Oh, Dreambird.  I've learned to love you, but it's been a rocky relationship.  In the beginning, I was infatuated with your bright colors and curvy shape.  You promised to be exciting, with daring twists and turns.  Little did I know how you would taunt me.


Engulfed in passion, I knit two feathers back in January.  The pattern, translated from German to English, was confusing at first, but then the designer released a chart with stich counts per row that made the knitting go more smoothly.  I'm about halfway done, and I'm enjoying it so much, I think I may make another with different yarn and colors.

This technique of Swing Knitting spurred me to look for other patterns and for guidance.

Since I became enamored with the Dreambird pattern, I decided to take a Swing Knitting class at Stitches West with Brigitte Elliott.  Brigitte went to Germany to learn about Swing Knitting from its pioneers.  The Stitches class was sold out, but fortunately, I was on the waitlist, and I got a call a week or two before Stitches began -- I was in!

Brigitte is a marvelous teacher.  She is very patient, yet takes into consideration that some students are advanced and want to forge ahead.  Her printed course materials are easy to follow and complete, including references.  She provided formulae for creating our own swing knitting designs, as well as tried-and-true techniques, like placing locking stitch markers or pins to indicate turns.  She also brought several examples of swing knitting that she had created.  I'm excited that she's working on new patterns using this technique.



She also presented a slide show with examples of inspiring Swing Knitting wall art.  Take a look at this German website to see what beautiful works of art have been created with Swing Knitting.  (When you get there, click on Gestrickte Kunst to view the artwork.)

Skacel provided all the materials for this class for free.  Not only did we receive three balls of yarn, but also an Addi Lace circular  needle.  The yarn provided included a Zauberball variegated that really pops against the solid color background.


If you are considering beginning your own swing knitting project, I would advise joining the Swing Knitting group on Ravelry.  Also, take a few moments to learn German short rows from a Youtube video.  No wraps are required, it's simple and leaves no holes in the knitted fabric.

 

 

First two feathers of my Dreambird are completed.  You can see where this is headed.  The lighting for this photo isn't great, but I'm happy with the progress thus far.

The row-by-row chart in English was released and already updated once (separate file). It did clear up at least one bit of confusion, which is why there may be a couple of rows extra between my feathers one and two and less between subsequent feathers.  As an example, the pattern may indicate "knit back" when you only need to knit back to the last double stitch, rather than all the way to the end.

I've found it's helpful to read the row-by-row chart, just prior to knitting the next pattern Step.  I may write the number of stitches next to each Step on my copy, just to avoid any confusion.

I'm now ready to zoom through this pattern and complete it, possibly before Stitches West in February!

 

While roaming around on Ravelry, I noticed a lovely pattern called Dreambird, based on the Swing Knitting fad that has leapt from Europe to America.  So popular is this soon-to-be-ubiquitous, short-row technique that all of the Swing Knitting classes at Stitches West are sold out. (I am on the waitlist for either a Saturday or Sunday class.)

Silly me, I latched onto the Dreambird pattern as soon as I saw it.

Photo: Nadita Swings

The pattern was originally written in German, I believe.  Then it was translated into English, French, Dutch, Russian, Spanish, etc.  Thankfully, the designer speaks English rather fluently, but with the weird quirks that come from learning English as a second or third language. Some of the original English-speaking KAL members are frustrated and some have dropped out.  I am now patiently waiting for a promised pattern update that will decipher the pattern's now infamous turn-by-turn instructions.  The designer is very responsive, and I do believe she will address all issues.

My simple beginning has turned into the elephant in my knitting bag, demanding attention, yet I'm trying to ignore it in favor of finishing the Evenstar shawl, at least until the pattern update is released.

Swing knitting aficionados are enamored with the use of pins to mark the turns in their work. These can be especially important when creating the more complicated swing pieces you may have already seen popping up on knitting websites and in magazines. For the Dreambird, they are not especially critical, but they are a good introduction to the use of pins to mark the German short-row turns.

My humble beginning: