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April 25, 2017 Leave a Comment

A Swatch is Sublime, It Even Saves Time

Sublime: Installation by Maurizio BologniniA Swatch is Sublime? How can taking extra time to knit something you will not otherwise use, save time? This intriguing step is so often overlooked! I was talking to a former Editor I used to work with. We had a pretty wide ranging conversation, mostly around knitting.

Sublime Swatch Conversation

The Editor says she’s not really a swatch-er. I say, most people aren’t. Editor says, Probably 25% of knitters don’t swatch. I say, No. More like 75 to 80% of knitters don’t swatch! I like challenges. I am setting out to convince knitters that this is a path they should consider going down more often. That to swatch is sublime, it may save time, and it will help you see your knitting in entirely new says!  She signed up for my Swatch Workshop.

How a Swatch Becomes Sublime 

When I swatch it is like opening a new book: I meet the characters, the setting is laid out, and the action then unfolds. Sometimes the action is predictable and that is comforting. Other times, the characters and the action take unexpected turns, and that is exciting and sometimes unsettling. A swatch allows me to have this sort of interaction with my yarn, stitch pattern, and shape of my piece. It can be exciting. It is sometimes revelatory. Other times, it just confirms my assumptions. Sometimes I discover that the project isn’t for me. But because a swatch is sublime, it will likely reveal to me which element of the equation isn’t working. This means I can decide on a course of action based on what the swatch is telling me.

Not the right yarn? Not the right stitch pattern? Not the right needle? Hate the instructions? Most of the elements of a project are revealed during the sublime swatching period and can be addressed–or not.

Sublime: Pile of Swatches

Sublime Swatch Workshop

Want to know more? I am offering my four-week May 2017 Swatch Workshop beginning May 1. Registration will close at midnight on April 26 to allow me time to get you set up so you can begin the Swatch workshop prepared and ready to knit!  Four weeks for only $40.

What you discover will be sublime, but there is a lot of knitting. Knitting is one of the few things we do where absolutely no corners can be cut: each stitch has to be made, according to instruction or vision, and sometimes those stitches must be made more than once!  A knitting project of any size requires us to allocate resources–time, yarn, and money; let me help you make sure you are allocating wisely.

Join me for my May 2017 Swatch Workshop.  I may never convince you that making a swatch is sublime, but you will love all the discoveries you make.

Want to learn more about plant fibers?  Join me June 3 to 7 for a week on Plant Fibers.

 

Related Posts

  • What To Do With Your Swatches?
    What To Do With Your Swatches?
  • Casting On your swatch
    Casting On your swatch
  • Knitting Comfortably, Ergonomics
    Knitting Comfortably, Ergonomics

Filed Under: Blog, Technique Talk Tagged With: action, editor, knitters, knitting, project, stitch, sublime, swatch, time, workshop, yarn

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