Knitting

Illusion Knitting or Shadow Knitting

Anjie Davison — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:28:28 -0600

I had to have a go at this knitting technique. It's simple but gives an impressive effect. From the front it looks like a simple striped pattern. But tilted to the right angle a hidden image appears. This is Wikipedia's explanation of the technique. "The knitter alternates between two colors. Colors with good contrast are preferred, but not needed. The knitter knits two rows of color A, then two rows of color B, then two rows of color A, etc.

How to Make Big Wooden Knitting Needles

Anjie Davison — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:30:08 -0500

I made my big knitting needles from a wooden broom handle, it was only a £1 from Wilkinsons. First I sawed the handle in half. It's made from a soft wood so it was easy to shape. A very big pencil sharpener would have been handy but with a Swiss army knife I roughly shaped the end of the needle. Then with my Dremel power tool I sanded it. Finally I smoothed it off by hand with fine sand paper. For the stoppers at the end I used wooden knobs. These needles are a fraction of the cost of the bought ones and just as good.

The knitting and Stitching Show

Anjie Davison — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:46:49 -0500

On Saturday I went to The Knitting and Stitching Show. The venue was Alexandra Palace in north London. Set in a park high on a hill, the views over London were spectacular in the Autumn sunshine. You could see for miles, way beyond Canary Wharf. The exhibition covered all areas of textiles and much more. There were hundreds of exhibitors selling specialist supplies and workshops where you could try your hand at a new crafts. It was a paradise for anyone interested in textiles. And to admire and inspire they had textile artists exhibiting.

Willow Knits at St Albans Farmers' Market

Anjie Davison — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:42:11 -0500

Today on St Albans Farmers' market I was really pleased to see a stall selling hand knitted scarves and other items. I was first attracted to the stall by the tea cosies, for my birthday Susie bought me a book on tea cosy knitting and I have every intention to knit one of the retro cosies. But the tea cosies on the stall were only £5 and I know how much work has gone into them, they are a bargain. Most of the scarves on the stall were in luxury yarns like silk and mohair and a very soft cotton chenille.

Handmade Buttons (Dorset Buttons)

Anjie Davison — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:16:13 -0500

Sometimes it's frustrating when you can't find the right buttons for the garment you have knitted. This is a really easy way to make individual buttons for knitwear. For the buttons I used brass curtain rings, I think you can get plastic ones and these might be more practical when it comes to washing the garment. For the yarn i used wool and embroidery thread. I hope the photograph below showing the process is self-explanatory. First you cover a ring using what I would describe as a blanket stitch. Then create a spoke like framework.

Megan Reardon's Knitted Wig

Anjie Davison — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:01:15 -0500

I love this knitted wig!

Retro Knits

Anjie Davison — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:54:24 -0500

On St Albans wednesday market, there is a jumper stall that sells new and second hand jumpers, just £2 each. This is a great resource for Alice, studying knitting at uni., she can have her own archive of designs at affordable prices. It's interesting for her to see how the sweaters are constructed and the type of stitches and yarns that are used. The pieces are usually made in luxury yarns like wool, mohair, angora, and cashmere. The latest find is an oversized 80's jumper, in mohair, it's an abstract geometric design in bold colours.

French Knitting

Anjie Davison — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:07:08 -0500

like a lot of people I learnt to French knit when I was young. It's a very simple skill to master and the knitting grows really quickly, but I can't think of one single item I made from it. The knitting device used is called a Nancy, as a child I had a wooden cotton reel with four small nails hammered into the top. You can buy wooden knitting Nancys from craft shops, I have one that looks like a painted figure. I also bought a child's knitting set from Poundland and that contained, amongst other things, a plastic Nancy.

Knitting Alice

Anjie Davison — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:22:42 -0500

My daughter Alice is at Uni. in Brighton studying textiles specialising in knitting. Alice learnt to knit at junior school, Aboyne Lodge, taught by one of the mums who gave up her time and patience, It paid off, thank you Mrs Loader. One of Alice's projects I paticularily like is based on decay, she took photographs then interpreted the texture and colour using knitting and crochet. I think the colours are very effective, proud mother moment.