Knitting Backwards...

[neotoma]

I went to the free class at Stitch DC (well, free when you buy the materials there) -- it was on entrelac. Now, I love the look of entrelac, but it has always seemed like an insane amount of work to me.

However, it turns out that I picked up backward knitting -- knitting the purl side without turning the work, so that you're knitting knit stitches left to right with the left-hand needle -- with hardly a blink.

I didn't quite like the class pattern because it makes a sort of pillbox hat shape -- instead I'm making an entrelac scarf -- doesn't it look nice?



, and picked up enough yarn to make a 4th Grade Hat to match.

It's made out of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Flames, and O-Wool Classic in black.

It should be nifty.

I've also started leeflower's Pay it Forward gift, though it doesn't look like much yet.



-- at least the colorway is pretty.

Also, I went with cincodemaygirl to the local JoAnn's yesterday, and picked up a couple of tiny cross-stitch kits. They are nowhere near as nice as the leek kit, but it looks like my dad will be getting a miniature for Easter that has a pheasant on it -- maybe in a greeting card, if I can figure out how to mount it.

Comments

[snowballjane.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I keep thinking I'll try entrelac, but likewise chickening out. I look forward to seeing the finished scarf!

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

It's a *very* simple pattern, once you get backwards knitting down. Of course, for me backward knitting is like knitting English style, by throwing the yarn, so it feels odd, because I normally knit continental.

[leeflower.livejournal.com]

ooh, pretty!

Also, I am left-handed, so I always knit with my left-hand needle. Am I doin' it backward?

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

It's going to need a heck of a lot of blocking...

Probably... can you knit stockinette flat without turning the work, though. That's the real trick.

[leeflower.livejournal.com]

I did that by accident the first time I made a scarf. Then I asked twistedchick why it was curling in on itself, because I was all confused.

(I'm a n00b).

[nugatorytm.livejournal.com]

Well, for mounting a small x-stitch piece as a card, here's what I would do:

1) Use 3 pieces of cardstock; one the size of the card itself, one to use as a matte (sized to go over one-half of the folded card), and one cut almost the same size as the matte, just a bit smaller all the way around.

2) Fold the large piece in half so it's in the shape of your card and set aside. Next, take your completed stitching and glue it down onto the mounting board. Trim away excess canvas.

3) Take your matte board and cut a window for your stitching to show through. Glue your mounting board to one half of the card, then glue the matte board on top of the mounting board.

If you really don't want glue on the stitching itself, use the glue on the surrounding canvas only. Do the same with the matte board, leaving a space around the window unglued.

Or, if all else fails, buy a small frame.