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.