Friday, April 11, 2014

Arsenic and New Lace

Here's the truth: Mizutama shawl notwithstanding, I'm not really into lacework. Partly, I'm not into it because it looks dainty (which veers dangerously close to granny territory). Partly I'm not into it because it is dainty (though that shit can be STRONG). But really, I'm not into it because it's hard to do.

Don't misunderstand, the work is not beyond me (though it is beyond me after a couple of glasses of wine and, seriously, why can't I come to terms with this???). It's not even as hard as it looks, in many instances. But it's endlessly fussy. Yarn overs kind of suck. Sure, they make a pretty fabric, but at what cost?

It's not that I'm lazy. I spend a ridiculous amount of effort on fit (and the principles that contribute to it). I'd hazard to say that I spend as much time on a "standard" stockinette sweater as on a lace shawl, once I've accounted for the maths that sweater requires. Really, a lace shawl just happens. If you get the stitches right, keep on and one day, poof, there's a shawl. The sweater-in-process requires endless revisiting, remeasuring, refining.

You may note that most of what I makes falls into the single colour, single pattern, often-stockinette, category. Well-executed, I think these sorts of items make a huge statement. I'm not going to try to convince you that a well-fitted stockinette pullover is as fantastic as a fair-isle scarf or a gorgeous cabled cardigan. Arguably, a well-fitted, fair-isle, cabled cardigan is the best thing of all! But, if the complex thing falls short of the mark and the simple one hits it in the dot, I'll take something simple any day.

The fact is, I only have so much appetite for any given project. And arguably so much talent. Oh, and let's not forget about experience (talent's nerdy older sibling). All of which is to say that you won't be seeing another lacework shawl in these parts anytime soon. Not that I won't happily wear the one I've got...

But over to you... Today's questions: What technique really pushes your buttons? What do you avoid, either because you can't do it or you won't do it? What's your top priority when you make something (yarn-feel, finished object, ease vs complexity)? Feel free to speak in terms of any craft you enjoy. No need to limit the conversation to knitting.

10 comments:

  1. I do not enjoy embroidery, and thus I'm not very good at it. Which is kind of stupid, because I love hand-sewing, and I'm pretty good at that!

    I do enjoy lace work, and I've knit a bunch of beautiful shawls. And they sit all nicely folded in my drawer, because honestly, they're not really my style either. This is why I'm so drawn to Kim Hargreaves' designs for knitwear - there are a few "fancy" patterns, but for the most part, they're very simple and classic shapes, worked up in stockinette or moss stitch.

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    1. You know, I was rather bad at darning when I started (as you know I'm developing some experience at this point...) and I'm sure it's cuz I didn't like it.

      I would love to see a post on your beautiful shawls! I do like looking at those complicated works of art - even if I'm not into wearing them as they don't suit my style.

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  2. Most of the time I just prefer what I call "mindless knitting" where I don't have to think or count much. In other words - stockinette stitch some easy knit/purl rib or moss stitch--something I can just look at and see the pattern without having to count. I knit in spits and spurts and if I have to spend too much time figuring out where I am- it's pointless for me.

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    1. I agree - those are the nicest patterns (though stockinette eventually drives me insane). But, with the polka dot shawl, which I knit in 2 weeks, even putting it down for a day would bring me back to square one in terms of making errors. So I know what you mean about not wanting to have to relearn every stitch pattern after you've put the item away for a while.

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  3. I do not enjoy hand-sewing. Our grandmothers flocked to sewing machines for a reason, and I see no reason to hand sew anything if I can possibly avoid it. (And here's where I become even less popular) So many seamstresses talk about such and such couture technique, (done by hand, natch) but to me it's just "eh" (which isn't to say that the end result isn't pretty). And if that's what trips their trigger, so be it, but I don't tend to be more impressed by people who use copious amounts of hand sewing than someone who only uses a machine, because sewing is hard no matter how you're doing it. The fact that we can make something fit our crazy 3D bodies out of a flat piece of fabric is what never fails to impress me. That and the endless interpretations of the same (or similar) patterns, how each person sees what fabric should become which garment, drafting their own patterns, etc.

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    1. Reasonable to avoid. I have a love-hate thing going on with the hand sewing. It's SO freakin' time consuming. I agree, lots of couture technique is not pretty. Sometimes it's not even strong.

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  4. I'm not so fond of lace knitting. When I do it, I love the finished product, but tend not to wear it much. I can do it, but I suppose I started knitting to have something to do with my hands while doing something else, and that is always my default mode -- initially riding in the car while my husband drove, which doesn't happen any more, or watching tv or listening to a book on tape. I love knitting interesting stitch patterns but I prefer wearing stockinette and plain things. I want to pay attention to the fit, and design, but not every detail of the stitching. It is not that I can't, but that I prefer to concentrate on other things.

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    1. Why don't you wear the lace? Is it too fussy? I think we have a similar philosophy about fit trumping a pretty stitch pattern any day...

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  5. Hmmmm, isn't it funny? As you ask this, I'm realizing that I prefer textural challenges (lace, cables, etc.) and colourwork while I'm not so keen on math stuff, fitting techniques. . . .and I'm really not a fan of intarsia. . . .

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    1. There you go! It's fun to deconstruct what works and what doesn't. That's how I started to appreciate woolen yarn in addition to worsted yarn.

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