Category: Yarn Works

Knitting

Since the tiger-knit is done, I’ve begun a project that I’ve had in mind for a few months and has already had a few trial runs. I’m amazed how well the yarn has stood up to being ‘frogged’ (knitting term that means to pull undone) four times up to now.

And even this time I was doubtful at first whether I’d keep this version as that bottom corner just will not unroll. I’ve tried a few things already, including pulling the first three rows apart. This merely caused the rolling effect to rise.

But I discovered it is probably an effect of the work being on the needles–which causes a certain tension along the sides–and which disappears when, for example, I knit half a line and the work hangs differently.

And let me tell you that the above are not the true colors! Though even the true colors, being what we used to call Vogue shades, are not my favorites. The yarn was on special, probably because no one likes them. I’m planning on throwing a bit of quinaquadrone gold at the finished work which usually fixes sickly hues such as these.

Third, as I hope you’ll have noticed by now, is the lack of a regular pattern. I wanted to see if I could knit a lacy organic-looking ‘shawlette’ to support an bunch of vines that I will crochet and/or embroider on it after the knitting.

A shawlette is a medium-sized shawl, I’m assuming. I learned the term from JS. The deepest part will about 40 cms or 17 inches. The length … not sure yet … whatever it ends up being when I’ve reached the required depth.

On the right side of the work, I’m increasing at the beginning of every line, then knitting eyelets either by (1) yarn over, slip one knit one and psso … which gives me a left-leaning stitch, and (2) yarn over and knit two together OR knit two together and yarn over … which give me right-leaning stitches. the main thing to remember is to do a yarn-over either before or after a pair of stitches knitted together. NOTE to self do not follow a yarn over directly after a yarn over.

The wrong side of the work is always purled.

By making these tiny decisions on each ‘knit’ line (on the right side of the work) for each wriggling vine wending its way up the knit, I’ll be able to pick out the strongest longest foundation vines to embellish. The rest will help build a foresty texture when I have fixed the colors.

That’s the plan, anyway.

After the Knitting …

After the knitting comes the sewing and stuffing …

But, because of the intricacy of the knit, there can be no sewing the whole thing together and then stuffing it.

Here I’ve sewn the two body-sides together at the spine, sewn up the four legs and stuffed them, and was about to start on the tail when I discovered the underside must be done before the back and tail.

The written instructions?

The written instructions are terse. I’m having to guess and gamble in places. Such as, pay out a front paw so the underside will stretch far enough to take in the backleg on that side sufficiently.

Because of course no hand-knitter will ever achieve exactly the same tension as another hand-knitter.

Knitting Day and Night

The tiger knit is incrementing at four lines per day about every second day. It’s turned out harder on my hands than I expected.

Finer knitting needles than I’m accustomed to, 8 ply yarn, and a tension that needs to be tight to prevent the stuffing later from showing through.

The stripes are quite intricate to knit. I’m having to check the pattern chart every couple of stitches and naturally the two colours get tangled no matter how I arrange them.

So this is my daytime knit.

Nights, while watching TV, or—I confess—any time I have ten or twenty minutes to spare, I’ve been working on my swirl shawl.

The yarn is Shadow 8 ply by Vera Moda, 60% cotton and 40% acrylic … one of those yarns you see marked down more than half its original price and you can’t resist buying. It’s very pleasant to knit.

A few more rows and I’ll need a longer flexible knitting needle.

Knitting, a Tiger

So far so good

Have just added in the left front leg. This knit has got to be one of the most challenging knits I’ve attempted so far … and I began knitting when I was nine.

Juffrouw Krauweel taught me and about twenty other 9 year olds when we were in Grade Three.

Juf stood in front of the class with her big knitting needles calling out the steps for each stitch … insteken, omslaan, doorhalen, af … (I can’t remember the last word in Dutch, maybe later)

I was an independent hussy where knitting was concerned and knitted without patterns most of my life.

This time however I’m following the directions stitch by stitch.

Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Recycle

Thankfully, Carindale Mall’s Apple outlet encourages people to bring in their old Apple appliances for recycling. Getting rid of my old laptop didn’t need me asking someone to drive me to the tip, I swung by on one of my shopping trips.

Ditto the iPhone wandering from cupboard to shelf to benchtop unable to be switched on. I could’ve sent it to mobilemuster.org but that would’ve meant a trip to the post office by bus and money to send.

Another initiative also in the Carindale Shopping Centre, is the Food Bank out the front of Woollies. That’s where I bring unopened food products I’ve bought and brought home, and then reading the finely printed ingredients list, discover an ingredient on my dietary exclusions list.

I love how there are beginning to be recycling opportunities in places where people need to go anyway—to not have to spend money, time, and cough out CO2 and petrol fumes—to recycle.

Camera and mobile phone places often have a box out front for batteries to be recycled. One of the bookshops takes secondhand books in good condition, which was another good discovery. As I get more books relating to the course I’m studying, I also need to send other books on their way. Shelf space is limited.

Then there are opportunities for repair. All three pairs of my bamboo socks were starting to thin in places. The solution to that are patches. I usually crochet patches. This time I thought I would also try some felt.

Above, everything I need for a repair job. Below, the orange in the sock and the sewing in progress …