On the Edge Part I

I was asked by someone what is your design process?

There is this post that really summed it up when I was working full-time.

But lately, I have been hyper-focused on figuring things out in a design to make it work or add that special something.  For the last two weeks, I have been re-working my brioche tutorial pattern.

I thought this would be an easy process but as you saw last week, there have been many changes that need to be really pondered before proceeding.  I am happy to say that I think I have edited the pattern in a way that allows for flow and cohesiveness.

a little swatch to look at edging

The problem I have been facing this week is putting an edging on that flows from the one color to the two-color brioche.  This would seem such a simple thing, right?

It has not been.  Whether it was my brain going away to Hawaii for a vacation or me just missing the simplest thing, it has really been a struggle.

But the struggle is part of the thing that I love about designing.  It forces me to think outside of the box and to create something that is a part of my unique vision.

Edges are really important to me.  I slip the first stitch a lot and I talked about it in this post here.

For one color brioche what I am using in the pattern is pretty simple.

Setup Row (RS):  

K1, *yf sl1yo, K1* rep ** to last 4 stitches, yf sl1yo, K1

Row 1 (WS):   

sl 1 wyif, *brk1, yf s1yo* rep ** to last 4 stitches, brk1, bring the working yarn to the front before slipping the last stitch purlwise

Row 2 (RS):    

K1, *yf sl1yo, brk1* rep ** to last 4 stitches, yf sl1yo, K1

This makes a simple, nice neat edge.

The problem is when the two-color brioche starts.  Each row is knit twice with two different colors, one is designated as the edge color or the main color (MC) and the other is the contrasting color (CC).  

This means that the CC cannot be worked on the first or last stitch of the row so MC edge stitches must be slipped on CC rows.  You can see this in the swatch picture above.

It is amazing how many ways that you can slip the first stitch.  There is knitwise or purlwise.  The working yarn can be in the back (wyib) or in front (wyif).  You can slip through the back loop or the front loop.  There is a lot to consider.

So yeah, this is what I've been working on this week, and I think that I'm almost there but I think after I finish getting the blog out then I'm going to take a little mental break to have some fun.

Part of working from home for me is being able to do some housework or self-care during the day and I alternate between the two.  

I will be back next week with the answer to this edge puzzle.

For now, I think I will answer the question that was posed in the beginning: what is my process?

• Look for inspiration everywhere - any moment can inspire you if you are open to it
• Be consistent with your creativity - make a time to be creative and stick to it, if you can't do your set creative task, do another.  Creativity is not limited to that one action, it permeates all of your life.  Any task where you come up with new ways to do something or find your way to tackle something from cooking to masonry to everything in-between is using your creativity.
• When ideas strike, write them down somewhere.  They may or may not be relevant now, but one day they might be.
• Some of your best ideas will come to you when you are doing something relaxing like taking a shower, meditation, or a walk because your mind is not focused on them.
• Don't compare yourself to others, you and your vision are unique
• Failing a thousand times does not make you a failure.  Your worth does not come from your creative endeavor.  You are worthy just by being the amazingness that is you.
• I like to swatch with soft lovely yarns that inspire me to want to knit with and create with them.  Yarncraft is about the color, texture, and how the fiber feels as it flows through my fingers.
• You will swatch a lot.
• Use lifelines.
• If a design doesn't work out, that is okay.  You are not your design.  You are awesome and a new design/idea will come your way before you know it.
• Don't rush the process.  The journey is half of the fun.

What are you all creating this week?

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

**************************

Safe socially-distanced hugs  🤗

**************************

Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.  

May you be safe.  

May your loved ones be safe.  

🙏

**************************

Sending love and light to everyone facing discrimination, hate, prejudice, inequality, or racism.

🙏🙏💖💖🙏🙏

**************************

Vixenpath is a safe space.

If you are:

LGBTQ+

Black

Brown

Asian

Any race

Coming out

Anything.

I am a safe person and I will always hold space for you in love and light.