Seeing Red

Red is a notoriously difficult color. Its light pigments are larger than others, causing it to glow in photography and video. It is difficult to dye to proper shade and often bleeds when washed (oh, the irony). And I can't stop knitting red yarn.

My previously mentioned Rhinebeck skirt was Lanesplitter. Claire and I both decided to use Lion Brand Amazing as an economical (and softer) alternative to Noro. While she opted for the neutral browny Cobblestone, I went straight for Roses, a bright tonal variation of reds, burgundies, and pinks. I mostly followed the pattern as written, although I have lazily avoided inserting the elastic so far. I've worn it twice with no wardrobe malfunctions, though, so I'm pretty happy! If I had to do it over again, I would use a provisional cast on. To do this, simple cast on the number of stitches for the diagonal width you wish to achieve. Since you're working on the bias, you would work increases on one side and decreases on the other (as for the main body section). When the skirt fits around you, simply graft it to your provisional cast on. Bam, you've got a seamless skirt! Added bonus: your color changes won't be as obvious at the cast on/bind off edges. I definitely see myself making another of these in the near future (perhaps in my other color obsession, green). At any rate, here's my finished skirt (photographed at Webs):

For my next red projects, I decided to use up some stashed Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the gorgeous Scarlet colorway. I needed a small project to knit while standing in lines at Rhinebeck, so I pulled out an Ysolda classic, Ishbel. I'm not much of a triangle shawl person, so I knit the small lace and stockinette sections. Overall, I'm pretty happy that the shawl went smoothly (just 9 days start to finish!), but I think it deserves a more aggressive block.

Pro tip: block lacy shawls like this with the right side down. This helps prevent curling in the stockinette and lace. Yes, I learned that after I blocked this. I'll definitely be doing this from now on! In the meantime, let's get a closeup of that gorgeous lace.

Now that I'm finished with these projects, I'm starting my Snapdragon fliptops. After all, it's starting to get cold here!

Color Inspiration

Let's talk about color. Since I'm skipping Veyla, I've been able to focus on some autumn (read: Rhinebeck!) knitting. As a New Yorker, I wear a lot of black clothes, so I look at my knitting as a way to add much-needed color to my wardrobe. My favorite shades are rich jewel tones: ruby reds, emerald greens, amethyst purples, and so on. This year, I'm trying out a new color: gold. It turns out that Claire is also making a gold sweater, so we'll match! For the pattern, I've selected Acorns by Carol Sunday in the gorgeous Candlewick Madelinetosh Tosh DK. Who could resist this color?

While gold is exciting, my must-have color for fall is red. This powerful color gives me a surge of confidence whenever I wear it. I've decided to combine this fabulous color with a project I've never knit: a skirt. Claire and I chose to make the Lanesplitter Skirt from Knitty in Amazing yarn. While she's making a more neutral Cobblestone skirt, mine is the vivid red/pink/burgundy colorway Roses.

With all of these bright garments, I'm going to need some neutral accessories. The matching Snapdragon tam and flip-tops will be perfect for Rhinebeck, so I'm going to make them from French Grey Madelinetosh Tosh DK. Some skeins of this colorway have more of a brown or rosy hue, but mine is a serene neutral gray.

So those are the colors I'm going to be using for my next 4 projects (2 of which are already started). What colors are you using, ladies?