebook.  I am thinking about designing some frilly fingerless gloves to go with these.  I have found that as I wrap my body in a shawl or poncho that my bare arms get cold and I think that they both look a bit more snappy when worn together.  Maybe I'll knit up a poncho that serves well as a skirt (over leggings anyway) to complete this, or maybe a sock... naw, no socks!

Finished my 1st draft of Nine Mile Run

This time I will delay releasing it.  Maybe it will be concurrent with Monongahela no longer being free.  The way I figure it, it will draw attention to everything I have designed and improve my chances of selling patterns.

I said before that I eventually will probably integrate Nine Mile Run, Youghiogheny, and Monongahela into an ebook with a few extra variations thrown in.  I am happy to say that this designing stuff has gotten easier and I still have plenty of ideas.  I hope that people will appreciate the countless hours I've spent doing this stuff.

Working on a new design

This is a cardigan that I've begged to be designed.  I'm not good with such things because I tend not to want to think about things like gauge but I want this.  My prototype does not have lace but I intend that the final one will be lacy.  I am using sock yarn and it's strange how much I wish it was some nice homespun suri alpaca.  It just takes too long to process and spin to catch up to my brain and its very short attention span.

Anyway, I am also thinking about eventually turning Monongahela and Youghiogheny into an ebook.  Monongahela is already kinda an ebook.  I'd add a few specific things, expand on things I felt the need to cut out before.  I do have a scarf, Nine Mile Run, that I will write up as part of it.  I can think of other things to add to make it easy for a creative person to better explore what one can do with the basic structure.  Maybe some fingerless gloves will be part of that, I'm not sure yet, but I'd like to see what the limits are to my general idea.

I do want my designs to be best done up in something drapey like suri alpaca.  You know, I have NEVER seen any yarn in a store that resembles my homespun suri.  It's sad but understandable.  I have to admit that suri is labor intensive to process but the results are incredible.  I still have more than 50 pounds of prime raw fleeces.  Sigh.

Monongahela won't be free forever.

I decided that at some point during the designing process but I wasn't sure when to start asking for money.  Initially I planned to ride out the year.  But then there were more than a thousand downloads!  I am very proud of this but, only TWO people have started projects.  The most gratifying thing for me to see, projects, project with PICTURES.  Pictures that show people wearing the Monongahela.  It is admittedly less gratifying to get lots of questions from people but in its own way that will gratify me too.  Every question asked will help me write better patterns in the future.

I understand that it is still summer in the northern hemi-sphere, and yes, I can say that there is at least one Monongahela in an area where it is winter right now, but I would love it if all the people stashing my pattern away with whatever other patterns they've got sitting around would get on with it!

In summary, On September 19th, I will change this pattern's status from free to 5 US dollars.  That will gives the masses 10 weeks FREE access to this pattern, which is actually more of an ebook.  You have been warned.

My Youghiogheny video

how to wear it.

I know, just throw it over your head but anyway, enjoy!

I am now verified on Paypal.

Enuf said.

Youghiogheny has been released

And it is not free.  I decided 5 dollars is reasonable but now I have to reactivate my paypal account.  I did use paypal a few times a few years ago so I have an account, but I find it annoying so I bypassed it in recent years paying for things via visa or mastercard.  Anyway, since I decided to do a ravelry upload it pays via paypal so now I have to go through a few hoops to get it going again.

I sorta hate money as a concept but it does work well to keep me fed and sheltered so I use it.  I gotta admit that I am one of those people under prepared for actual retirement.

Uh so anyway, I hope that those who upload my pattern are not delayed by my paypal stuff.  I think that despite myself that one should be able to upload it right?  If I am wrong I hope to rectify that within 48 hours.

A MORE RECENT ETA:  Just in case you got this one post.  I am paypal verified!  There will be no more unnecessary delays.
ETA:  If you purchased Youghiogheny and are waiting for me to accept payment it might be helpful to check out Monongahela.  Both the standard and smaller neckline start like Monongahela up through Laceband One.  The only problem is that you are better off starting with a specific number of repeats which is explained in the pattern.  The round neckline is different, it is joined once cast on rather than a few rows in.  Anyway, Monongahela does include a swatch, which you may try out to get gauge and to better understand how this poncho works.  In addition there are 2 pages explaining specifics as well as a 4 part video.

I am really sorry for the delay.  If I had known that Paypal would do this to me I would have made certain it was activated before releasing this pattern.

Pink is better for Photographs

Case in point,

This lacy thing I have named "Nine Mile Run," after a creek in my area.  I might get around to writing this one up.

I seem to have a theme of naming patterns after bodies of water.  Anyway, Nine Mile Run is a place I have spent a lot of time.  It has a checkered past and it is not perfect at the present, but it has a promising future.  It is doing a LOT better than in its recent past. There is an organization called Nine Mile Run Watershed Association that has done a lot to help.

Youghiogheny Necks

What follows are the 2 neck choices.  At this point in time only the deep one is a reality.  It's a shame I can't estimate it on a body.  This is taken from a blocking image which does not show how either actually hangs.

There's some reality.  The thing is that the little changes I made in the one on top will change it in ways that are beyond my skills of visualization.  Anyway, both necklines have the same body.

Now I am working on writing it up

This makes me aware of all the shortcomings of the 1st pattern I wrote, Monongahela.  Did you know I forgot to write the GAUGE in there?  It was such an ambitious thing.  Anyway, I still am confused about what I should put where and how extensive my instructions should be.

Just for fun I'll upload my Anatomy of Youghiogheny.

I hope that a picture does mean a thousand words because I get tongue tied trying to explain myself.  Despite my worst efforts I do believe that this is an easier pattern, once you get past the flat part, than Monongahela.  "Water which flows in a contradictory direction" indeed.

I am renaming my poncho

My 1st inclination was to call it Tygart after the tributary of the Monongahela in West Virginia, but I didn't like the backstory of the name.  Tygart is named after a poor settler David Tygart, who fled the area after being attacked by the locals.  I actually have not spent much time in that area anyway, I mostly worked with a bunch of folks from Grafton.  On the other hand I have visited the Youghiogheny numerous times and I always got a kick out of Rocky and Bullwinkle making reference to it in that episode in McKeesport where their rivals were the 'Mud City Manglers.'  There is a local band here called that and they rock and I know them pretty well.  If they ever got their act together I think that they'd do well in Australia.  Seriously!

Uh, so anyway, the Youghiogheny(pronunciation), loosely translated means "water which flows in a contradictory direction, or water that turns upon itself," which suits this pattern.

Monongahela Poncho

I did it! It is done!

I am surprised at how few ponchos I see are derived from shawls

I like the neckline in back.

I think it looks nicer than a standard poncho

Now I need cool weather.

I used some '2nd combings' for the bulk of the yarn, made of suri alpaca of course.

Monongahela Video Instruction

This is a mirror of my ravelry Video Instruction page.  I am sort of assuming that most who visit here now know about ravelry but just in case there is somebody out there who is interested in making this shawl but is intimidated and not aware of ravelry or did not see these videos I am posting it here.

So here it is;

This Demo is not the same as the swatch, it is abbreviated in fact I had to jerry-rig an extra row not videoed to make it match up right.

I apologize in advance that I have a strange knitting style. I actually prefer purling for some reason and changed to knit for you. I also had to remember which way is right handed since I tend to do either one without thinking. I also am knitting back and forth rather than turning my work because it’s what I do and I don’t think that the return row really needs to be explained.

Part I: Provisional cast-on, I-cord Cast on, I-cord Selvage, Adding Stitchmarkers, and Ground Zero

For some reason a lot of people were confused by the I-cord cast-on. Anyway this first video runs through ALL of ground zero which is admittedly fiddly.

NOTE: Rather than a ‘central double decrease’ the double decrease should be called SK2P - slip 1st, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over, at least that is easier for most knitters 

Also note that I am using huge needles only to make it easier to see what I am doing.

Part II: A bunch of YOs and a Wrap & Turn

This part is less mandatory to watch but it does paraphrase part of the pattern. Again I do not turn my work. If that makes the wrap and turn technique confusing there are better videos to explain it like this, How to Knit Short Rows(knitpicks), but this illustrates WHERE some of the wrap and turns are in this pattern. 

Part III: Edge instructions. You probably should watch this if the written instructions confuse you. Base of Points, First Edge Selvage/Second Edge Set-up, I-cord Reducing Selvage, Backwards Loop Cast-on 
Top of Point I-cord Cast-off, Second Edge I-cord Cast-off, Transition between Points 

NOTE: I changed 2 things on the chart I am following on this video, one is that I eliminated the ‘★’ and I added a ‘VV’ to represent the slipped stitches. I believe that that makes the charts more standard.

ALSO: the YO on the left side of each point has been replaced with my special symbol for a backwards loop cast on (BLCO), pictured on the right. 

Part IV: More Edge instruction, just in case you didn’t get enough AND the Final Point which is a little different from the other Points. This is a bit repetitive but I did it because this is the part that was most confusing for my test-knitters.
The actual Final Point starts at 11:00. It is easier than the other point(s) but you might want to watch it anyway. 

If I seem too chatty just mute it and turn on some noise you really enjoy. I do however address making sure you get the tension of the backwards loops correct.

From what I understand this series of videos really helped make this pattern comprehendible.

For some reason Blogger won't let you upsize the videos to fit the whole screen. They aren't big enough unless you do. @%#%$^$&^(*!!!!! Blogger is also doing some weird formatting things with other things in this little post and messing up my feeble brain. UM, never mind.

Uh, if you'd rather not flip back and forth from youtube to view these videos at full screen, go to Ravelry Monongahela Video instructions. Of course you must join ravelry to see this but it is worth it if you are a knitter.

I am changing the layout of this blog.

It is in transition.  Like most things my approach to this is the same as driving to the airport in a blizzard.  I'll scrunch down in my seat to see that one part of the road I can through the windshield.

I need to make a better background image.

ETA:  Slight improvement but maybe not the best thing.

so here it is

Anatomy of Monongahela

Below is my latest diagram of the Monongahela Shawl.  If it is unclear you may click on the image to see it REALLY big.  This is taken from the latest shawl I knit up that I called the Red Monongahela even though it is now purple and this image is more blue.

The Cast on is the darker purple area between the two arrows.  It you view the large image you will see it consists of 10 small rectangles.  Each rectangle represents one repeat which emanates from the cast on like the rays of the sun.  I highly recommend using stitchmarkers at each repeat, especially at the beginning.

You begin the shawl with the cast on stitches.  At this point you may decide how many repeats you'd like for your shawl depending on what purpose you'd like it to serve and you may also tailor it to the shape of the person who will use it.  The cast on is really a knitted on edge which will continue as you knit the body in the middle as a 3 stitch selvage.

After cast on is Ground Zero, the 'set up' laceband, represented by the small orange band.  Next is Laceband One, which is yellowish, the Laceband Two, which is greenish yellow and so on.  Each laceband is an expansion of the one preceding and not a repeat.

Gradually more rays or repeats are added from the edge.  In this case 2 from each edge which increases the number of points from 10 to 14.  There are the beginnings of even 2 more points for shawls that end on Laceband Five.

Because each laceband is an expansion of the one previous to it I found it necessary to write up a separate chart(series of charts) for each border laceband.  This is one reason why the PDF is 46 pages.

You only need instructions, either written or charted for the body lacebands you want for your shawl plus one edge.  In this case Lacebands 0-4 and Edge Five.  All told that is 4 pages charted, 5 pages written.  I think a lot of people will also need some 'special instructions,' 2 pages but it is possible to just read them on your computer.

Monongahela Poncho

This is me brainstorming.  Initially I thought 10 repeats joining at the 2nd or 3rd laceband would be ideal, but now I am thinking 8 repeats joining around the 5th laceband is a better fit for me.

I have to admit that for the shawl in general I sorta think it fits nicer with a few extra repeats.  So even the big shawls might be nicer with 5 repeats instead of just 4.

So how many mon shawls have I made?  I have made 5.  I did not document one.  I am a bad person for doing that.  I gave it away to someone who probably has no idea.

Formerly Red Monongahela

I overdyed my red monongahela and it ended up being darker than anticipated.  I like the results anyway but hope that Jenn is OK with this.  I do think it is a nice size.  Perfect for a cool night whether you are sitting at home watching TV or going out.  It's just enough to keep off a chill without overheating.

Seeing how it wraps around then overlaps just so makes me want to try a poncho version of this shawl.

I think the neckline will be worked flat and then somewhere between the top photo and the 2nd I will have a 'shawl collar' overlap.  Perhaps I have the perfect number of repeats, 10, for my small frame.

I'll have to work out a few other details but I have just the right homespun suri for this project.

Below is the shawl before I dyed it.  Though it is now not nearly as vibrant I think it has far less potential to clash with things.  Here's me crossing my fingers that Jenn likes it.

Monongahela Overview

So as of this moment the Mon has 256 hearts and is queued 104 times.  The pattern was released a week ago today, but nobody has actually started it.  I am afraid that knitters interested in this might be intimidated by the choices.

Below are the prototypes stacked on each other.  The violet is the shawl, brown is the shawlette and the pink is the mini.

Next we have the mini mon dissected.  I drew lines through the center of each repeat and at the boundary line of each 'laceband.'  Note that 1 repeat at each end is generated in laceband one.  In laceband two, a smaller 'repeat' or point, is generated.  The mini monongahela has 3 lacebands and 12 repeats (3/12).

 Next we have the shawl.  It has only 4 repeats and 9 lacebands (4/9).  By laceband 6, another smaller edge point is generated.  Now imagine the shawl below with one extra repeat added.  At that size it should add 20-30º  to the shawl.  If you like big shawls that you can really wrap around you you may add as many repeats to it as you like.

 Below is a rough drawing I did to estimate what shape a 6/6 shawl would have.

 Below that is my pie chart to shows about how large each laceband is relative to each other.

I'm not sure if this will be a help or not but if you look at each prototype shawl and how it hangs on me and my husband and all the test knitters you might get an idea of how it might look on you and what might work better for you or whomever you intend your shawl.  I am about 5'7" and my husband is 6 foot even.

Waterfall Duster

That is something I'd like to see out there.  It just came to me what it should be called.  What is it?  I want it to be a lacy knock-off of a DKNY Cozy, like in this video....

Or the Lilla P: the  Origami

Since I have finished my big pattern and so far it seems popular enough.  From the fumes of my last design I ponder this and think.  Why hasn't anybody else done this yet?

PS:  I actually spun some yarn. 

Lurking on Ravelry

OK, I've been lurking there looking for discussion of this pattern I released yesterday.  I have no life, or should I say, that that shawl WAS my life for months.  But it ended up being FORTY SIX pages long!
I swear it could not be helped.  I made it as concise as possible.  OK, I repeat myself in the overview but that does not need to be printed.  The instructions are concise except a couple parts where I repeat myself but that's only because of feedback from my test knitters.  A few things needed to be repeated to make them clear. "Let X equal the number of repeats" was a big one.  It's really because the design is unorthodox.  I also tried to make it as easy as possible to figure out what you do need to print.

Gosh, isn't that funny?  I spent countless hours figuring out how to explain myself and now I am impatient to see how many make this and how confused they end up getting.  As of this posting it is in 55 queues and is a favorite of 151 people!  I released it just 25 hours ago.

Can you tell that I am obsessed?  I figure if 25% of the queue gets done that will be great.  Monongahela is honestly a rather strange pattern.  That said once you get it started, and I am not the only one to say this, it's kinda hard to put down.  I designed it to have a sort of rhythm.

I thought I'd also add that there are many different possible versions of this shawl from the PDF.  I'd say that there are more than FORTY SIX versions so maybe the page count is perfectly reasonable.

Finally released Monongahela

I hope it becomes popular.  It ended up being 46 pages.  I learned a lot in the process and wanted to kill my computer many times.  My test knitters were wonderful.  They were very patient with me and in turn taught me to be patient and to maybe better explain myself.

If I write 2 more patterns like this I may as well release them as a book!

I'm almost done with writing up monogahela.

I have generated 45 pages.  I really made this hard for myself.  Now I am trying to improve my yardage estimate.  Looking at my spreadsheet I can't remember exactly how I generated all those numbers and if perhaps I forgot something.

I need more coffee.

Experimenting with video

I don't have a real video camera, just a canon rebel which is nice for its class but not state of the art.  I am learning to be patient with technology and my camera man Todd.

Anyway if I could better figure out the editing program I movie I'd be ib better shape.  I'm not trying to do anything fancy but anyway I am finding that I am capable of making a video that explains things better than words or charts.

I hate translating charts to written instructions

I just thought I'd say that.  I am still doing it but damn I hate it.  It is so easy to make mistakes.
I will never do it again after this pattern.

I see it as being like taking the mona lisa and putting it through a shredder.
One line is one shredded bit of information.  A chart is like a cartoon rendering, not as pretty but the essence is there.

OK, back to translating.  I hope I don't make too many errors.  I'm tempted to offer this pattern with the disclaimer, "The written instructions are jacked.  Use charts."

Complete Monongahela Edge Progression

I just thought I'd share this.  It helps me see what's going on as I tend to be more visual than anything else.

Monongahela Arithmetic Edge Progression

This only shows the arithmatic progression and not the geometric one.  I think I'll doodle that next and make some big picture showing the whole thing.  This is more for me to help me estimate how much yarn the various versions will need.

Monongahela mini progression

Does this clarify anything ir cause mmore confusion?

Monongahela Progression

This shows the progression of the shawl.  It shows about how big each lace band is with 4 repeats.  It does not include the edge which throws in other progressions.  If you enlarge it you might be able to read the numbers.

Stacked Monongahela

I stacked the 3 monongahela shawls on top of each other to show their lace band and repeat variations.  The color is off as I did not change the camera settings from night to day but you may notice that the bottom 2 have the same number of repeats and yet the larger one is better to really wrap around.  The smallest has 3 times as many repeats as the others.

I also notice that my gauge for each is a bit different.  The medium shawl has a heavier weight of yarn yet has about the same gauge as the large one while it seems that I loosened up a bit with the small pink shawlette.

How do I do This?

Vain creature that I am, I post yet another photo of myself.  OK, it's me looking silly but anyway...

 I am thinking about how to vet my pattern.  My design has a lot of variation to be called a simple singular pattern and I'd like to vet various ways of doing it.    I started out with 2 variations and now I have 3 main variations.  I think that I should write out the 3 explicitly and let the others to require more thought.  I suppose that my model for this sort of thinking is Echo Flower Shawl KAL Group on Ravelry.  It was in that group that I saw how much variation there can be in one pattern and how incredibly helpful it is to have a group share their experiences with each other.  Plus I believe with a group like that I personally can better help anyone with issues with this pattern.

I think I have enough interest in what I am doing for this to be worth it.  Gentle reader, if you have a strong opinion about this do not hesitate to comment.

Blocked Swatch

If you are reading this you probably know why making, washing and then blacking a swatch can save you a lot of disappointments.  I think that charting my swatch has helped me to more effectively chart the rest of my shawl, uh not that I'm done.  I'm not done yet, OK?

Anyway I can't say that this swatch makes a very good doll shawl but it does have style.

I almost like it better unblocked on the figure.