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October 2015

In an effort to tidy up I started bagging each of my knitting projects separately rather than leaving them as heaps dotted around the furniture. Twelve bags later and I've realised how badly I need to start finishing things off.

bags of fun

That's not even counting the bundle of partial knits that got shoved in a box when I got bored.

30/10/2015

Spider The First

spider notes

For my first try at a spider pattern I was aiming at a life-size-ish house spider. It came out more like a small tarantula. Now I've been led to believe that the house spiders I grew up with are unusually large for England* but it's mostly in the leg span. The one I knitted had a body that was about the same length as the legs which just isn't right. I've rejigged the house spider design and am now working on adding stripes to a slightly larger tarantula.

*Nothing to do with living in the countryside near a nuclear power station I'm sure, but if you can't hear them walking across the ceiling then it's barely worth getting out of bed. Interestingly the papers have been saying that spiders are going to be ususually large this year. That probably means I'll be seeing some the size of kittens.

23/10/2015

Nope

I can't do it. I can't come up with a knitted bag pattern that I like. As far as I'm concerned a shopping bag needs to

  • hold heavy things
  • hold small things
  • pack down small

I just can't make a knitted bag that's non-stretchy enough to hold heavy stuff without dragging on the floor. Even if I use a heavily woven stitch it still stretches. Using bulkier wool and a woven stitch makes the bag less stretchy but then it doesn't pack down, using an open stitch to reduce the bulk leaves holes which small things drop through. Lining the bag completely negates the point of knitting a bag (to avoid the sewing) and gaaaaah! Nope. Can't do it.

Therefore I have moved on and am knitting a spider.

13/10/2015

Bags of Knitting

Here in England there's a new rule that big shops have to charge 5p for every plastic bag used. In an effort to not spend money I've stuffed at least one bag within every pocket and handbag that I own, but the cheap plastic ones are already disintegrating (even when stored in my neat little bag-bags). I've considered a knitted bag pattern but unfortunately I don't like knitted bags, they sag and stretch and don't do the job well. I've considered a woven stitch but then the fabric gets bulky. I'll give it some more thought before I commit to knitting anything that size.