Sunday 6 November 2011

KNITTING

So end of week one of knitting!!! I LOVE IT!!! This is what i've been waiting for, for about TWO years to finally explore different parts of textiles and its just what I thought it would be! The freedom you have on the knititng machine is great! To be able to create patterns really quickly on the machine, rather then slowly by hand (as I'm not the most advanced Knitter!) is great.
We started off by learning how to thread up the machine, its like threading up a normal sewing machine. Then we learnt how to cast on, which isnt as easy as the tutors made it look its fiddly! You create an 'E' shape with the wool and thread as many kneedles up as you want. Then the best bit you zoom along with the, I'm not sure what its called actually, the base and you create a row of stitching. Then you push all the stitches to get the kneedles out untill you have enough rows to attach the weights, which stop the knitting from curling in. Once the weights are on you can zoom along quickly and create a piece of knitting.
Below is a picture of my very first piece of knitting,  I think its quite good actually, but it is very simple. But for my first attempt i'm proud!! YAY!!

This image below is of some blue plain knitting I did but I changed the tension of the wool so you can see on the left hand its a tighter tension then the right handside!!! This wool wasnt the best to show off tension, but you can see what I have tired to achieve!!! I do like the colour of this blue wool!



We also learnt how to do LACE HOLES, they were quite tricky at first but I've practiced and I'm okay now. You have to use your TRANSFER TOOL to transfer a stich onto the kneedle either on the left or the right hand side. Its quite fun I've found! Once I'd got that you can use the double ended prong and make different patterens. The photograph below shows my lace holes, I'm trying to improve my photography also!


I like all my lace holes in rows like this, I was impressed!


We also leant COLOUR CHANGING, which allows you to bring in a new colour into your knit piece. Change from the blue to a pale green. Thought it would be more complicated then it actually was! Its a good technique which I think will come in handy definatly!!!


I'm liking the different angled photo!


The photo below isnt the best I have to agree! But here I put the two coloured pieces of wool together to create my own colour which turned out alright I think. I then added some lace holes also. On one side its a more blue and the other side its a more green. Interesting!


We also learnt LADDERS. You do some normal knitting then you can drop a stitch by moving it to a different kneedle, do some knitting then you ladder it all, by stretching the fabric! I made my ladders quite big and quite stretched. I like this look. You can seem them in the pic below!



Below is my favoutite pic of my ladders! It shows them at there best!!!


E-WRAPPING is a technique which allows you too bring in some more matterial or thread in the middle of your piece of knitting. You do the same technique you use to cast on, wrapping the thread, and this creates FRINGING. It creates a 3D effect on flat piece of material. See my pictures below. I really like this technique, it brings in some really lovely texture!!



We were also introduced into the world of HOLDING LEVERS. This is a very big world I have to say there is so much to it! Its basically where you can create different shape other then a square or a rectangl. Triangles are involved, one slopped shapes. You ahve can hold the stitches if you press the 'H' button and pull the kneedles out you dont want caught in the row of knitting. This allows shapes to be formed. PARTIAL knitting can be done also, where you can make the fabric curl and create tucks and this technique will allow you to create pockets also!
Below you can see some of my work that ive done using the holding levers, I have created a little pocket, which is the 3D part! I quite like this. I did this by holding the 8 side stitches and a pocket was formed as the middle stitches were knitting and the side ones werent!


Not the best picture below, but it shows two pockets close together!


PICOT EDGES are so much fun to make, they are my favourite! You do some rows of knitting then do a row of lace holes, some more rows of knitting then you take that knitting up, you take the bottom row and you hook it up, onto the kneedles at the top. This then creates a picot edge at the bottom of your knitting. This is what advanced knitters do on jumpers and hats! My gran was very impressed I'd learnt this!!! I'm so impressed with myself!!! YAY!!!




More picot egdes below, and also I tired HEMS and TUCKS! These are just picking up the knitting and hooking them on to the kneedles at the top, and you get a tuck!! Simple technique but a good one!!


So below is an image of a piece of knitting which I have created using many techniques I have learnt this week! I used, lace holes, picot edges, laddering, fraying, holding stitches and also a new technique we were taught which you can stitch in pieces of knititng you have already done and add them into the new piece you are creating. This allows a piece you dont really like, to be transformed into something lovely! You can twist, catch it in the partial knitting and different things! There is so much you can do its never ending!!! All these things I have added in the piece i've made below! Take a look in the photos!!




The photos above are of the piece of knitting I have done including all the techniques I have learnt this week!!! I'm really pleased with everything I've done this week, I have learnt a new skill and I love it YAY!!! I cant wait to learnt more things this week!!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Liv, this is all amazing .All in such a short period of time . I can't wait to see what you create next week. Dad x

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