Impressed and Stimulated!
I’m currently having a flare up so knitting on the now heavy Clapotis with cotton/rayon tape yarn is not really agreeing with me, nor was knitting on the Sockotta anklet, as that yarn is very non-giving. So, I read a lot this weekend, including about 100 pp of Maggie Righetti’s Sweater Design in Plain English. I am appreciating this book a lot! It is very stimulating and has me wanting to break the seal on my Cascade Sierra and start swatching. However, I’m trying to be disciplined and wish to read at least the majority of the book before I actually get down to the designing. Mostly so I know what points I’ll want to go back and reference while I’m doing the designing. 
Now, I haven’t read a ton of other design books, I have checked them out from the library or borrowed from generous friends, but I haven’t done more than skim them. But, I am amazed at the depth of information in the book so far. She goes into all the different body types and includes special measurements that are required for each to ensure a good fit. She also goes into the general characteristics of certain families of stitch patterns and in some cases problems that might arise when using a particular stitch pattern.
Now there are some “rules” she makes note of that designers do not always follow, and some that I don’t wish to follow myself. At first I was little upset about the emphasis she was making on those points. However, designing sweaters is no different than designing a collage or a hand bound book. There are rules and as long as you know and understand the impact that will result when you don’t follow specific ones you are okay. So, yes, I won’t have a tight ribbing on the bottom of all my sweaters or sleeves, but I will enter into making such sweaters knowing full well that they will elongate in time, especially if they are made in yarns from plant fibers or silk rather than wools (I did, incidently know this before reading this book - mostly from experience with store-bought sweaters).
Other than test driving cars this weekend there was a lot of movie watching because of my flare, so I finally gave up my knitting moratorium for the weekend and cast on a new sock for DH. He is quite excited, though it has turned out to look like a camoflauge sock, which if you know my DH, you now camo is definitely not his style, though the colors in the yarn are colors he wears which was why I picked it out. It’s Regia Stretch and I couldn’t find the color on-line anywhere. I was annoyed though because I couldn’t match up the balls at all. I tried both ends of both balls in both directions in case one was wound backwards or something. But, no luck. But I’m guessing it’ll be okay. I’m kind of bummed that DH’s first socks from me are not going to really be a color that he likes. He swore he’d still wear them, but would anxiously await the ones I plan to design him with a greek key detailing.
Speaking of designing, I just need to get my Spearfish sock pattern read through by a few people and it’ll be set to release. I’m hoping to have it ready to go by the end of the week, so check back soon if you are interested in that sock pattern.
And, tonight is Stitch ‘n Bitch! Yeah! I’m so glad we have Stitch ‘n Bitch on Mondays because it gives me something to look forward to on a day that is often dreaded.
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Have a look at Deborah Newtn’s ‘Designing Knitwear’.A really good book.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1561582654/103-0365971-0245437
Comment by Emma — 3/28/2005 @ 3:09 pm