Sunday, August 01, 2010
Blushing Mermaid
Those of you who are familiar with the Mermaid poncho will recognize the stitch pattern as being similar to the one used in Blush, the new pattern in the Linen Collection.
Blush uses a stitch pattern I have named "Mermaid Stitch", after the pattern I devised for the Mermaid design. I suspect that I "unvented" this stitch pattern, since I did not find it in any stitch dictionary. There are similar versions, but the one I used here has a different combination of components than ones I have seen elsewhere.
In Mermaid, the main motif is separated by rows of faggotting. Also, because it is worked in a different yarn with very different qualities (Fleece Artist Woolie Silk--65% wool, 35% silk), the overall effect is more compact than in Blush.
When worked in 100% linen (Louet's Euroflax), the resulting effect is a stiffer, but more structured fabric, one that keeps its shape well. Once washed and thoroughly blocked, the openess of the stitch pattern stays true. You can see how much more open and more sharply defined, the Blush version is.
I love these wrapped-stitch pattern variations. They are unusual in their construction and are fun to knit. When worked in strong, vivid colours, they can look very exotic.
When I worked up the stitch pattern for Mermaid, I was very excited to see the result when it was applied to the whole garment. I was equally thrilled with the adapted version for Blush.
