will work for anything

just to be able to pay the electricity bill. had to bite the dust and get one because it didn't matter whether we were roasting, the ai vat was 25ºC and wasn't going anywhere. we'll see how this works.

the cord extender will be a tripper . i have also been warned by the  maker that it is not intended for other uses. but do you really think that the heater minds that the water to be heated is blue??i don't think so.

neki desu

breezy fashion

knitting this tunic was a breeze. japanese in stye = 2 large rectangles sewn together.  being so light it needs a body inside to hang straight. really like the overlocked edged, very  sephen burrows   ^_^

the only caveat is that the linen is so fine and the knit so open that it catches  and runs like crazy.

i also tested the walking foot and it works very well. upset with my machine because the bobbin keeps jumping in the case and creating a mess with the overlock foot and stitch. elna's are definitely NOT what they were ever since they're  not swiss made  anymore.

waiting anxiously for the color changer to arrive. 

advancing my mk education with this and this. although above my head most of the times, their posts serve as stimulants.

neki desu
 

one of the most beautiful music vids ever

so many cultural references and  very obscure lyrics. rummor has it that it was inspired by gabriel garcia marques story A very old man with enormous wings

enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.

stay cool

neki desu
 

and now in living color

yesterday was spent studying my hand manipulated stitches book as i need intellectual support for my sampling. i want/ need to understand what's going on and why things happen.then i'll start designing my own stuff. but for now the safety net of a recipe helps me understand and build confidence.

one thing leads to another to another and yet to another more. in short, ended ordering the harmony guide to machine knitting stitches by barbara devaney which apparently is one of the bibles in the subject. i also felt very virtuous because i bought it from a goodwill storefront in amazon  ^_^.

one thing i know for now, not interested in fairisle. we'll see later.

two color knitting can last me for the rest of this life. although the same at first glance  stitch in the photo above is quite different from this one.

and this is ruling out stripes. 

see what i mean?

neki desu
 

more 2 color sampling

getting in control of the bubbles. producing them at will :)



looking into a color changer which promises automatic yarn change.
i have yet to see a mechanical automatization. sounds like an oximoron doesn't it? anyway it will do away with unwanted stripes

like these for example.

slip stitch sample. or is it tuck? i was using punchcards and doing both tuck and slip without taking notes or marking the sample, of course.

a needle misbehaving. there is a problem with the latch not opening. good grief! i am in command of the nomenclature :)
if you want to know more about knitting machines go here.






neki desu

narrowing choices and serendipity

realized that if i want to really grasp the whys and hows i need to narrow the knitting choices.
i am basically interested in grungy knitting : holes, dropped ,stitches and  ladders. i am also interested in two color knitting especially creating maze effect, something akin to shadow weave. yes, i always go back to weaving :) as a result i will drive my efforts and concentrate on those two , that by the way will take up my next three lives.
the back of the knitting looks dismal with all those floats! the front is much more promising.





mazes knit cool but they require a lot of concentration, note the solid bands as a result of not changing the color.you could really plan those as design elements.
i am thinking of arty pieces knitted in mazes.

2 color bars . ok, but not a killer.
maybe worked in two textures they could be  more interesting-

serendipity! i forgot to engage the punch card the needles were already selected, but as the card wasn't moving the same pattern yarn kept repeating, resting on top of the needle.after 10-15 pasess i became aware of all those floats on the needles and engaged the card.it knitted a pass catching the floats and making them bubble out.

i'm sure all you experienced mktters know this, but for me was discovering how to make bubbles!

need to work on extrapolations of that.

did i say my next three lives?

neki desu

of hand skills

when in need of clarification i turn to sennet and his book the craftsman :

"Concentration consummates a certain line of technical development in the hand. The hands have had  before to experiment through touch, but according to an objective standard; they have learned to coordinate inequality; they have learned the application of minimum force and release. The hands thus establish a repertoire of gestures. The gestures can be further refined or revised within the rhythmic  process that occurs in, and sustains, practicing. Prehension presides over each technical step, and each step is full of ethical implication."

training my hands in a different routine, that of knitting with 2 different yarns; in this case 2 colors.

there are lots of movements involved and it needs more concentration than  weaving with 2 shuttles, but it's not much different. yarns also cross and the crossing determines whether they keep on knitting orderly or turn into a twisted mess. first baby steps.
more samples! .... to train, to do one's best, to honor the craft.

another related observation: the japanese are such good designers because the country suffers from a chronic lack of space. therefore each thing in its most efficient place and nothing is superfluous; that nook under the rail serves to secure the out of work yarn!

                    

" We have trained our hands in repetition; we are alert rather than bored because we have developed the skill of anticipation.But equally,the person able to perform a duty again and again has acquired a technical skill, the rhythmic skill of a craftsman, whatever the god or gods to which he or she subscribes"

neki desu