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.