Suck It and See, part Deux

My finished swatch, and the swatch in progress with the art that inspired it. Brandon encouraged me to keep going lighter with my color choices, and then said I went too light in that yellow part at the top center. The finished swatch has some bits that are fraying near the top, because at one point in the afternoon, Brandon attacked the back of my swatch with a scissors. He believes that what it looks like on the back doesn't matter much, and clipping your ends really short. This is the most intarsia that I've ever done at one time. I don't know that I could attempt a whole garment, but maybe work in some here and there as a design element. I would be more inclined to try a dog sweater or pillow top, however. At the end of the afternoon, all the swatches were pinned to a neutral background. They all look really beautiful. Mine is the top row, third from left. The piece is 7.5 inches wide, and 13 inches long. Two days of knitting, pinning, stepping back. Suck it and see. It really was a challenge, and I must say that I was exhausted at the end of it. I did have a few people come up to me and say that mine was their favorite. I really think it's those Lobster Pot yarns. The colors are just magnificent. The little swatches on the far right are from knitters who did a one day workshop, and tied together bits of yarn for a light ball and a dark ball, and knit Kaffe's pattern Persian Poppies. I want to try that with two highly contrasting colors of Noro Kureyon. I've been a fan of this type of color work, and while I love to look at it in books, I was always reluctant to try it. The only thing I have close is the first sweater I knit for Yoda. I did buy the book Kaffe Fassett's Pattern Library as soon as I got home, and I feel like I've rediscovered an old friend. Now there's my new friend, Brandon. There's a Rowan magazine from a few years ago that has an article about him, and has some photos of him with his mother and sister. There's one shot where he's having a hearty laugh, which I think really speaks to the type of person he is. Besides coaching us through the exercise, the workshops were peppered with jokes and laughter. I love that an experience like this could maybe push my knitting into new, undiscovered territory.