As with sumi-e painting, in watercolor painting, much is to be learned from observation. Recently, I purchased a video by Birgit O’Connor. As an artist, she excels in vivid, colorful, large and intimate perspectives of flowers, but in looking on YouTube, she also can do a lot more than flowers.
The video I bought is Rocks, Sand & Sea Glass. What makes it excellent for me is that she is very clear in her demonstrations, and more importantly, clear in her verbal explanations. Her voice is nicely modulated, and proceeds at an even pace. I really like the fact she identifies the brush she uses so explicitly, such as “my number 30 natural hair brush.” Detailed as it seems, it allows the viewer to hear while watching. I don’t have to sit and stare at her brush to think about what one she is using because she tells me.
In addition to watching, practice is paramount. Seriously, you have to sit down and do it. And do it again and again. I know this about painting, because brushes vary, papers vary, my mood varies, and colors vary. Self-control is necessary. So is practice. Having something interesting to paint makes it more fun.
Brushwork is so critical – knowing how to use a brush, how to load color, how to move the brush, maneuver it for shape, and how much pressure to apply. How the paper responds is also important, simply because different papers have different characteristics, as well as come in different grades.
These are what I’ve produced. More will come, as my supplies show up, too! Thank goodness for Dick Blick and Amazon!
I tend to be somewhat encyclopedic when it comes to learning about something. The result is a collection of stuff, and the clutter in my life is evidence. Given that, here is some info I’ve collected about irises. For our Chinese painting class exhibit, this will be one of my subjects.
These complex flowers, if well done, may be accomplished with a few brush strokes.
Anatomy of the Iris
Photos, diagrams, drawings. All these can familiarize the painter with the parts of the iris plant. Knowing what is what, and where, make the difference in successful rendering. This does not mean a scientific illustration is what must be done for an artistic or spiritual representation of the iris, but knowing how it is structured helps (me, at least) figure out what an artist is attempting to do – and what I might want to do.
This schematic illustration may be found at the Historic Iris Preservation Site, along with many colored illustrations and information about irises. Other illustrations may be found by doing a websearch for parts of the iris flower.
Painting the Iris – Videos!
Watching various artists and their approaches to painting is always educational. And what is caught on video can be watched over and over. How a brush is loaded, with ink or with color, is as important as how the brush is utilized on the paper. For this, I am talking about the free-style painting of the iris, not the fine line tradition in Chinese art. One brush may express a shape with a thin line, a smushing line, and rolling. Below, you will find a number of artists and their interpretations, as well as a very structured example, with the brush strokes done step-by-step.
This first video is by Danny Chen; you may find his work at Chen’s Gallery. His mastery of color mixing is astonishing.
Virginia Lloyd-Davies of Joyful Brush is very talented; her website will show you her mastery of Chinese painting.
Next is Henry Li of Blue Heron Arts. His small business on eBay has blossomed (if you will excuse the pun) into a one from which you might buy a variety of supplies. Here he demonstrates the iris using a hake brush.
Nan Rae is a California artist who has produces lovely paintings in the Chinese style; she has authored and illustrated a number of books as well.
Next is Kazu Shimura, who I absolutely adore. You can find his videos on You Tube as well as here.
Rebecca Lynn Cragg on You Tube shows you numerous sumi-e techniques, as well as how to wear a kimono! Ms. Cragg runs a tea house, Camellia Teas in Ottawa, which I would love to visit.
Finally, Yang Haiying (I hope I spelled her name correctly), has videos on Chinese painting, and many other things. Her videos are brief, but if you watch her brushwork carefully, you will learn a lot.
I chose the Full of Sheep yarn because I was curious as to how it would knit up with textured stitches. It is a soft yarn, much like Lopi Light, but perhaps less scratchy. It may not give very good stitch definition because of the fact it is not plied, but really is more a rather dense finger roving.
Getting the Pattern Set Up
I started this beret a couple of times, and was not at all pleased with how I was progressing. I wanted to have 6 pattern repeats at the beginning, and then expand the hat by adding them between. It did not work out right in my head at all – certainly not in the way I was knitting it up. I thought about it on the way home from work, and realized I wanted to have 24 stitches for the pattern set up, with a base of k2, p2 to start.
At home, I drew out the k2, p2 to total 6 repeats. From here, I worked backward to my 4 stitches at the bottom of the tab. This picture shows you my sketch. The 24 stitches eventually became Rnd. 3 in the table below.
Sketch for Foundation Development
Abbreviations Used
k = knit
kfb = knit front and back of stitch
p = purl
m1 purlwise = make one purlwise by slipping the left needle into the strand between the stitches, then purl through the back loop of the strand.
pfb = purl through the front of the stitch, then purl through the back of the stitch
yo = yarn over
Make 1 Purlwise
This video is a very nice demonstration of this purl increase.
Begin Body
Row 1: Using the doubled stitches of the I-Cord, kfb, k, kfb, k (6 sts)
Divide sts onto 3 dpns, pm. On Rnd 1, be sure to move some of the stitches onto needle with marker.
Rnd 1:
*K1, m1 purlwise * to end
12 sts
Rnd 2:
*kfb, p1* to end
18 sts
Rnd 3:
*k2, pfb* to end
24 sts
Rnd 4:
*k1, yo, k1, p2* to end
30 sts
Rnd 5:
*k3, p1, pfb* to end
36 sts
Rnd 6:
*k3, p, pfb, p* to end
42 sts
Rnd 7:
*MCCO, m1 purlwise, p4, m1 purlwise* to end
48 sts
Rnd 8:
*k2, p2, m1 pw, k2, m1 pw, p2* to end
60 sts
Rnd 9:
*k1, yo, k1, p3* to end
72 sts
Rnd 10:
*k3, p3* to end
72 sts
Rnd 11:
*k3, p1, pfb, p1* to end
Note: I experimented with* m1 purlwise, p3* versus *p1, pfb, p1.* I decided that the p1, pfb, p1 looked better in the long run.
84 sts
Rnd 12:
*MCCO, m1 purlwise, p1, k2, p1, m1 purlwise* to end
Note: Here I decided that maybe two rows of k2 would look better before beginning the k1, yo, k1, as was done in Rnd 4.
96 sts
Rnd 13:
Note: This is where round repeats begin.
*k2, p2* to end
96 sts
And here is how the pattern looks so far, stretched out onto the dpns.
Beret Knit to Rnd 12
The next needle will now be knit with the circular, and I will use the following pattern, which I think will become the basis for the rest of the beret until I begin to decrease for the brim.
Rnd 13:
*k2, p2* to end (Note: Check for the MCCOs on this row)
96 sts
Rnd 14:
*k1, yo, k1, p2 to end
108 sts ?
Rnd 15:
*k3, m1 purlwise, p2, m1 purlwise* to end
?
Rnd 16
*k3, p4* to end
?
Rnd 17:
*MCCO, m1 purlwise, p1, k2, p1, m1 purlwise* to end
?
Some Thoughts
The yarn is stretched out, so the pattern is taut on the needles. Does not look great now, but may when relaxed. I’ll look at it on the circulars later on.
When constructing the first few rounds, it is easier to create a purl stitch by doing a pfb rather than trying to m1 purlwise. However, once it becomes easier, it should be done; equally important is remembering to purl through the back loop, as done in the video, as the stitch is much nicer.
A lot of people have downloaded the pattern for the Basic Beret, both here and on Ravelry. Not a lot of people seem to have made it, though. There has also been some criticism about the pattern itself, especially about the decreasing toward the top. There may be some validity to it, and it could also be the skill level of the individual using it. Given that, if you do decide to try this one, be warned that all I am providing is an insight into my own design process, and what I do. That said, let’s begin!
What do you want your beret to look like?
For my purposes here, I want a small pattern that can show how the beret expands outward. I want a knitting pattern or stitch that is easy to memorize and small enough to illustrate my points in design. I figured a pattern of 2 to 4 stitches would be good, and no more than 5 rows in length.
My idea is that, since I will be working from the center outward, I don’t want all the pattern stitches radiating out all at once, but incrementally. I plan on 6 initial patterns of the stitch, increasing between the pattern stitches in purl, and then adding the knit stitches, which are the foundation of the mock cable rib. As the pattern itself is 5 rows, the idea is to add a new pattern line every 5-10 rows to keep each pattern repeat parallel.
Preliminary Sketches of Top-Down Beret
My favorite on-line place to go is Knitting Fool, which is a repository of oodles of patterns. I chose an eyelet rib or cable pattern that most of us have seen – 2 stitches, a yarn over in the middle, knit a few rows, and decrease by pulling a stitch over a couple to create the cable effect. Here is my circular version, using Knit Visualizer, of the pattern. I created the MCCO stitch using the stitch editor in Visualizer.
I may decide to move the purl stitches to the right end of the pattern.
Gauge
As I am familiar with my own way of knitting, and about how many stitches per inch I usually get with a given yarn, I tend to skip this step. However, if you do not know, or you like to swatch, make yourself a swatch knit in the round, and measure from there. Gauge of flat knitting and circular knitting can vary. Some good links for getting your gauge may be found here and here, and in the videos below.
Center Beginning
The first decision is to have a flat center, or a little tab, such as found on the classic wool beret, growing out of the center. If you want a tab, this is how to do it.
Tab Beginning
This is done using I-Cord. Using double point needles (dpns), cast on three stitches, leaving a tail of 4-5 inches in length. I-Cord is done by knitting the three stitches, sliding them to the other end of the needle, and repeating. This video is very nice in illustrating how to make an I-Cord.
While you are knitting, include that long tail left over from beginning. This means you are doubling up your yarn and knitting the tail into the stitches. This keeps the problem of the tab’s tail having to be woven in later on. It also makes a fatter tab, so you may wish to use only two stitches for your I-Cord tab. Whatever you do, knit all the stitches for each row of I-Cord, do not slip the first or last stitch if this is something you do with regular knitting.
I decided to do a 3-stitch I-Cord for the tab. Here is my picture of the long-tail cast on, with a tail of about 6 inches.
Long Tail for I-Cord
Well, I knitted up a 3-stitch I-Cord. Too fat! Ripped it out, and produced a 2-stitch I-Cord. Here is the tab, knitting the tail in as I created the I-Cord. And, as you see, there are now 4 stitches, which can be used as the foundation for the beginning of the beret. There is also nothing to weave in along the I-Cord itself.
2-Stitch I-Cord, with Long Tail Knitted Into Work
Now that you have all sorts of information, here we go . . .and to quote Elizabeth Zimmermann,
Pithy Directions (so far)
Yarn: Full of Sheep, in cream
Gauge (from yarn wrapper): 4 st. per inch, 5 rows per inch
Needle Size (from wrapper): US 10.5
I am using size 8 needles because I knit loosely.
Directions:You can knit this beret with the traditional center tab, or flat. Up to you. I am using a tab for mine.
Begin Tab. Using a long-tail method of cast-on, cast on 2 stitches with about an 8-10 inch tail. Make the I-Cord (see above video or written directions) knitting with the long tail and the skein yarn doubled together. Knit 5 rows of I-Cord. At the end, there will be a total of 4 stitches available from the doubled yarn of the I-Cord.
No Tab: Cast on 4 stitches. Knit one row. Divide evenly over 3-4 needles. Mark beginning of round.
Anyone who has knitted stripes in the round knows that there are problems where the two colors meet. There are all sorts of ways written up about how to avoid that “jog” that shows the color joins. Oddly, I couldn’t find any videos on YouTube demonstrating how to do it!
Circular Stripes
Meg Swanson and Elizabeth Zimmermann wrote about how to do a jogless jog. Judy Gibson has a very good demonstration on how to accomplish it, including pictures with different colored yarns. I thought I was doing it correctly when I made the Fish Hat, but didn’t – the stripes were more than obvious.
Here, then, is my take of the Jogless Jog:
Knit one complete round of new color.
Before knitting the first stitch of the next round, use the tip of your right needle to reach into down into the stitch below the first stitch of the next round, and pull the right side of that stitch up, and place it on the left hand needle. This means (as far as I can tell) is that you pull up the stitch one row below the next stitch, and slide it onto the left hand needle. You then knit these two stitches together.
Something to note is that a diagonal will occur, according to Judy’s site. Take the time to read it in detail, and look at the pictures. It’s a very nice presentation.
Yikes! Stripes! Socks
The other day in a prep class for the CBEST, I started these socks at lunch. The yarns are KnitPicks Palette in a rather tomato-soup red and a Noro sock yarn that varies from hot pink and orange to brownish stripes. I am alternating five rows of Noro with two rows of the Palette. It is because of the stripes that I researched a bit more into how to avoid the jog.
As always, TechKnitting comes up with an excellent and detailed description of avoiding that stripey jog. Knitting-and.com has a bunch of other ways to avoid that jog. I decided to try this method for my sock:
In circular knitting: when adding a new color or stripe, prevent a jog at the joining point by lifting the right side of the stitch below onto the left needle and knit it together with the stitch.
Right now, the jog is not obvious in the color shifts, and is really badly photographed, but as the colors begin to shift, the stripe change will be more obvious, and I hope, more hidden.
Striped Sock Gusset
I am also at the gusset of my Thockies (for want of a better name). I am not pleased with the way the stripes are proceeding, and so am debating about what to do. I think what I will do is rip it out to the point of picking up the gusset stitches. I picked them up in alternating colors, but what I think I need to do is to pick them up in a solid color, even if this means making a bit of a mess with attaching and / or breaking yarn. Then, on the second round, I will begin the alternating colors for the stripes, and decrease using the same color all along the gusset. I am also considering using the Dutch heel – as I know it – so I will not need any gusset decreases whatsoever, but can simply knit in stripes without a problem.
Sumi-e
I have not had the time to do any painting at all! It really bugs me. I planned to do some during the holiday season, but unfortunately, so much got in the way! And again, my weekends are devoted to credentialling. I am soooooo tired of school and work! I’ve had to drop my Japanese class, I cannot find a time slot big enough to paint and relax, and on and on and on. No Chinese painting class, either. Well, given that, once I take the CBEST, I will PAINT and make some more videos . . .
Anatomy of the Iris
Ink, Yarn & Beer 