Make mock ups

If there is one thing I've learned in knitting and book arts it is to make mock ups. Always knit a swatch with the yarn you will use, in the pattern you are using, the way you are going to knit the project. If you are trying to see if what looks fabulous in your head for a book, really is?... make it in real life. Chances are there will be problems you haven't anticipated or details you have to work out before starting the actual project. 

I have learned to enjoy this part of the process. Even if your mock up doesn't work out for the final project it was intended for, chances are what you learned from it will come in handy somewhere else down the line. 

I've been planning how I want to knit the spine. I'm going to do color work and include the title of the book and I'm not sure what else yet. Do I reference Elizabeth Drinker's poppy pattern, or do I use the cornflower pattern inspired by the Pennsylvania Dutch illuminations in choral books we have at HSP? I'm not sure yet. There are a number of variables that still need to be worked out. 

1. What is my actual knitting gauge when I knit color work in the round? 
2. How thick is the final spine of the book after I bind it? 
3. How big of a grid do I need in order to design the entire spine? 
4. If I knit in the round with silk, can I steek it so that it lies flat in the end?

I've been tackling the first question all week; figure out color work gauge. In order to do this I needed to knit something in the round. I enjoy color work very much so I chose a pattern from this book and decided to knit it in the round with size 000 needles. These are slightly larger than the last swatch. I knit very tightly when I'm doing color work. I cast on 44 stitches and started.

Normally I use one color in the right hand and one in the left. But these silk threads are so thin it wasn't working well. I had heard of a ring that could be worn on one finger that holds the threads apart so I googled what that might look like. I figured I could rig up something similar. 

My second ring attempt was successful (always make mock ups). This one did the job, even though it was still awkward to knit such thin thread. I can't wrap the thread around my fingers the way I normally would, so I had to learn how to hold the thread differently to keep it tight. I am interested to try it with a pair of mittens and more "normal" sized thread. 

I finished the sample on Friday morning, blocked it on a size #19 knitting needle and researched how to do a steek. 

Steeking is a technique used to knit sweaters in the round. After the project is finished, it is possible to cut the "steek" , yes with scissors, through the knitting (gasp) so that you can add a zipper or button holes on the edge. Quite a scary prospect because the last thing I want to have happen is to have the entire thing unravel. But two of the super-woman knitters from my Stitch&Bitch love this technique and have used it to beautiful effect and so believing it can be done I set about to try my hand on this piece. If I am successful, this is going to make knitting that spine soOo much easier.

After researching, I decided on the sewing method. I sewed two parallel lines on either side of the row I wanted to cut.

And then I cut it.

It worked!
It is quite a bit larger than the first swatch and taught me I have a few other logistical things to figure out.

1. How do I construct the boards so that the thickness of the knitting is accommodated. 

2. How do I handle the head and tail of the spine turn in? Do I knit a garter stitch edge? Do I knit a picot edge? or do I just knit extra long and turn it in. 

I guess its time to start mock up #2 and bind the actual book together to start answering all of my questions.