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Wednesday 29 December 2010

A bigger version


Trying out the different technologies to put photos on a blog. I wonder if this gives  better definition of the penguins?  Click on the image for a much closer view.
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Tuesday 28 December 2010

I found it!


 

I thought that this photo had mysteriously vanished from my files. I'm so happy to have found my favourite machine knit group project. And a Southern hemisphere festive icon.

It was displayed at the last MKAV Seminar, in the Club Projects competition. (yes, there is another coming up. and the Brunswick club can put in our own entry if we are strong enough) Due to the tyranny of democracy it did not win the popular vote - the display from the largest club took out that honour. The numerically strong and stylistically daring Moonee Ponds group might have taken the popular vote with Barbie and Ken and friends all kitted out in winter woollies, frolicing in the snow, except that it is known that several members gave their votes to the penguins.

If anyone wants to worry about whether machine knitting counts as hand made, just consider these penguins. All made from the same pattern, by different knitters on different machines, using whatever scraps of suitably coloured yarn came to hand. Each penguin a distinctive character.

Made by the knitters in Elaine's East Malvern club, concept developed by Joan.

Wednesday 15 December 2010

A Christmas project

If you are related to me, and geographically close, you are almost certainly going to get a scarf for Christmas. Provided I keep up my one completed project a day pace. I'm already a day behind, but the day is barely middle aged.

Being in the southern half of the planet, it is best to take into account the summer solstice, and make something that can be worn in hot weather.
A perfect project is the floating squiggles scarf, invented by Angela McGregor, energetic and creative machine knitter, and current President of the MKAV.




This is the version I made immediately after Angela made her rust and mustard version on a bulky machine loosest tension


My black and pink version is made on a standard gauge knitting machine, using every second needle. It could just as well be hand knitted, but in that case I would use garter stitch and large needles.

The yarns used are Avril Silk / Stainless steel, and Habu Nerimaki. These are available in Melbourne from Dairing http://www.dairing.com.au/ and from other retailers both local and international.

The stainless steel yarn holds its interesting memory characteristics. The cotton yarn does not weigh it down used so sparingly, and it shows off the beauty of the thick and thin slub yarn. And it is super easy.
Here is the pattern, for anyone in need of a quick but interesting gift project.

Pattern
Cast on 41 stitches
Knit with loosest tension, stocking stitch
Every 3rd row, add the Nerimaki into the yarn feeder, remove at the end of the row
Knit 300 rows, give or take
Cast off

Notes. Don't break the decorative thread, just take it out of the yarn feeder and hitch it over the end of the machine until you pick it up again a couple of rows later.

If you are using a retail sized cone of the stainless yarn, Just knitting to the end of the cone gives a reasonable length for the scarf. The Nerimaki will go a long way used in this pattern. You might get two scarves out of it.

The compliments of the season to you all