A Muse-ing Knitting

The muse is still upon me. This no pattern knitting has truly turned in to an education and an inspiration. I know that the knit and purl stitches can be combined and manipulated ad infinitum. I know that the same yarn and needles will produce a different gauge if worked in ribbing or cables or stockinette, or moss combines in hundreds of different ways. By following my muse I am actually seeing gauge change right there on the needles.

Look carefully at this portion. Yes, it is still on the needle and yes, no blocking has occurred. Just go with me, will you? Can you see how the ribbing warps the fabric width wise. And look at the little inverse 'bubble' that appears at the top where the stockinette begins again. Same thing is happening in the upper right corner. I am using these insets of ribbing to help shape the waste with out ever decreasing. You have to agree that this is a slick idea. Right?

The plan is that no sleeves will be inserted into this top. Working the Moss or seed (if you prefer) up the sides means that I can make the arm opening as deep or shallow as necessary once this is blocked. I know that it will not curl and I can decide later if perhaps a crochet edge might be nice. Or even an edge band picked up or knit and sewn on. With or without embellishment, it will work.


This next photo is a good example of what happens when the cable concept is inserted. Look carefully in the lower left where a bit of ribbing is evident. Just above that and making an angle up toward the left side is a series of 2x2 cables with no purl stitches to set them off. The cables move stitches visually, cinch in just a tad and blend into the new moss section.

Yes, a bit hard to see photographically, but I love the impact. In person, you would stare at this and then the knitting muse would flash in your brain - light bulb on!

Also fun is the cable panel in the middle of the photo. This is a color block with the same 2x2 cable set off on either side by a more typically and expected k1, p2. And look how the sides of the color pull in due to the cable twist. Even the bottom and top edge of what is a colored rectangle are distorted.

I am having so much fun watching how this fabric moves and undulates that I almost don't fret the wearing. The learning is turning out to be wonderfully fulfilling. I can see, in this one rectangle of stitches, how and why knit patterns work.