Category: Tuck Stitches

A shawl tale

I have always been interested in mock crochet stitches executed on the knitting machine, have done a bit of experimenting in the past. The ones that are the most interesting to my eye are usually knit on the double bed, often making them reversible, which in turn may require hand manipulations. Browsing through old knitting magazines I came across this baby sweater and became determined to produce a similar fabric, in a manner that might be more manageable for production. In this instance the back locks are changed in sequences of 3, 1, with button changes, the yarn is fine. The first sample I produced was following the pattern stitch instructions.

The fabric as a hand technique, dropped stitches included

The challenge: creating a downloadable stitch pattern that will automatically select appropriate needles and duplicate this texture. Yarn used will be varied and have different weights. Pusher/needle set up both beds critical, then there must be an edging…more to follow.

Trying to coax a rectangle into a square.

Blocking is one of those topics open to endless debate both as to method and necessity. In most of the items I produce using conventional yarns, I restrict it pretty much to washing/pressing/ironing as needed, thus avoiding all those blocking wires, pins, etc. In this instance, however, the wire item is in need of some help in changing into and retaining the desired shape: my partial solution is seen in the photo above.

For the curious: Magnet wire or enameled copper wire is a copper or aluminum wire covered with thin insulation. It is used in the construction of transformers, inductors, motors, headphones, loudspeakers, hard drive head positioners, potentiometers, and electromagnets, among other applications. However, it is not usually magnetic itself. Magnet wire insulating films used (in order of increasing temperature range) include polyurethane, polyamide, polyester, polyester-polyimide, polyamide-polyimide (or amide-imide), and polyimide. Kynar wire is an instance of a color-coated member of these families and is used in my “colored” jewelry items. For knitting on a loom, I prefer 32 gauge or thinner (higher numbers), which can be plied successfully for more drape but are nearly invisible singly; 30 gauge or less(lower numbers) moves into the hand crochet/knit coil domain for me.

I enjoy using materials designed for uses other than those for which they were designed, the inherent challenge, surprises, and problem-solving.