Dear Kay,
One thing occurs to me: Alice Starmore was into gradients decades before the gradient yarn craze of today.
Take a look at this.
This is Alice Starmore Hebridean Two Ply, in Mara, Lapwing, Calluna, and Kelpie.
And this.
Red Deer, Tormentil, Crotal, Mountain Hare, and Golden Plover.
In the Glenesk pullover I’m making, the Starmore color sense DNA runs thick in the blood of daughter Jade Starmore. She takes these two color-shifty batches of yarn and conflates them. Then throws a tangled Fair Isle pattern on top of it all just to up the stakes.
When I opened the box for this project, I couldn’t quite believe that these shades would result in the lively pullover that was promised. The brownish reds all seemed too much of a piece. At night, you have to fire up your klieg light to tell the difference between these colors. There didn’t seem to be enough “action” in the mix of yarns.
What a completely incorrect thought that was.
There’s action all right. I have completely lost it on this thing. Really grooving on watching each row do something different.
This is my third Starmore project, and in each there is at least one, often several, yarns that I could never imagine using, for anything. This one, for example.
It’s just a twixt-and-tween mauveyorangepinkred. Maybe it’s the color of a mountain hare, I don’t know. But it’s the sort of connector shade that fits exactly in place amid the eight other colors—can you see how many colors there are in this ball of yarn?
You have to trust in the vision at work—and enjoy the ride.
There are 36 shades of this yarn, and the story behind it is pretty much a trip to the Hebrides, those rugged islands off the coast of Scotland. Yet another place I need to see, someday!
Finally, a big hello to everyone who is taking up the challenge of making some hard kind of knitting project. Over on the MDK Knitters board on Ravelry, I’m posting a list of all the crazy projects that readers left in the comments the other day—it is a cavalcade of trickiness, a Headbusting Hall of Fame. Feel free to add your own Headbuster. And if you’re on Instagram, #knithard is very fine hashtag for all this.
Love,
Ann
Watching you do this is almost making almost ready to crack open the Bohus Apple Yoke I received as a gift (and am terrified is already eaten by moths, despite my careful packaging). In the ziploc bag – and my mind – it’s going to be the most beautiful sweater, so why ruin the illusion by actually knitting it? Maybe by the time you finish up the body I will be ready. It’s definitely encouraging, thanks!
That’s going to be such a gorgeous sweater! I’m intrigued by how the colors play off of one another. Must make the knitting interesting to see them develop. Can’t believe how far you’ve already gotten!
So instead of #bangoutasweater is the hashtag for Kaffee v. Alice #bangyourheadsweater? Or #typetwoknitting? (Like Type Two Fun).
I wish I had the skills for the Foolish Virgins Sweater. How beautiful, odd but lovely.
I see what you did there…”color shifty batches”…..
Looks great!
I so love when you take on Alice Starmore, or Kay takes on Kaffe, or any of the wild and hard knits. So inspiring! I have to peruse the Alice Starmore website more now….
MAGICAL. That is all. 🙂
High-wire knitting. Fascinating, scary, you-must-be-crazy. I can’t look away!
Wow!
Gorgeous!
Do you have an Ottlite? I bought mine at Big Lots.
I have fallen down the rabbit hole! I have been seriously knitting for over 40 years and have wanted to try a Kaffe kit or sometging like it for many of those years. I have a ton of his books, in addition to Starmore books and many others, but have only done a few of their single color designs. I just ordered the cardigan version of your sweater. I have done some fairisle but not on size 3 needles. Wish me luck! Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh Ann! Look what you’ve done! (It’s wonderful.) Good luck, Marcy, and have fun.
This book was a fun read- All about a year to knit a classic Alice Starmore sweater:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7247651-sweater-quest
How do you both finish such daring projects?
Mountain hare is complex color, maybe named for the color of the flesh of a mountain hare? Imagine it roasting on a spit over the fire…
The colors are amazing and how they work up together, just astounding! So gorgeous, and oh so daring of a project!!!!
Thanks to you and Kay, I’m obsessing greatly over the “Tudor Roses” book. So much so that I’m going to break down get the book. And then I’m going to rewatch “The Tudors” and knit away.
*shakes my tiny fist of rage at you both*
*but not really mad*
Lucy Neatby throws me done the same rabbit hole.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
Wow, just, wow.
beautiful, can’t wait to see the finished project.
I actually love the colors that I see in the close up photo of the Mountain Hare! Your knitting is beautiful. I am looking forward to watching the sweater evolve!
The finest of tapestries. Luxurious.