Side Panel Update

 On the prototype, I knit the fronts and back separately and sewed them together. But later realized I could knit the whole jacket seamlessly. Here is the new side panel, knit in the round up to the end decreases of the bottom miters. The remaining stitches, minus the sleeve stitches (60-65) are joined with a three needle bind off. Neat as a pin. 

Here is the back view, unblocked at this time of course.

The Pattern Breakdown

Note: This is not an exact pattern, more of an explanation of the plan of construction. Experienced knitters will get this certainly, and novices will roll their eyes. Mitered square tutorial available here.

Side panel update here.

   

When I made the prototype Diamond Panel Jacket, I did it in separate fronts and back, sewing up the shoulders, joining the side panels (3 needle bind off) and then knitting the sleeves last, in the round.

Later I realized that I could knit the jacket seamlessly, without slits. That sounded much better to me.  

To get there, one makes the front diamond panels and the back diamond panel first and then joins them at the shoulder with a quarter square triangle, picked up from the edges of the front and back panels.

To knit this shape, decreases are made at the center and both edges of the front side rows only. When only 5 sts remain, bind off. This produces a straight edge at the top of the shoulder, and nicely joins the front and back.

The diamonds and half diamonds are knit in a specific order, and of course if you are familiar with mitered squares or domino squares, you will recall that consecutive shapes are knit from stitches picked up from the previous shape.

Number 33 is that quarter diamond above.This is a diagram of the side panel, which is knit in the round. No side slits in this version. Stitches are picked up from the diamond panels, which means a little math is required. If the diamond is knit from 29 stitches, the half diamond is knit from 14, and since the edges of the panels are all (but the bottom triangles) half diamonds, pick up 14 stitches from each half diamond. The bottom triangles, 29 and 30 on the back panel and 17 and 18 on the front are 14 sts, with decreases at each edge on the front side only. So, after all the stitches are picked up from the front and back panel edges, some stitches need to be cast on at the bottom hem to complete the round. This is where you need to figure out what your stitch per inch is and decide how much more width is needed. Math again.

 The diagram shows the amount of stitches I used for my gauge, and the 3 represents the sts of the triple decrease or S1. kstog, psso. It will form miters at the bottom of that side panel as shown. The remaining 60-65 stitches will be the beginning of the sleeve.

To knit the sleeve, knit in the round on two circular needles, and decrease sts at the beginning and ending of the row, every six ridges of garter stitch.
See this post for side panel update.
NOTE: after making several of these jackets I changed the neckline a bit.
  The neckline was too small and high in the original version, so I extended it a bit by adding two more triangles, a half-triangle ( A)  and (B) a quarter triangle. Also notice that the back has changed too, ending in half triangles. The shoulders are the only seams.

Wool Choices

As promised, here are some choices for the New Diamond Panel Jacket in wools. Please refer to your preference by number. Email me at fibermania at g mail dot com.

1. Noro Silk Garden, Aran: 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool and Knit One, Crochet Too Paint Box, Aran: 100% wool. Spoken for by Katherine Mc.

2. Noro Taiyo, Aran / 10 ply

40% Cotton, 30% Silk, 15% Nylon, 15% Wool and Poems Silk Worsted: 75% Wool, 25% Silk

3. Noro Silk Garden, Aran: 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool and Knit One, Crochet Too Paint Box, Aran: 100% wool. Spoken for by Stepanie W.

4. Noro Silk Garden, Aran: 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool  and Fibranatura Superwash 100% merino wool. No longer available.

 5. Cascade Souk, Aran: 55% silk, 45% wool, and Knit One, Crochet Too Paint Box, Aran: 100% wool. Spoken for by Lee H.

6. Plymouth Kudo, Aran: 55% cotton, 40% rayon, 5% silk and Patons, Worsted, 100% wool. Spoken for by Judy P.

7. Noro Silk Garden, Aran: 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool and Poems Silk Worsted: 75% Wool, 25% Silk. Spoken for by Cristina B.

 8. Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend: DK: 70% silk, 30% merino and Supreme Merino, Aran, 100% merino. Spoken for by Melanie G.

 9. Jo Sharp DK Tweed, DK: 85% wool, 10/5/ silk, 5% cashmere (oooooo!) and Noro Silk Garden, Aran: 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool

Directions as follows. How to Knit a Mitered Square video. This video uses an even number of stitches, while I use an uneven number and do a triple decrease over the center 3 stitches. A triple decrease is as follows: slip 1, K2tog, psso. Easy peasy. My medium size design calls for a diamond built on 29 stitches and the side triangles are 14 stitches. Always slip the first stitch (knitwise) in each row and end each row with a yarn forward purl. After making diamond #1, do not cut yarn, but pick up 14 stitches along the edge of the diamond, k back and on the front, knit to within 3 stitches of the end of the row, k2tog, yarn forward purl. Advice: make a set of these in one color yarn to learn the technique.

Taking Orders

 Woowoo! I am so excited over the response to the new Diamond Panel Jacket and am now opening the 'order desk'. email me at  Fibermania at g mail dot com. This time around I have combined some pretty fabulous NON-WOOL yarns to knit. Although I prefer knitting with wool, not everyone can wear it and down here in the South it never gets that cold for any duration, so I wear my wool sweaters once or twice a season. And I have found that these blends of cotton, silk, rayon, and acrylic have a wonderful squishiness and drape. So below are my combos with knitted samples and hopefully you will find one that suits you to a T.
Orders will be first come, first served, and be prepared with a second choice in case your first choice has been taken. In other words, I am not ordering MORE YARN.  The idea is use up what I've got. (too much!!!) Once these are taken, I will be offering wool combos. To get an idea of what is in store go to my Pinterest Jacket Yarns page.

 1. Tangier: Aran: 47% Silk, 19% Acrylic, 17% Cotton, 17% Rayon combined with Berroco Weekend, 25% cotton, 75% acrylic. Spoken for by Judith W.

 2. Tangier: Aran: 47% Silk, 19% Acrylic, 17% Cotton, 17% Rayon combined with Cascade Avalon, 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Note: the sample shows a contrast in the gray-green combo but the skein is more gray, so it will be more subtle as it finishes. Spoken for by Judith P.

3. Tangier: Aran: 47% Silk, 19% Acrylic, 17% Cotton, 17% Rayon combined with Cascade Avalon, 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Spoken for by Laura B.

 4.Tangier: Aran: 47% Silk, 19% Acrylic, 17% Cotton, 17% Rayon combined with Cascade Avalon, 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Spoken for by Sue A. 

5. Plymouth Kudo. Aran: 55% Cotton, 40% Rayon, 5% Silk and Cascade Avalon 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Spoken for by Linda S.

6. Plymouth Kudo. Aran: 55% Cotton, 40% Rayon, 5% Silk and Cascade Avalon 50% cotton, 50% acrylic. Spoken for by Kathleen.

Sorry, I haven't knitted a sample swatch yet with this Kudo combo. 

Announcing the New Diamond Panel Jacket

 Squeeeeeel! Here she is!

I am so pleased with my new design. I wanted to make a jacket that I could more easily size for every figure. Tall, short, lean, not so lean and long arms or short arms, this design will fit them all.
For this model I used Noro Silk Garden, 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, 10% Wool and FibraNatura Sensational 100% merino wool superwash, making it easy care.

Since this is my prototype I am offering it for the price of the yarn including shipping.  $120.00 SOLD
Size? the circumference is 50", 26" long and wrist to wrist is measures 54". Seven removable metal buttons provide for closure, which is also something I wanted to include in this new design.

 I promised my beautiful model that I would crop out her face, but it is too perfect and I will have to disobey, just this once.

 

Layerings #4

Layerings #4

Hand dyed cottons, fused, machine quilted. 15.5" x 21.5" $150 Email me.

I found myself working a little larger on this piece, and finding that I wanted to do a little more free flowing quilting to accent the watery fabric.  

Making Parts

I've been busy making parts. Some of my fused fabrics here, waiting to be sliced up and formed into interesting mini compositions, for later use in larger works.

I put them together with other groups of analogous colors and see what it happens. I enjoy making the little bits, and keep thinking I need more and more, of other colors or other values.

 I thought I was close with this arrangement, but then I changed my mind. I need more...something.

 I fused a lot of blues and purples and figured they would work together, and finally found a nice layout, rearranged it,  cropped it and called it done. But...I was still unthrilled. The great thing about fusing is that I can still take this stuff apart and reuse it, by peeling it apart. No seams.

 Green and yellow, and then yellow and red are pretty hot and exciting so I have been making those, and still have pink and orange to use.

 I believe this exercise will end up as several works.