I want to share with you the back story of my Color Pop patterns, Poppy and Poppet.
I was in need of a new project for my go bag and I didn’t want to start another pair of socks. I remembered the yarn I had started ripping out from a previous project and decided I wanted to use that.
The temperature outside was beginning to warm up and I wanted something that I could still wear, even if it’s going to 90F, or more, later in the day. I decided a head band would be fun and it would be more fun, and useful for longer, if it could double as a cowl.
As with many of my new pattern designs I wanted to do something that could be done in both crochet and knit. I knew that they both have a linen stitch. After looking at some photos online I decided to swatch that up. I still can’t believe how alike they look on the front.
They are not the same on the back however. I’m not sure I would call the knit version “reversible, though it can be, it just looks rough on the back. The crochet version is completely reversible. The only part that will look slightly different, to someone who knows, the wrong side of the reverse single crochet edging used on the hypotenuse.
The crochet one came together rather quickly. I remember testing out different increase methods while we were driving around town for errands. The one that was chosen for the pattern is the one I was making while we were getting gas. Not sure why that stuck with me but it has.
The knit version however, took so long to nail down. The final iteration was number 7 and that was just for the increases. The decreases didn’t take as many tries but it still more than the crochet version. I did some different things with a chart to help me along the way.
I was going to include a chart in the final pattern of the knit version but it made things such a mess. As I am striving to give you patterns that have memorable instructions I just couldn’t get there when using the chart. I’m a mirror knitter and the first Poppet I made was knit that way. I decided to use the chart as a right hand knitter would and I couldn’t get into a rhythm no matter what I did. This is a pattern where the written instructions are best for everyone. Right handed or left, any knitter who follows them will end up with the same piece. They might mirror each other but for this pattern that doesn’t matter.
Finally, I was able to memorize the row and work on it easily. I figured out where to put notes in the pattern to help you memorize it as well.
The yarn that I repurposed from the previous project was 4 colors and I wanted to use each of them. Each Color Pop is 2 colors, one for the main part and one for the edging. I found a way to mix everything up and make a main piece, with a different edging, from each color.
These patterns are in my new one-page format for short patterns. That said, I haven’t skimped on the important parts. There are plenty of tutorials and photos, and as always I am available for comments, questions and help as needed, through a QR code instead of a list of links.
Happy Making!