John Marshall: Works in Fabric, ii

My first contact with John Marshall came about when I discovered his book Make Your Own Japanese Clothes.

For anyone interested in traditional Japanese fabrics and clothing, this book is an incredible resource of information.  You learn how to construct Japanese clothing using traditional fabrics (which measure 13-14 inches wide), and how to sew them using traditional hand-sewing techniques.  Of course, you can also sew them by machine, but that just isn’t the same!

Garment construction is given for kimono, haori, hanten, various tops, vests, pants, obi, and tabi.  Not only do you learn how to make these, you also learn about the construction of sleeves, hems, collars, and the use of lining and padding.  All of these, combined with illustrations and photographs, give window to both traditional clothing, and a window into creating your own clothing with a modern cast.

I made the hanten, hand-stitched using traditional kasuri, and totally enjoyed the process.


Susie’s Hat

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I’ve managed to make two hats! One is Checkerboard without the pompom, and more in the shape of a beanie. The other one is Susie’s Hat, which I designed for my sister-in-law for a Christmas present.

Pretty productive, if I do say so myself. And still a few more on the needles!

Casting On in Knitting: A Survey of Varieties

Personally, I never seem to be able to master the long-tail method of casting on – the one that is wrapped around the thumb and index finger in a Y-shape. I have my own method that I’ve done forever, yet never have seen duplicated on YouTube. I wrap the yarn on my left thumb, and knit a stitch with the needle in my right hand – this is my version of the long-tail.  And it is very nice and stretchy.  However, the cast-on by Alasdair Post-Quinn made the Y-shaped long-tail cast-on sensible because of the two different colors being used. I may actually be able to do it now!

Given this, I know that I have found a lot of videos on YouTube for casting on before knitting. Being somewhat encyclopedic in my approach to things, I decided that this post would be a collection of the different ones on YouTube I found to be especially useful.

Traditional Long Tail Cast-On

Long Tail Tubular Cast-On for 1×1 and 2×2 Ribbing by Ysolda Teague

Stretchy Knitted Cast-On Using a Crochet Hook from the Scarlet Zebra

Estonian Cast-On for Knitting Socks with Nancy Bush

Channel Island Cast-On by Oftroy

Double Knitting Cast-On with Alasdair Post-Quinn

German Twisted Cast-On with Lucy Neatby

And these are just a few!  In particular, I highly recommend that you connect with Oftroy on YouTube.  She has oodles of videos about cast-ons and different ways to do it – braided, multi-colored, whatever – and her videos are very watchable.  She blogs here.  Lucy Neatby’s YouTube channel has some unusual videos, such as on knitting based on Navajo plying (used in spinning), and a very tidy bobble.  She is not a prolific video-maker, but her stuff is very clear and solid.

What would we do without the internet and YouTube??? There is sooooooo much to learn and share!

Double Knitting

In the past few months I’ve given thought to double knitting, which is the creation of mirrored patterns on a double layer of fabric. I’ve found some patterns that really have caught my attention. What really got me more interested was one called Cheesehands, by Julia Mueller. I really like the design – it’s a small project – and I have someone in mind who likes warm hands.

It also has a matching hat, so the temptation to knit is there! The pattern is quite cheerful, I think, and certainly worth the effort of learning double knitting.

Also, if you like gloves, Julia Mueller has incredible patterns, from whimsical to classical. Her other items include socks and hats. Check her stuff out on Ravelry.  Her cable and twisted stitches are different and intriguing.

The current edition of the Twist Collective has a lot of gorgeous patterns, and a hat called Four Winds by Alasdair Post-Quinn.

The article he wrote about double knitting is quite good.  What is even better are the videos embedded within.  These videos enhance reading about the whole process, including his incredible cast-on that allows the knitter to begin knitting immediately.  For me, the long-tail cast-on like this has always been confusing.  For some reason, it makes sense here.  (My long tail is very different.  I think it is easier.  Maybe I’ll film it one day.)

Here are the three videos in the article.

Double Knitting Cast-On

Double Knitting – Regular and Twisted Stitch

Double Knit Decreases

Interestingly, when getting the links on YouTube for Alasdair’s videos, I found that there are quite a few from the Twist Collective which I plan to check out.

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In the meantime, I plan to finish a few hats and a shawl and a sleeve before I take on double knitting.  And paint a few pictures.  And prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Addendum: I lied.  I started playing with double knitting.  Here is a link with some good tutorials:  Golden Apples.