Pics to Picks

I got my pictures from Esmae a while ago but have not had the time to do a post on them until now.
Machine knitting class has been taking up all my 'down time'. I have been doing samples in the evening after work, on weekends, and any spare time in between other things. It is wearing me down and I keep thinking of all these other things that I have on the go as well. Last sunday, I had 'stitching' group and managed to finish the linen jacket. I was so happy!

On friday evening, I skyped with Kaz and had a brief chat about the images I had received:

 menorah

Painting

meadow

mountains

I thought there is only about 6 weeks to go and I need to come up with something soon!

My first impression was that they are not images that I would normally use to inspire a weave design, but then, that is the idea! to do something different.

I look at them and can see more literal translation into weave patterns or structures. Kaz looks at them and can see the meaning and other connections with the pictures. She sees historic and cultural connections. I think that even if everyone who signed up were given the same images, the end results will quite be varied.

Menorah: some sort of double deflected weave, block design, 2 colours, probably wool for the deflected weave to work properly

John Papas painting: some sort of clasp weft soari-style weaving with the colours from the painting. I don't work with a lot of colours so the choice of colours is a bit 'scary'.

Meadow and mountains: I have not read the poetry component of the images but have focused on the colours and the shapes. They are calling out for a shibori weave dyed in varying tones of blues. A bit like an indigo process. In fact, I think that all the colours in the 2 images can probably be achieved through indigo dyeing.

Kusha Kusha

I had bought the yarn from Avril and Colormart last year and have had this project queued in Ravelry. At last, I have resumed an interested in hand knitting and had started this scarf. The instructions are from Purl Bee and very easy to follow. The silk stainless steel yarn had no give, so it is not so easy to knit. I think it will take a while.

I have attempted to knit this on the knitting machine but the stitches are too even and loses the texture that I have seen of other people's images of the finished scarf.

I have also got the instruction of my mom's gathered stitch pattern! Both Deep End of the Loom and Kaz are interested:

I think that mom also varied the number of rows of stocking stitch to make it more interesting.

At last

I started this last year aiming to have it ready for spring/summer but at last, it is completed. Fortunately, the autumn weather is still warm enough to wear it.

The pattern was rated easy but it was not so easy and definitely for experienced sewer with time. There was a confusing section in the instruction on the collar stand and that made me put the project on hold for a bit, while I try to find out what I was supposed to do. Finally, a friend and I worked it out over some tea and cake one day!

It is made of an Italian linen I bought on sale for A$10/m, beautiful to work with and I had washed it before hand so that I won't have to get it dry cleaned.  I also found these painted buttons made of coconut shell that matched perfectly! They are 40mm dia so I decided to sew snaps/large press studs behind instead of making button holes.

One thnig leads to another and this side of the press-stud needed to be covered. I found the instructions to do them on the Threads website. Very easy to follow and am very pleased with the results. If I had a thinner material, it would have been better, but this works.

Easter

Eggs: symbol of rebirth

These are fermented eggs so I am not sure how that relates but they look beautiful, a monotone version of easter eggs and so well displayed.

I like Easter. It is quiet time. It allows me time to catch my breath and reflect. Not in a religious way but just time to contemplate.

Talented people

My greenthumb friends (Anne and Michele) came to the rescue with my plants. They were near death just before Christmas and you can see the evidence on the brown leaves of the Bay tree. The whole plant had looked like that. Anne helped me (well she did the work while I watched) re-potted all three plants and gave them a new lease of life and they are thankful. There are 10 limes on the Kaffir lime tree ( the most I have ever seen, and lots of cumquats for marmalade this winter........

Kaffir Lime

Bay Tree 

Cumquat 

And my super knitter mother made this for me!

 

The yarn is soft and absolutely heavenly. She knitted it single strand and the stitch is similar to all these collapse weave and machine knit structures with which I have been experimenting. This is the hand knitted version!

Not so plain beige

I am doing machine knitting at textile school this semester. The first project was to familiarise ourselves with machine knitting again and to experiment with punch card #3 on the Singer machines.


This was the inspiring sample. I often wonder how to achieve similar textures or patterns in different ways of making cloth, ie with weaving and knitting. I like the folded effect that one can achieve with double weave and this is my version in machine knitting. I am sure other people have come across this before but I figured it out on my own and it was satisfying.
I thought, it was all very well to do a small sample but what would it look like as the 'real thing'? I tested and had probably half a dozen discarded samples. In the end, I got this scarf.

It was knitted without weights as it would stretch the stitches and the folds would flatten out and also become less even.
I kept my fingers crossed the whole time that it won't jump off the machine (well, figure of speech as I needed both hands - one to steady the knitted section and the other to move the carriage).

The texture gave this colour a bit more 'life'. This yarn was in my 'discard' stash. I had given up hope of making anything interesting out of it, and then this happened!

I also like the way the edges are slightly 'frilled'.

I am going to try it again with a few other colours, varying widths, but that may have to be later in the year........

Big red

Weaving has taken a back seat at the moment. Hand and machine knitting seem to have taken over.

When I was sick last year with that terrible flu and chest infection, I wanted a warm blanket on the couch. I wondered about knitting, weaving or crocheting one. I had always admired this, but also wondered about this. In the end, I found this yarn and love the colour.

I decided on knitting and found the pattern in the 'Opinionated Knitter'. I used 2 strands of the yarn and it was 3 stitches to the inch, with only 30 stitches on the needles at any one time.

I also like the simplicity of the shape and the construction of the whole thing. The mitre corners seemed easy, I followed the instructions but decided that I did not like to see the holes from the short rows. I did some more research and found that I can do wrap short rows and it would eliminate that 'hole' effect.

I also found out about the craft clinic at this yarn shop in town. I went and met Judith. She is a wonder and helped me with my un-knitting (she calls it tinking: knit spelt backwards) and showed me how to do these wrap short rows.

I have finished the knitting part now and will have to go back to see her for help to sew it all together. The pushy cat has taken a liking to it and has staked her claim. I think that is a pretty determined look!