Of Knitting And Ferns

Knitting and watercolour and a bit of everything

[knittingferns]

Why is knitting that cursed second sock always, always the “It’s been 84 years” gif from Titanic?!

[stitchposts]

ive been embroidering for nearly half my life and it still blows my mind how cheap it is as a hobby tbh. it can be as expensive as you want to make it, sure. I've definitely invested in nicer tools when I had the finances to do so. But relatively compared to other hobbies it's kinda nuts that a splurge on materials is like. 9 bucks for a pack of some of the fanciest needles you can buy. Silk thread for 6 dollars. The industry gold standard thread is the stuff already available at every single craft store in the USA. If you follow exacting patterns that require a lot of color changes it can add up, but those are often projects that require weeks or months of work. Let's say you had 50 color changes and the project uses most of each skein. That's months of hobby-ing right there, for about 50 dollars plus the cost of base materials which is under 10 dollars.

[yllene]

I believe I am onto something interesting with this. I am actually quite excited.

This is not stranded knitting, but slip stitches. In my opinion it is easier to knit with many colours using slip stitches rather that stranded knitting, because I get to knit with only one yarn at a time. And slip stitches create such interesting textures.

This is going to be my contribution to scrapalong 2025, even if it is not strictly scrappy, only partly scrappy. It is going to be socks.

[knittingferns]

I love finding an audiobook that fits perfectly with my knitting, so I’m incredibly happy my library had this one: Shepherd’s Sight: A Farming Life, by Barbara McLean, narrated by Robin Siegerman.

Description from the publisher:

“Through her unsentimental gaze, we witness the highs and heartbreaks of delivering and rearing lambs, the shearing and spinning of wool, the wildlife in the woods (and occasionally in the house), and the garden produce moving from seed to harvest to table. Even after half a century on this land, McLean is still making fresh observations, and she shares them in evocative, elegant prose. As she moves through the calendar year, she also reflects on years past, offering a long view on climate, stewardship, and agriculture.”

[knittingferns]

I’m on sock #2 of a pattern that requires lace pattern and I am once again reminded how bored I am with lace pattern. They are gorgeous, don’t get me wrong! But wow the process sparks zero joy in me.

(I’m writing it so maybe two months from now I remember and don’t start yet another pattern that includes lace stitches.)

[knittingferns]

I’m finishing a sweater and I controlled my impulse and did not start anything else in the meantime. So of course now I am biting at the bit.

I’m not saying I’m going to cast on three things this weekend, but it might very well happen.

Especially because I have told myself I must use my stash. I must therefore knit furiously to make room.

[jstor]

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✨ What you’ll find:

Meaningful discussions and resources

A welcoming, inclusive space for all

Humor, curiosity, and plenty of memes

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[klapollo]

Hana-Rawhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke, the youngest MP in Aotearoa, starts a haka to protest the first vote on a bill reinterpreting the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi

[ceaselessbasher]

I arrive at the yarn store and grab a skein off the shelf, the exact same brand, type, weight and color of the one I bought a week ago. Everyone in the store immediately knows that I miscalculated the amount of yarn I'd need for a project. They start booing at me. They are throwing crocheted tomatoes at me. The old lady giving knitting lessons in the corner is shaking her head. She had such high hopes for me. The cashier spits at me when I pay for it.

[brawltogethernow]

Unrealistic. The gods of knitting punish you for this directly by discontinuing the skein as you pass over the threshold of the store, vanishing any remaining stock.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Autistic and Being Startled Easily

Neurodivergent_lou

[comfortabletextiles]

GUESS WHO I BROUGHT HOME TODAY???

She's from 1909, so 115 years old!

The very friendly seller let me tinker in her basement and even got me a screwdriver! So I could make Shure that she works!!

Getting her into the second floor into our flat was a ton of work (kind of literally she's a lot of cast iron)

And there is still the original manual, and some spare parts!!!

Have to look closer what kind of Pfaff she is, there are two different kinds of manuals

[batshit-auspol]

Fun fact for our international followers: If someone in Australia cuts down a tree on public land to improve the view from their house, the local government will install a sign to block that view again

[crowwithahotdog]

Having only one interchangeable needle set really keeps me in check for the amount of knitting projects I’m allowed to start without finishing the other ones

[withbroombefore]

Sweater for a friend. (My favorite genre of knitting is things for trans people who have trouble finding clothes that both fit and spark joy.) Shape and cables are adapted from a variety of sources. The yarn is Cascade Eco+, in Boysenberry.

[knittingferns]

Waiting for it to dry is the hardest part, I think.

[knittingferns]

The more I learn about wool, both the material and the industry, the more fascinated I am. It makes me appreciate the skeins of wool I can use to knit all the more.

Turning wool into pellets could keep fibre from going to waste — and help farmers weather a changing climate | CBC News

Wool producers in the Maritimes are making wool pellets to help farmers and gardeners boost food production and deal with climate change, wh

[lightlyknitted]

Where to find free patterns

Vintage patterns can be a great resource for all sorts of knits and because many are out of copyright they are free to access. 

I have two websites I go to for free vintage patterns. They are freevintageknitting.com and freevintagecrochet.com. These are my first stop for newer vintage patterns because it collects old out of print pamphlets and makes them easy to read. The sites also have information on discontinued yarn, hook and needle conversion and more. They are a great start to historical (or vintage) knitting. 

For older books you can head to archive.org/details/knittingreferencelibrary. Books in this collection are simply photocopies so you would need to translate the patterns yourself. But it does contain Victorian to WW 2 books. 

Blogs and sites like Ravelry are also a good place to start looking for patterns. There are many free versions of vintage patterns and paid for ones can be helpful because the authors will do the work of updating the needles, yarn and pattern wordage. 

When working with vintage or antique patterns there are a few things to keep in mind. One is stitch definitions — always check what the pattern book describes as each stitch you’re making (this is very important for crochet!) Another one is to convert the needle size and find a good yarn substitution. 

Before you start transcribing or picking a new yarn, make sure it can fit you and if you’ll want to try grading. Vintage sizes are different than modern ones and it is best to use a guide to get an estimate. 

Here’s a quick chart with some measurements for vintage sizes https://purplekittyyarns.com/vintage-body-measurements-size-chart.

The next step is to start transcribing and depends on how old the pattern is. The older the pattern the more likely you'll want to read it through and decide if you need to transcribe it.

This can include typing up the pattern in a way which makes sense for you or to map it out on a chart. This can take a few tries and I like to start with smaller and less complicated patterns. Occasionally you might not even need to transcribe it. 

Next you’ll need to find the yarn substitution which will give you needles as well. If the pattern includes a gauge use that as a guideline to find a substitution. For a more in depth read visit https://knitpal.com/blogs/knitpal/how-to-substitute-yarn-for-vintage-knitting-patterns. 

And once you've found the size you'll need, made the pattern readable and found your replacement you're ready to start knitting. Happy cast on!