Rita at Cuzco, Peru, train station, waiting for the train to Lake Titicaca in 1998

Rita O'Connell, designer

FUTURE DESIGN EFFORTS

I have some favorite techniques that I love to use and plan to develop more patterns for, as well as favorite kinds of projects.  Some are already knitted projects that I haven't refined and  written yet, or may be refined but are still in draft written form.  Here are some of my ideas - NOTE: these are all still in the works, but college teaching has kept me too busy lately to finish publishing the designs -- 

• Garden Maze Garter Stitch 
  • See Ribbon Heart Afghan, Garden Maze Garter Stitch Pouch, Child's Button Loop Garden Maze Pullover,  Child's GM Cardigan, and Total Maze Cardigan for examples.
  • This is a geometric, multicolor, advanced-skill technique worked in a combination of back-and-forth and circular garter stitch with lots of very complex increases, decreases, bind-offs, and color changes. It can be worked flat or shaped.  I “unvented” the technique as an evolution of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s wonderful garter stitch projects.  The name “garden maze” I credit to sister knitter Barb Johnson — Thanks, Barb!  It not only looks like a maze, it knits rather like a maze, too!  I think that my interest in it goes back to my childhood when I loved to draw colored, geometric patterns on graph paper squares.  This is the knitted & 3-dimensional version of that earlier fascination.
  • I have already taught a class using this technique and will soon publish patterns for an afghan, drawstring pouch, and child's cardigan.
• Labyrinths & Spirals
  • See Coming Attractions,  Total Maze Cardigan, and Man in a Maze for examples.
  • I've become fascinated by labyrinths -- which are convoluted & twisting paths, but are NOT mazes, because there are no branching points.  Labyrinths come in two classic styles (called Cretan and Chartres, based on geographical ties) and many unique versions.   Spirals can be considered to be perhaps the simplest labyrinths. 
  • I have a sofa pillow pattern featuring a Cretan labyrinth which will soon be available.  I have an afghan with both styles of classic labyrinths, but it's such a complex pattern that it will be a while before I have that written out.
• 4-Corners Native American Rock Art (petroglyphs & pictographs)
  • Living here in the Four Corners, I've seen so much wonderful rock art.  And the rock colors themselves are amazing.  So I'm already planning some items (pillows for my sofa, for example) with them in charted Intarsia designs.
• Ancient 4-Corners Native American Geometric Textile Patterns
  • See Man in a Maze for an example.
  • I have a collection of drawings of ancient woven textile patterns found in Ancient Puebloan (Anasazi) ruins.  Many of those patterns are still found on baskets, pottery, and blankets in the Four Corners region today.  I would like to design a series of projects with these patterns, perhaps combined with rock art motifs.
• Peruvian Textile Designs
  • See Peruvian Drawstring Pouch for an example.
  • There are still many possibilities with the geometric and animal-based patterns on the wonderful textiles I brought back from Peru.
• Stuffed Animals
  • I have already designed a machine-washable child's toy llama, but want to also include an alpaca version in the same pattern, so the pattern won't be ready for a few months or so.
  • I would also like to design a complex multi-colored Alpaca (to be made of alpaca, of course)
• Children's Items
  • See Child's Loon Cardigan, Loon Pillow with Toy and Child's Button Loop Garden Pullover, and Child's Garden Maze Cardigan for examples.
  • There are so many children & infants popping up in my life, that I'm designing projects for them -- I'll be using some of the ideas above in the projects.
• Ponchos
  • I love my woven alpaca poncho that I bought in Peru (I'm wearing it in the picture of me on the biography page), but I'd like to design one or two knitted ones.
• Entrelac (also called basketweave)
  • See Entrelac Pouch and Entrelac Stair Step Shawl for examples
  • I love the building block nature, but I don't like how most designs in this technique have triangle-shaped blocks at the edges.
  • I'm currently working on some basic technique patterns that will show how to use the technique for square-edged or pointed edged projects.
• Favorite stitch techniques
  • Garter Stitch -- For some reason I just love this stitch.  It works well by itself AND with other thick techniques, such as reversible knitting and cables
  • I-Cord -- I love the versatility of this stitch.  For cast on, bind off, edging, buttonholes, drawstrings, and just plain trim.
  • Intarsia -- Also called color block knitting.  I enjoy figured designs, in both stockinette and garter stitch patterns.
  • Cables -- Not only basic cables, but rather convoluted versions.  See Coming Attractions and Sam the Ram