I have begun making Light of the Valkyrie (Knitty link to free pattern) by Kim McBrien Evans (designer’s site, Indigo Dragonfly). It’s a beauty.
If you’re going to make it, have a really good read of all the notes in the pattern. A better read than me, for example. I found it a tricky one to get my head round and I have no doubt it’s because I was too excited to start making and not excited enough to start reading.
There is an element of ‘make your own choices’ with the wave placement. I’m doubling down on that vibe by making my own variegated yarn, magic-knotting colours together as I go. Somehow, choosing on the fly is an easier task than it was when I made my Broken Glass Sweater – I think because the colours are exciting, not neutrals, and because there are fewer to choose from.
The wave rows have a row of main colour between them, so I’m looking to the colour repeats in the main yarn at that point to somewhat guide my choices. Ultimately though I’m ssking myself ‘what looks good DON’T OVER THINK IT’ and going from there.
I’m so pleased with the colours I’ve chosen. Look how well they match the main yarn (the green is peeking out from the middle of the skein).
In my last post about the colours I’d chosen, I was considering making up a magic ball ahead of time. I’m so pleased I didn’t do that – I realised that I’d only be replacing the time it took to sew in ends with the time it took to pre-measure out lengths of colour and attach them. The novelty of knitting with a magic ball appeals, but the set up does not. Also it turns out that I’m using much longer lengths of each colour than the recommended length of repeats, and I like how it looks.
I’ve tried to capture the colours most accurately in this last photo. It’s not spot on, but close! The ref/pinks are less vibrant, the khakis more so. That bright green is bright – I like it more than I expected! I thought I’d use it very sparingly, but it’s already had a whole wave to itself.
I am not being disciplined with maintaining my contrast colours. What a riot. That teal is absolutely out of hand.
The Crafty Yarnster 