Posted on 10/12/2005 6:35:50 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum
Ok, come out of the woodwork. We know you are out there, doing needlework at your computer terminal. Knitters, cross stitchers, crocheters and others. What's your craft? Wanna share? Want to form an online knitting circle or whatever?
Lovely belt, it really does look woven.
HHmmm, you make me think of a fake 'woven' handle for a broken basket I have. ;-)
Thanks!
Pinz
I use the wooden bamboo ones for that slippery "fun fur" yarn because the yarn is so much less likely to slide off, which is a good thing for a beginner. I almost can't believe how soft the yarns are now; when I first learned to crochet as a kid, I don't remember that there were this many wonderful choices of texture OR colors.
If you can make a knit stitch, and a purl stitch (which is the backside of the knit stitch), you've got most of what you need.
Everything else is a combination of just those two stitches, with a yarn over thrown in here or there and knitting two together.
Any yarn store can show you how to increase or decrease (especially if you buy a skein of yarn first!), and the world is then your knitting oyster.
Congratulations!
Pinz
Wooden and bamboo needles are excellent for slippery yarn, and really good if you haven't mastered the slipslides yet...one of the problems learning to knit with dp needles is not having too many stitches per needle...and finding longer needles at times...
My sister learned to knit from the book "An Idiot's Guide to Kniiting" (I don't remember if she said it also showed crocheting or not), and then she showed me. She highly recommended the book. Since then, friends have helped me out with questions or problems.
yep, k, p and then the various ways to increase (counting on how you want the increase to look) and decrease (so the stitches slant certain directions.)
The notation for these increases and decreases look scary, but doing them is easy.
Just remember, that learning to knit a sock was considered something you teach six year olds...so it's not really that difficult.
oooh...I found a site with lovely historical knitting patterns....
http://georgiacoombs.tripod.com/
a neat article on how to make needlelace (which is a lacemaking technique related to embroidery and cutwork and drawn thread work)
http://www.geocities.com/monstonitrus/a_and_s/needlelace/needlelace.html
And here are some instructions on how to get started tatting.
http://home.inreach.com/marthac/tat2.html
I have done some tatting. Fun but time consuming. I would love to do more of it. The ones that get me are the ones who tie lace. Beautiful work but...
Some other great needlelace sites:
http://www.marlamallett.com/l-needle.htm
beautiful photos of quite elaborate laces.
http://www.refalo.com/bobbinlace/needlelace.html
links and a great bibliography
Some more instruction on needle lace with links:
http://lace.lacefairy.com/ID/NeedlelaceID.html
I've played with bobbin lace before...something I always thought I'd want to do seriously, but never had the time for...or when I had the time, I couldn't afford the bobbins. NOw that I can afford the bobbins, I don't have the time!
I keep telling myself that I must stick with the crafts I've choosen, I am running out of room for anything else, time issues aside. I do quilting, and rubber stamping mostly. I crotchet and cross-stitch as well but they are not my main crafts. I would like to get into paper making and would like to do some clay work. You know, the bake in the oven kind. I want to make some Christmas ornaments and embelishments for other projects.
A sock in rhyme!
A Stocking In Rhyme.
To knit a stocking, needles four,
Cast on three needles and no more;
Each needle stitches eight and twenty.
Then one for seam stitch will be plenty.
For twenty rounds your stitch must be
Two plain, tow purl alternately.
Except the seam stitch which you do
Once purl, once plain, the whole way through.
A finger plain you next must knit,
Ere you begin to narrow it’
But if you like the stocking long,
Two fingers’ length will not be wrong.
And then the narrowings to make,
Two stitches you together take
Each side the seam; then eight rounds plain,
Before you narrow it again.
Ten narrowings you’ll surely find
Will shape the stocking to your mind;
Then twenty rounds knit plain must be,
And stitches sixty-five you’ll see.
These just in half you must divide,
With thirty-two on either side;
But on one needle there must be
Seam stitch in middle, thirty-three.
One half on needles two you place,
And leave alone a little space;
The other with the seam in middle,
To manage right is now my riddle.
Backward and forward you must knit,
And always purl the backward bit;
But seam stitch, purl and plain, you know,
And slip the first stitch every row.
When thirty rows you thus have done,
Each side the seam knit two in one
Each third row, until sure you feel
That forty rows are in your heel.
You then begin the heel to close;
For this, choose one of the plain rows;
Knit plain to seam, then two in one,
One plain stitch more must still be done.
Then turn your work, purl as before
The seam stitch – two in one, one more;
Then turn again, knit till you see
Where first you turned, a gap will be
Across it knit together two,
And don’t forget on plain to do;
Then turn again, purl as before,
And sew till there’s a gap no more.
The seam stitch you no longer mind,
That, with the heel, is left behind.
When all th heel is quite closed in,
To knit a plain row you begin,
And at the end you turn no more,
But round and round knit as before.
For this, on a side needle take
The loops the first slip-stitches make;
With you heel needle – knit them plain,
To meet the old front half again.
This on one needle knit should be,
And then you’ll have a needle free
To take up loops the other side,
And knit round plain, and to divide
The back parts evenly in two;
Off the heel needle some are due;
Be careful that you count the same.
On each back needle, knit round plain;
But as the foot is much too wide,
Take two together at each side,
On the back needle where they meet
The front to make a seam quite neat
Each time between knit one plain round,
Till stitches sixty-four are found;
And the front needle does not lack
As many as on both the back.
You next knit fifty-six rounds plain,
But do not narrow it again;
‘Twill then be long enough, and so
Begin to narrow for the toe.
Your long front row knit plainly through,
But at its end knit stitches two;
Together and together catch
Two first in the next row to match;
Then to the other side knit plain
Half round, and do the same again;
That is , two last together catch,
Two first in the front row to match.
At first knit four plain rounds between,
Then two, then one, until ‘tis seen
You’ve knit enough to close the toe;
And then decrease in every row,
Until to stitches eight you’re brought,
Then break the thread off = not too short—
And as these stitches eight you do,
Each time your end of thread pull through;
Then draw up all to close it tight,
And with a darning needle bright,
Your end of thread securely run,
And then, Hurrah !! the stocking’s done !!
This is from the Jenny June series of manuals for ladies: Knitting and Crochet: A guide to the use of the needle and the hook. 1887.
I ran across this pattern back about 2001, and liked it well enough that when I found a copy of the book available, I bought it...it does have alot of nice patterns. But this still was the most fun to read.
YOu should put that up on the Historic Knit List. They would love it!
Wonder how long the poem would be for Eleanor'as sock???
I've played around with bobbin lace, torchon mostly. A friend taught me plaited stitch a couple of weeks ago. Once I get my spinning and weaving To Do list pared down, I'm ready to jump into it.
Pinz
I posted it on that list many a year ago now...it was fun. People argued about yarn size, and for some people the cast on seemed too big (84 stitches), and others said it was just right..and the usual back and forth. At the time I hadn't done much work with shaped calves myself, and it seemed intimidating. That was then, this is now.
I haven't looked at a pic of the Elenora stockings in so long (being that it's not my time period) that I forgot what they looked like!
I have done an over the knee stocking for my hubby, but I wasn't satisfied with the results yet, so I never knitted it's mate.
Another site for the historically minded needlewoman:
Elizabethan Blackwork
(a collection of patterns to do blackwork)
http://www.blackworkarchives.com/
And one for the quilter:
America's Quilting History
This page takes you to an index of articles about quilting in America.
http://www.womenfolk.com/historyofquilts/articles.htm
My grandmother taught me how to tat when she was 94 years old. I had tried once, but couldn't get the hang of it. And then I decided that if I didn't learn to tat, it would die with her. So I would sit down with her and have her teach me. Except she kind of forgot the flip trick with the thread. I finally figured it out after looking at charts and tutorials on the Internet. I'm glad I learned.
Here's a nice article on crazy quilts:
http://www.caron-net.com/featurefiles/featmay.html
When I was a kid, already bit with images of reenacting, although I didn't know it yet, I read a story about a pioneer girl who had a crazy quilt, and how they had to use her quilt to protect something during the fire, and afterwards, how they patched the burn spot over. The image, if not much about the story, always stuck with me, and I wanted a crazy quilt for a long time.
Never did make one, but I can appreciate the work that goes into a nicely done one. It was a Victorian pasttime for upperclass ladies to gather enough silks or velvets to make one of these quilts. Because it's done in an applique technique, it took a lot of time to make one, which showed you had a lots of time on your hands and you were able to afford the fabrics involved, so having one was a status symbol.
This site has some interesting pics of victoriana.
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