(From top) Rick and Carrie; Sculpted copper, page 50; Spots & dots, page 66;
Shifting sandstone, page 76;
Jackpine, page 60; Sculpture Walk: Monarch of the Plains; In Varietate Concordia by Matthew N. Kargol. |
In This Issue
Soft Geometry
Winter is exciting. For most people, it is about the holidays—
spending time with family and friends. For children, it is about
presents and school breaks. But for me, it is about the weather.
I hate the cold and in South Dakota, it gets cold. But this is also
sweater season. Snow, ice, and freezing winds offer daily opportunities
to bundle up in knits.
Because we live in a place where sweaters are a necessary part
of a wardrobe, we photographed this issue at home. Brisk autumn
mornings gave way to warm afternoons. Much like our winter days
but with an additional 40 degrees.
Three of our favorite models, Cristina, Carrie, and Clark, left
Chicago to shoot on location in Sioux Falls. During their 5-day visit,
Falls Park, the Horse Barn Gallery, and the Downtown Sculpture
Walk played host to our shoot. The Walk features 50 sculptures
scattered throughout the downtown area for everyone to enjoy —
art in action.
What a joy it is to showcase our city along with the projects in
this issue. Whether or not we believe that knitting is art, we can all
agree that it is a craft full of pleasure and accomplishment.
Knitters, like artists, are often misunderstood. Why bother
knitting when you can buy sweaters? We know why! The ability
to create with our hands is a gift — and for many knitters, it’s a
daily necessity.
“One of the most basic human needs is to make necessity beautiful,”
states Anna Zilboorg as she visits with Alexis Xenakis in
the Knitting Universe. She shares her thoughts on following her
calling. In that notable, rich journey she authored Magnificent
Mittens & Socks.
Our collection will keep you warm now and well into spring,
with projects that will impress knitters and non-knitters alike.
Lite Lessons are designed to make it easy to try techniques
you may not have done before. We begin with Strips of stripes,
worked in sock yarns. This scarf uses slip stitches to create vertical
stockinette and horizontal garter-stitch stripes. Try Un-shadowed
diamonds, a corrugated option where ridges run across the scarf
width. In two shades of cashmere, the diamond motifs work in
opposition to the background stripes. As you work the first couple
of diamond motifs, you will memorize the pattern and learn when
to intuitively “knit the knits” and “purl the purls”. In Falling leaves, work different colored and textured yarns into individual
leaves and appliqué and stitch them onto a scarf.
The Slide rule features slipped stitches on both sides
because you treat each side similarly—in 4-row increments.
A simple rule—slide your work without turning at each color
change — creates a reversible afghan with differently colored
slip stitches on each side. This would be equally stunning as a
2-color afghan for a more yin and yang feel.
Hats are always welcome during a temperature drop, and
we offer Helical hats that play with color in stripes—helical
stripes, that is. Four strands of yarn coil around a stocking cap
creating stripes that do not jog because they spiral continually
from rib to bind off.
Tangents
Horizontal stripes are easy and effective for placing color into
your knitting. In Beau-friend Cardi, we chose colors from the
tweed yarn in the piece. The silhouette is casual and loose;
image how one can jazz it up by belting it. In the Alpine Trek we work a two-color herringbone trim around the edges of a
simple vest for added spark and detail.
Go perpendicular, with vertical stripes and cables. Worked in
intarsia, they are so worth the effort. Contrasting garter ridges complete the grid in Longitude & latitude;
this piece is a real conversation
starter. Make your man the talk of the
knitting circle in the Cozy Cabin Vest.
This mosaic stitch sweater is masculine
and rugged thanks to the tweed
yarns and graphic zigzag lines.
Modular squares become diamonds
within a field of white, and slipped
stitch lines create movement within
each of the Tilted tiles. This blanket
is so sweet you cannot help but want
to knit one — what a great gift for a
new arrival.
Color coordinates
Go with a simple silhouette. It is perfect
worked in a solid color by a beginning
knitter, but oh so special when
you choose to go with the Spots &
dots intarsia. Or take a variegated yarn
for Shifting sandstone, a cardigan
vest with tailored appeal.
If jacket dressing is more your style,
place mismatched slip-stitch stripes
into a Shabby Chanel raglan, or work
Chromatic Coco in nonstop color
stripes. Both are colorful and versatile.
Turn a blouse and skirt into something
special for after dark with the cropped Lapis Jacket.
Flowing lines
Cables add softness and texture. Add
a little lace and you find yourself with Telkari, a luscious pink vest ready
for work or play. Sculpted copper challenges the look of fine sculpture with its stitch
definition and shimmering yarn. Our cover sweater, Dorm princess, will make any woman smile with its
flattering silhouette.
The flow of traveling stitches and cables in Wayward leaves, Red fern, and Curly willow remind us that spring is on its way. This trio will
weather more than one season.
Celebrate texture in interlocking stitch motifs any
time of year. Silver bracts is perfect for daily wear
while Jackpine will have you covered after dark, no
matter the temperature.
Winter doesn’t mean that you have to bundle up
in boring fleece or down, we have luxurious wools,
mohair and alpaca and the skills to make soft and
beautiful thingsfor those you love. And isn’t that
what it is all about? Doing what you love for the ones
you love.
Rick Mondragon, Editor
For more on the Sculpture Walk visit www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com
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(From top) Knitter's K97 issue; Jason is not screening for the sun, but
the wind; Sioux Falls Trolley; Circle of Friends by Karen Crain—reading Knitter’s?; look Rick, our fingers aren’t frozen; Keeping warm; Sioux Falls’ Grand Dame Sylvia Henkin with Cristina and Carrie.
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