This week, I taught my housemate to knit.
Does this make me an experienced knitter?!
Since she moved in Gail has been keen to learn to knit gifts for her family. The cold weather has increased her enthusiasm and on Monday night I was unexpectedly home thanks to the Tube strike scuppering my social plans and we were able to have our first lesson.
Now, showing someone to do something you do on a daily basis may not seem like too tall an order. But. I am left-handed. Gail is not. So, I had to ‘think backwards’ to show her how.
I’m pleased to say I managed, she was a quick learner, and I’m confident her family will be receiving all sorts of lovely gifties very soon!
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Beret bonus
A couple of months ago, a friend of mine asked me to make her a slouchy beret in peach-pink or grey.
Now, here’s a warning to the wise knitter: STOP putting newer knitters off techniques that you found difficult! I was quite daunted by the beret pattern because it involved cabling, and whenever I mentioned this to anyone they made a point of telling me how fiddly and difficult it was. So, as you can imagine, this led me to put those skeins of yarn to one side and leave it to the last minute.
Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go – and it was so much fun knitting that beret, I decided to make my friend two – one really thick, wintry one in peachy-pink and one in a light grey alpaca.
My friend was delighted with them and my housemate, who saw me finishing the grey one, was so impressed she asked me to make one for her, in green. I did, and when her friends saw it, two of them asked me to make berets for them!
So now I have quite a hit on my hands, and I have learnt to cable.
Now, here’s a warning to the wise knitter: STOP putting newer knitters off techniques that you found difficult! I was quite daunted by the beret pattern because it involved cabling, and whenever I mentioned this to anyone they made a point of telling me how fiddly and difficult it was. So, as you can imagine, this led me to put those skeins of yarn to one side and leave it to the last minute.
Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go – and it was so much fun knitting that beret, I decided to make my friend two – one really thick, wintry one in peachy-pink and one in a light grey alpaca.
My friend was delighted with them and my housemate, who saw me finishing the grey one, was so impressed she asked me to make one for her, in green. I did, and when her friends saw it, two of them asked me to make berets for them!
So now I have quite a hit on my hands, and I have learnt to cable.
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Tea Cosy #2: 1950s Kitsch
The reason I started knitting was because I needed a tea cosy and couldn't find any knitted ones.
Being British, tea plays a substantial part in my daily routine, and I do use a teapot and teacups with saucers to serve my extra-strong loose leaf tea. In fact, I have two teapots, one in elegant white china for home use, and a slightly sillier one for the office.
A long-standing friend of mine, Gareth, drinks even more tea than I do! Last year, scandalised that he was still making trips back and forth to the kettle like a student, I went out and bought him a big, blue teapot, which I happen to know he uses every day. Now that I can knit, I've decided to make him a tea cosy to go with it :)
I found a 1950s pattern on Ravelry and decided to make it, but without the pom-pom on top as those are just a bit too kitsch, I think! Gareth has two adorable ginger cats. Leo and Louis, so I hit upon the idea of making the cosy in their colours - one bright and one pale shade of orange.
I am about half way through now. I'm guessing people used really small teapots in the 1950s because I had to expand the size of the thing by about 50%. I finished the first half months ago and am determined to do the second one this weekend.
Now all I need to do is find a way of measuring it to Gareth's teapot without him noticing.....
Being British, tea plays a substantial part in my daily routine, and I do use a teapot and teacups with saucers to serve my extra-strong loose leaf tea. In fact, I have two teapots, one in elegant white china for home use, and a slightly sillier one for the office.
A long-standing friend of mine, Gareth, drinks even more tea than I do! Last year, scandalised that he was still making trips back and forth to the kettle like a student, I went out and bought him a big, blue teapot, which I happen to know he uses every day. Now that I can knit, I've decided to make him a tea cosy to go with it :)
I found a 1950s pattern on Ravelry and decided to make it, but without the pom-pom on top as those are just a bit too kitsch, I think! Gareth has two adorable ginger cats. Leo and Louis, so I hit upon the idea of making the cosy in their colours - one bright and one pale shade of orange.
I am about half way through now. I'm guessing people used really small teapots in the 1950s because I had to expand the size of the thing by about 50%. I finished the first half months ago and am determined to do the second one this weekend.
Now all I need to do is find a way of measuring it to Gareth's teapot without him noticing.....
Jumper #1: Purple 1940s jobbie
Now that I'm a bit more confident at knitting, I'm starting to knock out some gifts for friends. I've made a few little things so far, but my first big gift project is a jumper for a former colleague, Rob.
The pattern is a vintage wartime one, which is knit in one piece so that the shoulders are joined. Having experienced trauma with seams while knitting my Tempest cardigan I have decided to make life easier by knitting the body of the jumper as a single piece in the round. I'll do each sleeve in the round, too, I think. I am just making a 'seamless' cardigan at the moment and it really does look so much nicer, which is especially important in a gift.
Rob prefers things he can stick in the washing machine, so I chose a sturdy acrylic in deep purple (his choice of colour). It's such a lovely yarn, I can't wait to see this project develop!
The pattern is a vintage wartime one, which is knit in one piece so that the shoulders are joined. Having experienced trauma with seams while knitting my Tempest cardigan I have decided to make life easier by knitting the body of the jumper as a single piece in the round. I'll do each sleeve in the round, too, I think. I am just making a 'seamless' cardigan at the moment and it really does look so much nicer, which is especially important in a gift.
Rob prefers things he can stick in the washing machine, so I chose a sturdy acrylic in deep purple (his choice of colour). It's such a lovely yarn, I can't wait to see this project develop!
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
A digression into film: Went the Day Well?
Ok, I know this isn't about knitting, but I'm a big fan of the BFI's £5 Tuesdays - all tickets £5 all day. And this week, that's what I did instead of going to my usual knitting group (I know - booo!).
The film was Went the Day Well? by Alberto Cavalcanti made in 1942 on the propaganda budget, but one of the most unusual, intriguing and modern war films I've ever seen.
The film opens with a quote, an epitaph by JM Edmonds which was popular during WW1:
"Went the day well?
We died and never knew.
But, well or ill,
Freedom, we died for you."
And, spoken by one of the protagonists, this gives a slight clue as to the course the action will take.
The basic plot is this: A large number of German soldiers, cunningly disguised as British ones, descend upon a tiny village and demand to be billeted. Here and there they give little clues - jotting down european-style numerals, claiming to be Mancunian but not knowing Manchester has an area called Picadilly, carrying German-branded items - but the locals either think they are imagining things or run unwittingly into the local collaborator with their fears and he persuades them not to take things further.
It starts out with all the hallmarks of a typical Ealing comedy, funny, jolly, lively. Even when the meance appears, at first it is merely amusing. I particularly relished the idea of a single village harbouring so many different regional accents - Welsh, Northern, several varieties of Southern, and a mish-mash of different class accents, not always in the most appropriate mouths.
But what really stands out in this film is the brutality. It's not soldiers and plucky young men being killed in combat in this film: the first casualty is an elderly vicar. The paltry Home Guard, made up of men either too old or too young to fight, is massacred in one go. Children, poachers, elderly women, no-one is safe and a whole lot of stabbing and shooting goes on. Even in 2010 it's quite unusual to see children shot on film, so for 1942 I guess that was quite daring! It;s equally unusual to see civilians killed in war movies made during the way - the whole point of these propaganda pieces was usually that the plucky locals were rewarded with a casualty-free victory. It's the one stroke of realism in what is otherwise a fantasy piece.
The uncharacteristic brutality also means that when the villagers finally get the upper hand, the audience feels a sense of suspense: so many of their initial efforts are thwarted that at first it seems unlikely this final thrust will succeed.
The portrayal of the Home Guard is quite hilarious - and almost naughtily satirical for its time.
Despite being a comedy, this film is probably one of the less romantic war films made at the time, because it addressed the fact that innocent civilians die in wartime - something often glossed over. It's probably a fairly sticky point to make when trying to boost morale, but it makes for a better film. The effect is counteracted by the fact that the film starts and ends with a sequence that tkaes place after the main events - ostensibly in peacetime - which suggests the war is won and all is well.
I hear the critics were unimpressed, but the audiences were respectable. However, almost seventy years on this is definitely one of the most enjoyable war films I've ever seen. It's also (apparently) Dame Thora Hird's first film role, and quite jarring for those of us who only ever watched her as a very elderly lady in the 1980s and 1990s.
The film was Went the Day Well? by Alberto Cavalcanti made in 1942 on the propaganda budget, but one of the most unusual, intriguing and modern war films I've ever seen.
The film opens with a quote, an epitaph by JM Edmonds which was popular during WW1:
"Went the day well?
We died and never knew.
But, well or ill,
Freedom, we died for you."
And, spoken by one of the protagonists, this gives a slight clue as to the course the action will take.
The basic plot is this: A large number of German soldiers, cunningly disguised as British ones, descend upon a tiny village and demand to be billeted. Here and there they give little clues - jotting down european-style numerals, claiming to be Mancunian but not knowing Manchester has an area called Picadilly, carrying German-branded items - but the locals either think they are imagining things or run unwittingly into the local collaborator with their fears and he persuades them not to take things further.
It starts out with all the hallmarks of a typical Ealing comedy, funny, jolly, lively. Even when the meance appears, at first it is merely amusing. I particularly relished the idea of a single village harbouring so many different regional accents - Welsh, Northern, several varieties of Southern, and a mish-mash of different class accents, not always in the most appropriate mouths.
But what really stands out in this film is the brutality. It's not soldiers and plucky young men being killed in combat in this film: the first casualty is an elderly vicar. The paltry Home Guard, made up of men either too old or too young to fight, is massacred in one go. Children, poachers, elderly women, no-one is safe and a whole lot of stabbing and shooting goes on. Even in 2010 it's quite unusual to see children shot on film, so for 1942 I guess that was quite daring! It;s equally unusual to see civilians killed in war movies made during the way - the whole point of these propaganda pieces was usually that the plucky locals were rewarded with a casualty-free victory. It's the one stroke of realism in what is otherwise a fantasy piece.
The uncharacteristic brutality also means that when the villagers finally get the upper hand, the audience feels a sense of suspense: so many of their initial efforts are thwarted that at first it seems unlikely this final thrust will succeed.
The portrayal of the Home Guard is quite hilarious - and almost naughtily satirical for its time.
Despite being a comedy, this film is probably one of the less romantic war films made at the time, because it addressed the fact that innocent civilians die in wartime - something often glossed over. It's probably a fairly sticky point to make when trying to boost morale, but it makes for a better film. The effect is counteracted by the fact that the film starts and ends with a sequence that tkaes place after the main events - ostensibly in peacetime - which suggests the war is won and all is well.
I hear the critics were unimpressed, but the audiences were respectable. However, almost seventy years on this is definitely one of the most enjoyable war films I've ever seen. It's also (apparently) Dame Thora Hird's first film role, and quite jarring for those of us who only ever watched her as a very elderly lady in the 1980s and 1990s.
Lace shawl #1: Part 1
Over the past few months, as I've attended various knitting groups, I've noticed people doing some beautiful things in lace. Some people seem to knit lace almost exclusively. So, I decided to try it out for myself...
I picked a relatively simple pattern in the sense that it didn't include any instructions I wasn't already familiar with. The most complex stitch is probably the ssk, and I had already done that!
After the edging, the pattern is a 27-row sequence, repeated three times.
This is a really lovely, delicate, and above all simple shawl to knit and you get a magical scalloped effect along the sides which is really beautiful. It's 300 stitches long, but it only took me a week and a half to get through half of it. And then...well, I dropped my pattenr on the Tube and wasn't able to knit it for a few days until I could print another. And I completely lost my momentum so that in the past two weeks I have only knitted about five rows. Disgraceful, isn't it? However, I need the needles for another project I intend to start before the month is out, so I shall be returning to my dancing cranes very soon!
Almost forgot, it's called the dancing cranes stole and is free on Elann.com.
I picked a relatively simple pattern in the sense that it didn't include any instructions I wasn't already familiar with. The most complex stitch is probably the ssk, and I had already done that!
After the edging, the pattern is a 27-row sequence, repeated three times.
This is a really lovely, delicate, and above all simple shawl to knit and you get a magical scalloped effect along the sides which is really beautiful. It's 300 stitches long, but it only took me a week and a half to get through half of it. And then...well, I dropped my pattenr on the Tube and wasn't able to knit it for a few days until I could print another. And I completely lost my momentum so that in the past two weeks I have only knitted about five rows. Disgraceful, isn't it? However, I need the needles for another project I intend to start before the month is out, so I shall be returning to my dancing cranes very soon!
Almost forgot, it's called the dancing cranes stole and is free on Elann.com.
Cardi #1: Tempest
Having cut my knitting teeth (so to speak) on hats, scarves, mittens and tea cosies, I decided to plunge right in and make a cardigan. I saw a lovely pattern on knitty and finally found the perfect yarn to make it with.
The cardigan is knit flat and I chose pale yellow and turquoise shades for the stripes. Knitting it up was quick, fun, and easy - took me less than three weeks.
Sewing it up was a nightmare! I never want to sew seams again! Ever... I sewed it up according to the instructions, but my slipped stitches were quite loose and there were gaps. So I undid it and had another go. Then did the button bands and they were too tight so I had to have another go....nightmare!!
It looks fine now and I am proud of it, but it screams first-time handknit garment - i.e. a bit rustic.
However, I have learned from the experience! To begin with, I've decided that it's really worth the effort working out how to knit things in one continuous piece, which is what I'm doing with my current project.
I've also decided that I will probably give this pattern another try in the recommended weight (lace) at a later date.
With all that said, I am really enjoying wearing my new cardigan! And perhaps only I notice its faults because when I wear it I get a lot of compliments, especially on the shades which are beautiful.
The cardigan is knit flat and I chose pale yellow and turquoise shades for the stripes. Knitting it up was quick, fun, and easy - took me less than three weeks.
Sewing it up was a nightmare! I never want to sew seams again! Ever... I sewed it up according to the instructions, but my slipped stitches were quite loose and there were gaps. So I undid it and had another go. Then did the button bands and they were too tight so I had to have another go....nightmare!!
It looks fine now and I am proud of it, but it screams first-time handknit garment - i.e. a bit rustic.
However, I have learned from the experience! To begin with, I've decided that it's really worth the effort working out how to knit things in one continuous piece, which is what I'm doing with my current project.
I've also decided that I will probably give this pattern another try in the recommended weight (lace) at a later date.
With all that said, I am really enjoying wearing my new cardigan! And perhaps only I notice its faults because when I wear it I get a lot of compliments, especially on the shades which are beautiful.
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