Woolgathering

The freeform thing has completely taken on a life of its own. I am really enjoying playing with it and fascinated by the project’s resistance to any form of planning or intent. I knit a bit. Then stand back and look at it, pick it up again and knit a bit more or change yarns and/or stitches… place a bead here and one there… think about where I might weave in another yarn later, or some fabric, or sew a few buttons on…

It feels really rather like painting with fibre. Or as I imagine painting to be, except I can’t/don’t paint.  Overall there seems to be a need to blend both stitch patterns and yarns.

I must say that I rather like process knitting.

I shall now be on the cadge for oddments of fibre/yarn/fabric to feed this new interest. Sadly there can be no more spending for years and years and years… a Five Year Plan has been put into effect. That’s Plan A. There is a Plan B. Also a Plan C, which is a 10 year plan - and to be resisted while ever Plans A or B are workable.

What are we up to? Well, we seem to be planning an entirely disreputable old age and distinctly dodgy future! It’s all about ensuring that Mr L can retire before too long, even though I have no employment, and finding new and adventurous ways in which to enjoy life. We don’t want to wake up and ask one morning “was that all there was?” - we want to sit up on that morning and say “we did all that we could”.

What an adventure!

Beachcomber project at Ravelry

Freeform knitting is something that has held appeal for quite some time. Finally I have decided to give it ago.

Long time readers will recall that a few years ago I purchased a kilo bag of assorted yarns from Colinette. I have used small pieces for craft work and have traded some longer lengths but there were a number of sizeable skeins that I always thought I should actually knit up. Chief among these were a rayon tape and a mohair that looked like they would go very well together in a drop stitch scarf project.

Recent reading in freeform matters led me to try a richer approach and introduce a wider range of textures. I cast on last night, with a thick and thin woollen yarn on chunky needles and knit a moss stitch block before switching to the mohair.

ugh.

Too sharp a transition. So I worked some of the tape in, knitting it double stranded with the wool and then with the mohair, before going it alone with the mohair.

The mohair looks different in the knitting to the way it did in the skein. It doesn’t work as well with the tape as I  had expected.

I was disappointed.

I sat back and looked at it and then fiddled with my bag of bits and added some extra yarn choices to my pile… hmmm… yes…

… and now I think I must be knitting a wall panel.

As I work along, making yarn and stitch choices as I go, my head is increasingly full of ideas. If I started this again, I would do the first block differently. Also the second… I am tempted to rip it out and start again but there are many aspects that I like so far and would not want to lose them. Suddenly, I realise that I shall be surface decorating this piece in order to blend the elements together better. I shall allow Serendipity to have her way with it and not attempt any control or ill-advised “corrections”.

It is certainly not a scarf, but I will stick to a rectilinear shape for my first attempts at freeform. I will not start shaping and flaring… not yet. That’s for a different bag of yarn.

Mohair

Didn’t I say the other day that it would be a long time before I knit with mohair again? Best laid plans, and all that. On the positive side, the intervening 20 years has improved Colinette’s efforts on the mohair front. This is soft and light and fluffy and not in the least like string or wire wool, nor does it get up my nose and make me sneeze. Hurrah!

Crochet

If I am to continue exploring freeform in an arty way I shall be needing to improve my minimal crochet skills… crochet will add a wider range of textures and an easier way of adding in organic curvy shapes.