ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

In November 2005 Best Beloved and I visited Crete on what we thought would be our only ever trip to Europe together. We visited Crete because Best Beloveds father was a Prisoner of War there. He escaped and lived and fought in the mountains alongside the local people until he was able to get onto a fishing boat to Cairo and rejoin his unit.

It is a wild country, dramatic and passionate. We met some amazing people and visited some interesting and challenging places including war museums, graves, look outs, old towns, Knossos etc. And we drank a great deal of the local Raki after our meals, probably because it was provided at the end of all our meals and we though it might be just a bit churlish to not partake and partake we did. And that first night we really struggled home, so we did have to learn to manage it better (drink less).

Wedding Dress - Crete, knitted in 1942, of German Parachute silks

In the War Memorial museum in Chania (Hania) I found and photographed this wedding dress, knitted by Adriani Antonakaki in 1942.

On the label is written in English “Wedding dress from the silk cords of a German parachute knitted by Adriani D Antonakaki, which she wore on her wedding in 18-10-42, in Rethimno”.

Even in times of extremity as there was in the world in 1942, Adriani laboured over the knitting of her own wedding dress from probably the only material available, parachute silk, looking forward to a positive future. I do hope she had a wonderful life.

Sadly I cannot tell you for sure which museum this exhibit was in but I seem to remember that it was the Maritime Museum of Crete. Maybe someone out there will know for sure and I will be able to update the information.

***Raki or Tsikoudia is a strong distilled spirit containing approximately 37% alcohol per volume and is produced from the must-residue of the wine-press***

If you are considering “knitting in the round” these are the advantages as I see them.

Knitted in the round from bottom up.

Advantages:

1. No purling – you are always knitting on the right side, so unless you are ribbing or creating a pattern which requires purl stitches on the right side then you do not need to purl.

2. Little or no seaming / finishing

3. May use less yarn if the pattern is altered from a flat or pieced pattern. When altering a flat or pieced pattern one can reduce a stitch at each side of the body front and back – reducing the yarn required but not the finished size.

4. Speed – knit stitch is faster and your knitting rhythm works to your advantage.

5. Great knitting for watching a favourite TV program.

6. Less seaming is better for a knitted piece – it will rest better on the body without stresses and strains of a seam.

7. You can design as you knit. You can adjust length and shape as as you go.

8. You do not need to check that front and back pieces match exactly. Place a marker at the begining of the first row and you will always know exactly where you are and where to measure.

9. Using circular needles means that a large garment rests in your lap and not on the needles and your arms.

10. A garment can be altered – lengthened or shortened for another wearer later by unravelling and knitting down as required.

Disadvantage:

1. Boring knitting – Sweater done in knit stitch in the round can be boring.

2. Pieced or flat knitting is easier to create if starting with a sewing pattern.

Folk knitting was originally created circularly and seaming was very minimal so Knitting in the Round has been the “norm” in many cultures.

think tubes

Socks, arm warmers, body warmers, leg warmers, corsets, skirts, ponchos, cowls, hoods, boob tubes, etc and the leap to knitting a whole garment in the round occurs when one joins the knitted or crocheted tubes to create the desired garment.

Gallery of Examples of My “Knitting in the Round”

In New Zealand in my early knitting and designing days I was totally unaware of the movement toward knitting in the round as reintroduced to the US by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I was a busy young mother and wanted to finish my garment when I had completed the knitting whereever possible and so I worked on achieving that.

Fashion shaping may have been the impetus for creating flat pieces and joining them. I have worked on shaping my pieces when knitting in the round. The other area I have worked on is knitting a waistcoat, cardigan or jacket or sweater in one piece to the underarm or from cuff to cuff – again to reduce seaming requirements but that will have to be another post.

And then of course there is also top down knitting and steeks and ……

Yeah I know, There are many grannies in New Zealand and throughout the world. Some are called granny and you knew that already. Some are called Oma, G’ma, Grandma, Grandmother, and me I am a grandmother as well and I am called Mormor. For those who don’t know what, or who, or whatever mormor means – it means mothers mother, in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian if google translate is correct.

There are many other “mormor” terms out there, some we know and recognise instantly, and others that we do not know well, like Bestemor, Farmor, Grand-mere, Nonna, Grootmoeder, Abuela and then there is Grandmamma, the very formal Grandparent, Grandmom, Grandmama and Grammy, and so on.

But you guessed it; this is not about grandmothers at all, it is about grannyg_in_nz who has set about saving the world one craft at a time. Now that is big, as big as grannies plans can be.

Grannyg runs, manages, blogs and interviews all and sundry on Crafternoon Tea with Grannyg “A fibrecraft podcast from New Zealand featuring interviews with inspiring people” and she, that very same Grannyg who is going to save the world one craft at a time has interviewed moi, here in the Netherlands by that wonderful technology the telephone, with skype if you please.

Now my Mormor (mothers mother) in Denmark, and my Farmor (my fathers mother) also of Denmark barely met the telephone.

Yet here is GrannyG talking to me across the airwaves (about 11,000 miles of airwaves) about me, and my work, my art, my nuttiness, my knitting, my …. well all sorts – and she wasn’t bribed to do it! She, that is Grannyg actually thinks I could be interesting to talk to.

Crikey.

And I can’t even remember all that we spoke about. We did talk about design and knitting and why I do it the way I do and so on. We did talk about the fact that my knitting is not the “norm” as it were. I can remember some things we didn’t get to like why is this mormor here in the Netherlands doing funny things with knitting and trees and concrete balls, and why …..

But I am not going to tell you anymore about talking with grannyg_in_nz. You will need to check her out yourselves.

Yesterday, and I am sorry I didn’t realise earlier but Grannyg and her website celebrated one year of happy podcasting, blogging and meeting fantastic crafty, arty, interesting folk. Happy anniversary Grannyg_in_nz

Thanks Gran.

Being a Wednesday, and a rest and recreation day for me – I thought I should look for a “W” project; little, sweet, easy, no brain required – and decided on a Wimple.

Wikipedia: The wimple is a garment of medieval Europe worn by women around the head.

It is a cloth which usually covers the head and is worn around the neck and chin. At many stages of medieval culture it was unseemly for a married woman to show her hair. A wimple might be elaborately starched, and creased and folded in prescribed ways, even supported on wire or wicker framing (cornette). Italian women abandoned their headcloths in the 15th century, or replaced them with transparent gauze, and showed their elaborate braids. Both elaborate laundry and elaborate braiding demonstrated status, in that such grooming was being performed by others.

So what can a wimple be on this wet, windy, wonderful & woolly Wednesday in Haarlem? A search on “Wimple knit” bought up quite a few hints, ideas, patterns and examples such as the following links.

Simple Wimple
Wrap turned Wimple
Gorgeous lace Wimple

AND then I remembered a “Wimple” or two that I had created back in early 2000s, not knowing at the time they were wimples. They were head and neck coverings, headgear I called them. There were a couple of others for which I do not have photos, so if you read this and you have one of my wimples – please send a photograph.

So today I am going to recreate my Wimple – I said simple, didn’t I – Mistake I think.

I am, of course, delighted to hear and to see that in fact my love of capes and cloaks is not out of line with the fashion consensus for the coming Northern Winter.

Capes can be casual and comfortable, easy to throw around the shoulders. They can also be smart and sophisticated; they can be fun and sassy, and then of course they can be seriously sexy, sensuous, and just plain gorgeous. A cape can be punk or funky, and it can be ethnic or modern – a cape be any look you want, and it can compliment any clothing style that you like or can imagine.

SO the cape or cloak is great over an evening dress, a tank and jeans, a negligee, a summer dress, a formal dress, around the shoulders of a business suit – even over a a bikini or your sexy underwear. Capes Rock.

A cape is so easy to wear and you can wear it anywhere. It can be dressed up or down using various pins and brooches or ties – you decide how your cape should appear. It can also define itself by the yarns that are used to create the cloak or cape. Faux fur is a fashion trend for this coming winter and luxury mohairs are okay again.

It is a funny thing the cycling of yarns and garments, isn’t It? Why don’t we ever just say – “This is what I like, this is the colour I like, I am not concerned with trend reports, I am only concerned with what I love. For what it is worth – I love capes and cloaks and I love the earthy colours, the warmth and lightness of wearing a faux fur with a fine mohair or alpaca yarn, I love the purples and then the reds and then the blues and then …. well it seems I just love colour and in no particular order.

There is plenty of time to find the pattern and the yarns for your cape for the winter of 2010. My Etsy shop has the Kiwi Cape available pattern now and I will be adding the multicolour cape that is in the gallery very soon. It is so easy to knit being all garter stitch and it is an easy one to play with the yarns you have in your stash. There are others and I will announce them as I complete them.

The photo gallery is of some of my capes, cloaks and some little capelet, poncho pieces as well. As I locate photographs of others I shall add them to this gallery. I do hope you will find something here that gives you an idea or a plan for your winter wardrobe.

The Cape is perfect for a newer knitter – no sleeves, simple shaping, small enough to not get bored with and frustrated by. They are also ideal for trying new yarns and colours, or to use up yarns from your stash. In these more austere times a cape will not require a huge outlay in monies, and your cape will dress up all of your current wardrobe items.

So don’t allow the winter of 2010 be the winter of your discontent because you do not already have one or two trendy, knitted capes and cloaks ready to wear by the time the weather begins to turn.