design process, yarn

Mail on Sunday?

Yesterday Canada Post arrived with a parcel of yarn from One Planet Yarn and Fiber.  I’m working on a secret project for them and it’s great to get the yarn in my hands so I can finalise the details.  The yarn, a cotton/wool blend is Clarissa by Lana Puras in Petal and Biscotti.  Pretty, huh?

When I’m writing a pattern I like to hammer down all the measurements first.  Around the same time I also knit a swatch then wash and block it.  Then I create a spreadsheet and grade all the sizes at once using the information from the swatch and the measurements that I have already decided upon.  Once I’m confident that I’ve figured out all the math then I like to write the instructions before I even start knitting.  That way I’m also test knitting the instructions and hopefully catch any typos or omissions in the first go around. This makes the knitting more enjoyable for me if I don’t have to stop repeatedly to figure things out.

Today I’m going to finish up the swatch I started last night. Last week I worked on the measurements and grading the pattern. I’ll plug the stitch and row numbers into my spreadsheet once I have them and then I’m almost ready to knit!

I love the burst of energy I get with a new project and deadline.