KnitWerk

I was kicked around by the flu the last week or so, and am finally feeling a bit better. There were several days there where knitting seemed too difficult. Despite that, I do have some progress to report:

• Finished my Interlacements Clapotis – but I don’t like it. I did an extra repeat for a wider piece, and it’s just too wide. I’m very much a scarf/shawl person, so it’s not that I wouldn’t wear it… it’s just that when I try to throw one end over my shoulder for a casual but oh-so-glamorous look, it’s too bulky and clumsy. I’m trying to wait until I’m at 100%, though, before doing something as drastic as ripping back to the start of the straight section… it’s possible that need to take another look at it with a clear head. I love the look of the fabric knitted up, but I admit that I don’t enjoy knitting with the yarn.
• I started Sexie from Stitch and Bitch Nation for my niece (the only one that didn’t want a poncho). I’m knitting it out of the remainder of my Interlacements. Like me, her favorite color is purple. While this yarn is variegated and includes some other colors as well, I suspect she’ll like it. I’m about halfway done, but I’m really getting tired of the feel of this yarn in my hands—another reason to avoid ripping back and reknitting my Clapotis right away.

I’ll post photos next week.

Last month, when my nephew came to visit, we actually did do some yarn dyeing with Kool Aid. The skeins have been (ahem) drying in the guest bathroom since then… I think it’s fair to say that they’re now completely dry. Since six-year-old attention span only lasts so long, there’s still some white yarn left to dye another day. I love the way these first skeins turned out:

Off to Mom and Dad’s for a weekend visit. I’m bringing lots of craft stuff to do—gotta take advantage of Mom’s great sewing machines and huge fabric/yarn stash. I’m hoping to finish some bags from felted sweaters. Wish me luck!

(This post is missing a few photos, but it’s getting old now, and I came down with the flu—no photos or knitting happening lately. Just bad daytime TV and stacks of empty Kleenex boxes)

I used to make a lot of jewelry, so I thought stitch markers would be a snap. The classic way to make them would be to use a jump rings (round circles of wire) with sufficient diameter to accommodate a needle, and add beads strung on a head pin (a straight stick of wire with a little stopper at the end to hold the beads) and wrap the remaining head pin wire around the jump ring to secure. Simple.

However, I didn’t have jump rings, and jewelry making at my house is a spontaneous business. Alternative #1 was to use a 2” head pin, short beads, and make the big loop out of the head pin wire. Easy! This works fine, and makes short, light little markers:

(imagine picture here of the stitch markers on unfinished Clapotis #1)

These first stitch markers were eaten by the Clapotis that I started last winter, a project I abandoned as soon as I started dropping stitches (I’m not sure I like the hand of the yarn in its final form—it seems too light). Anyway, there sat my entire bounty of markers, trapped by an unfinished project.

I tried again soon after. This time, I still had no jump rings, and I’d used up all head pins long enough to create the big loop. Alternative #2 was devised: create the entire marker with bead threaded on plain wire, and secure the bead with a little spiral. I just love the look:

These, however, failed the knit test. I made them for gifts, and fortunately started using a couple before mailing them off. Those pretty little spirals trap yarn, getting tangled and sometimes snagging stitches. This will.not.do. I’m honing in on some key criteria, however, with this failure.

Stitch marker requirements:

• They must be light enough not to add noticeable weight to the needles.
• They must be pretty, and make knitting feel like a special indulgence.
• They absolutely should not harm the knitting in any way, or cause frustrating tangles

I bought some jump rings to try again. My preference was for the solid ones (called “closed” on most sites), but I couldn’t find ones that were big enough, so I picked up a cheap package of the open jump rings (there’s a little split in the circle). Maybe the splits wouldn’t snag anything? I started knitting away on Clapotis #2, this time just using just the jump rings as markers. We’ll say that I meant to do this as a test, not because I was too lazy to get the jewelry tools out.

See the little split in the circle?

I hate them. Invariably, those little splits find all the little sensitive spots on my hands, causing a scratch or a prick.

Add one more criterion:

• Stitch markers should not hurt!

Last weekend I dragged the jewelry stuff out to try them again. In some old experiments, I found the solution for Alternative #3: use wire, and secure the beads by wrapping the wire through and then up and around the bead. As you tighten the wire, you can create little designs. They’re kinda random and artsy-fartsy—I’m pretty happy with them:

They still have to pass the knit test, though. I’m about to try them out as I start the decrease section of Clapotis #2. Wish me luck!

(imagine photo here of stitch markers on current, almost-finished Clapotis #2)

I finished this a while ago – it was a very quick project. Just got around to taking a photo:

I’m really happy with it. It’s not a wear-it-every-day scarf, but it will have its uses. I have a big collection of eclectic accessories that I like to wear on a regular basis. This one is, I admit, a little strange, but I love it. Unfortunately, it’s become a little warm to wrap that much fabric around one’s neck, and the scarf really only looks good if it’s fully wrapped around at least once.

Some notes:

• It’s my first project ever—in many years of knitting—where I used the exact yarn, in the exact colors.
• Except—I didn’t like the tomato red with the other colors, so I left it out. It’s too orange for me, but will make something nice for someone else (trying v. hard not be cynical, and see extra, seemingly unnecessary color as attempt to sell more yarn). There’s plenty of the others left over to make more roses.
• Larger needles help the roses to curl, but I preferred the result on US 7’s instead of the recommended 8’s. I think the end-most mauve one in the photo was the first rose finished on the 8’s
• I don’t often use chenille, but I loved it in this pattern. It’s very soft, and the color selection is amazing.
• I enjoyed the crocheted trellis. It’s been a long time since I did much with a hook.
• It was a satisfying, very quick knit project. I started and finished within a week.

All in all, a success!

In other work, I’ve been sewing the purple purse together by hand whenever I can stand it, and I’m about halfway finished with Clapotis, knitted with my Interlacements yarn from Stitches West.