This is the second post in my series on four-row feather and fan. The first
post was about stockinette and reverse stockinette.
Continuing through the options, the next group produces three rows of
stockinette with a ridge of purls or three rows of reverse stockinette with a
valley of knits. This is the largest group, accounting for half of the sixteen
options.
3. p k k k reverses to 4. k p p p
5.
k p k k reverses to 6. p k p p
7. k k p
k reverses to 8. p p k p
9. k k k p
reverses to 10. p p p k
The consideration for these variations is where will the ridge or valley appear in relationship to the pattern row? Variations 3, 5, 7, and 9 are simply the purl ridge executed on row 1, 2, 3, or 4. Similarly, variations 4, 6, 8, and 10 are their inverses, with a knit valley executed on row 1, 2, 3, or 4.
The ridges:
Version 3: ridge on pattern
Row 1: purl in pattern
Row 2: purl
all
Row 3: knit all
Row 4: purl all
Placing the ridge on the pattern row obscures the decrease lines. The result
is a tidy swag pattern. The stitches between the yarn overs still protrude. In
fact, they don't look all that different from the stockinette version, in
spite of being purled!
Version 5: ridge above pattern
Row 1: knit in pattern
Row 2: knit
all
Row 3: knit all
Row 4: purl all
Placing the ridge on the row above the pattern makes the ridge more prominent,
especially in the fan portion of the pattern. The whole pattern has a more
chiseled look, almost as if the lower repeats are overlapping the upper ones.
The decrease lines are once again visible, but not as obvious as in
stockinette.
Version 7: ridge opposes pattern
Row 1: knit in pattern
Row 2: purl
all
Row 3: purl all
Row 4: purl all
Placing the ridge on the third row pulls it away from the pattern row. The
stitches between the yarn overs are no longer prominent. The ridge provides
texture in the fan area, but somehow also flattens it. Decreases are visible
in the feather portion, but read as decorative.
Version 9: ridge below pattern
Row 1: knit in pattern
Row 2: purl
all
Row 3: knit all
Row 4: knit all
Placing the ridge on the row preceding the pattern has some of the same
chiseled effect as version 5 with the ridge above. This time, the top waves
seems to overlap those below. The ridge underlines the pattern. Decreases are
obscured, yielding tidy swags. The fan section seems somehow more decorative,
almost like a candelabra with candles reaching upwards.
Of these four variants, I like numbers 5 and 9 best. They also turn out to be
easier to work flat, since they involving knitting three of the four rows.
The valleys:
Version 4: valley on pattern
Row 1: knit in pattern
Row 2: knit
all
Row 3: purl all
Row 4: knit all
This variation is almost indistinguishable from number 2, reverse stockinette.
There is a subtle line caused by the valley, thus dividing the work into wide
marshmallow welts. Working on a larger needle and blocking it open helps show
the valley, but the effect remains subtle.
Version 6: valley above pattern
Row 1: purl in pattern
Row 2: purl
all
Row 3: purl all
Row 4: knit all
Somehow the valleys seem wider, making the welts in the feather section more
distinct. The center of the fan seems to have a little blob of yarn at the
top. Again, blocking improves the pattern.
Version 8: valley opposes pattern
Row 1: purl in pattern
Row 2: knit
all
Row 3: knit all
Row 4: knit all
Here the valley is noticeable in the fan portion, which seems to be outlined.
The texture is there, but flat. The wide welts in the feather portion seem
shallower at top and thicker at the bottom, almost as if they are pushing up
from the background.
Version 10: valley below pattern
Row 1: purl in pattern
Row 2: knit
all
Row 3: purl all
Row 4: purl all
Of these four valley variants, this is the only one that has strongly three-dimensional texture in the fan section. That section reminds me of trees in a forest, as the open section seems to recede like trunks and the purled welt pushes forward like branches laden with summer leaves. Or maybe it looks like broccoli. The feather portion returns to being non-de script. The valley doesn't recede so much as make one row of stitches seem bigger than the others.
None of the valley variants strongly appealed to me. Overall, I like version 8 the best. The fan portion of version 10 has wonderful texture, but the feather section of the pattern is obscure.
Tomorrow: garter stitch variants.
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