Knitting Innovations
Maybe having been involved in the on-line knitting community for about 10 years makes me think that “knitting innovations” is an oxymoron.
There Is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn
It just seems that nothing new ever happens. Especially with on-line knitters (including me). We just continue to recycle the same stuff.
For those long-time KnitList folks, there was actually a calendar once that was a pretty accurate predictor of general topics that would occur on a cyclical basis. Knitting on airplanes, Christians vs. Non-Christians, Holiday vs. Christmas, acrylic vs. natural fibers, circular vs. non-circulars (I prefer not to use the standard term for non-circulars).
I guess it’s no surprise that the knitting magazines provide little or no innovation in their bi-annual offerings. I guess the best we can hope for is a designer who uses existing concepts in knitting in a way that is either interesting, or inspires us to be interesting. Eunny Jang’s article on entrelac in the latest IK is an example of that (I just read that she will be the new editor at IK…excellent choice in my opinion). It made me want to pick up the needles and try an entrelac design of my own and see if I could come up with something successful in that difficult medium.
I also take inspiration from folks like Kathy Merrick when she uses crochet to create beautiful garments. If she can use crochet with talent, I figure I could use entrelac to create something beautiful as well…no?
Current Knitting
I didn’t even pick up the unfinished dark tweed pullover this past weekend. Instead, I worked on the colorblock cardigan.
I started work on the left-front of the garment, and it’s moving along quite nicely.
I also finished (almost) my first pair of felted clogs.
I obviously haven’t felted them yet…actually, I still have to knit the bottom of the second slipper. I plan on making a few pairs before I felt any of them.
I read the news about Eunny on Mar’s blog. I’m excited to see where she takes things.
You’re farther along with the clogs than I am. I’ve only got the pattern. Need to put those on a priority track, though, as I’ve been getting through the winter wearing three and four pairs of socks. That and I need something to keep all the cat and dog hair off my socks.
I’m very happy that Eunny is going to head up IK. A very sound choice.
Entrelac is one of my favorite techniques and I think it has enormous possibilities. I have somewhere a not-yet-felted entrelac bag that I did in rainbow colors of Naturespun. I’ll have to find it.
Odd that I like entrelac and not the usual modular knitting, which entrelac is, actually.
Eunny is a talented and fearless knitter/designer. Her appointment gives me hope for the future of real knitting.
I made an entrelac sweater for my daughter when she was about 10 (she’s an adult now) and that was my only attempt. Maybe it’s time again.
I am in love with those entrelac socks- Its the first entrelac project that I have ever seen that I actually want to attempt.
I made a pair of the clogs last year for my dad- out of Cascade 220. They felted very easily, and I actually added the suede slipper bottoms because my Dad is older and I didn’t want him slipping on the tile and wood floors. He loves them and wears them all winter long. I think they are great easy project, but just clever enough to keep one’s attention.