Slow Going

I am now paying for my past indiscretions. I started a Moebius scarf using chocolate brown wool and a variegated yarn. My intent is to use up the variegated stuff in a decent-looking project. I use alternate bands of the brown and variegated yarns. The color "blotches are further broken up by the use of seed stitch and slipped stitches. This technique works well and I'll post a picture as soon as the project is big enough to photogragh. The moebius has about 500 stitches per round, so it's a slow process.

On the design front, I'm stil working on the barcode project. It has been harder than I thought. Barcodes contain a LOT of information in a small space. When I expressed the code as knitting, I got a monster. First off, there is the problem of knitting single row stripes and all the loose ends vs. doing two-row stripes and doubling the size of the knitting. Even with strategic cheating the chart went from 124 rows to over 200. Not fun at all.

I've also discovered, that on an expanded scale, the stripes don't LOOK like a barcode. I'm working on a compromise between an "accurate" stripe pattern and something that "looks like a barcode". I did side-by-side samples that had the stripes inverted, that is, black on white vs. white on black. They are indistinguishable.

Over and Out of My Hands

I finished this and turned it over to the recipient. I remembered to get a photo before it left my possession. It is up to the recipient to figure out the message. He knows what should be there but must figure out the exact order.

It's nice to get this done. It felt so good in my hands that I have a bit of the same yarn to make something smaller for myself.

I always worry that my work isn't good enough. In this case, the model started stroking the scarf and commented how nice it was. I think the recipient liked it too.

I'm ready for something new.

New Code

Looks like I can knit these. The large logo is code 128- a type of barcode. The tiny right side logo is the same text in Aztec.

Next Iteration

I'm spending most of my time working on the Binary Scarf pictured below. I have a deadline for that project. Otherwise, my mind is on other stuff. The whole leaf thing is postponed because I don't like it. I now have all these autumn colors and no project. After weeks of pouting, I've started a Vivian Hoxbro Marrimekko-style scarf in brown with insets of the leaf colors. I haven't firmly commited to the shape of the final object. I have also determined that my knit okra, (see earlier post) can become knit chili peppers if done in reds and oranges etc. Finally, some of the varigated horrors can be used to make pumpkin-gourd-squash cucurbitous objects.

In Binary

Very relaxing this is. (channeling Yoda today) I've knit a long scarf out of Paton's Chunky Shetland Tweed. It's 6'4" long and about 12" wide. I'm adding a message in binary code to the body of the scarf. Finally, the scarf will be folded lengthwise and seamed up the back to hide the inner workings. The text is being done in brown with flashes of yellow (initial characters) and variegated greens. The text in the chart does not correspond to what is shown on the scarf, but it is a broad hint. The knit feels so good that I set aside a small portion of the yarn for myself. Otherwise this would be an 8' long scarf. No, I can't buy more, already bought out the entire store supply in that color. Got some green too. Holding this yarn puts me in a catlike state.... I'm purring on the inside.

Leaf Recycling

This is where I have progressed on the leaf issue. On the lower right is the current Green Man iteration. I'm trying to get the effect of a half mask right now. The results show exactly why cathedrals were carved from stone and not knit. The garland on the top right started out as part of a foliate face that became an Eden Scarf that is now destined to be frogged I also have some 14 skeins of autumn-colored yarns, begging for a project. I do not wear these colors much. I also have a pile of hideous multicolored leaves. I hope to have a new something/scarf in the near future as soon as I find something tasteful. What was I thinking.....