Knitting machine experiment

On By CarynIn Craft

I decided to see what would happen if I knit the full length of my “Incredible Sweater Machine”, and since I can’t seem to only change one thing, would it be lace-like if I left every third stitch unhooked?

Photo description: The incredible sweater machine clamped to a narrow table with a full width swatch of fabric knitted with every third stitch skipped

I was thinking that there were needles missing on my machine because there are blank slots at each end, but the blank places are parking for the knitting cartridge. The cartridge needs to be completely clear of the needles in order to be ready to knit the next row. The loops on the very end are a little squirrely as the fabric lengthens because they angle inward and it takes extra attention to make sure they don’t pop off. Other than that, knitting the full row of needles isn’t much different than making a smaller panel.

Skipping stitches is just a matter of placing a needle in a non-working position. The shuttle puts yarn over the area, but doesn’t pull it in and make a loop. However, when I removed the fabric from the machine, the knit stitches happily expanded into the space and just became loose, not lace-like at all.

Photo description: panel of knit fabric with skipped stitches, on the left the stitches have eased back together and the stripe dissapeared

I decided to put a rib in where I left a blank, which is what is recommended for making a rib stitch on the machine. It was definitely awkward using a crochet hook and linking the loops after the fabric was off the machine, but I can firmly say that I am no longer apprehensive about runs in my knitting!

Photo description: same fabric panel but with the spaces turned into perl stitches, the top and bottom edge now lay flat

The yarn I used was from the scrap bin and turned out to be self striping, which was a surprise as I knit. I rather like the bold horizontal rows of color with the vertical texture stripes of the rib, and there is the bonus that at least the top and bottom of the fabric doesn’t curl. It turns out the ribbing at the bottom of a sweater isn’t to give it an elastic band, but to keep the bottom from curling up. Hm.

Throwback Thursday: more rocks

On By CarynIn art, Craft

Here is a collection of painted rocks photographed in June 2018 from one of my eye periods.

Photo description: painted rocks: left to right, top to bottom: octopus eye, sunset tree, cat eye through keyhole, blue human eye, tree frog, lady bugs, brown human eye, dog eye, reptilian eye

I think this wraps up the week of “more”. I had a couple blog titles naturally start with the word more, and ran with it awhile. Tomorrow we’ll go back to the regularly scheduled title randomness.

More insects

On By CarynIn Insects

This has been an interesting week for insect spotting.

Photo description: Texas Ironclad beetle (Zopherus nodulosus ssp. haldemani)

This is the eighth Texas Ironclad Beetle I have found on our property and the first in four years. This is by far the best picture. This one was definitely alive (it is hard to tell with Ironclads sometimes), and I left it to cruise along outside the chicken coop.

Photo description: Twice-Struck Lady Beetle (Axion plagiatum)

I have seen pictures of a black lady beetle with two red dots, but have never seen one in person until this week. Very neat find.

Photo description: Rabid Wolf Spider (Rabidosa rabida)

This wolf spider was easily 3 inches from front toe to back toe and I found it in the garage after I disturbed its hiding place by picking up a bag and then it ran down my leg. (Yes I screamed, but I didn’t panic.) I tried to get a photo with a reference, but the spider said no.

More raccoons

On By CarynIn Wildlife

I pulled the trail cam footage again and I think there are definitely at least two Mama raccoons.

Photo description: raccoons on a porch at night, Momma has a thin tail
Photo description: four raccoons on the porch at night, babies are bigger
Photo description: raccoon family walking away from the camera, Momma’s tail looks thick, I believe this is the same family as the picture directly above

I think there is a Momma raccoon with six kits and a thin tail (maybe babies are chewers), and another Momma raccoon with a normal looking tail with three kits that are slightly older than the sextuplets, or better fed.

I also see Mommas with one or two kits, but I can’t be sure that the picture just didn’t capture the other kits because they were trailing behind.

I am glad to see the raccoon population regain hold in the woods after the entire colony was wiped out by distemper a couple years ago, but I wonder if the population boom will create another overcrowded situation. We’ll be watching.

More… vegetables?

On By CarynIn Garden

Despite my effort to continue to water the cucumber plants, the Texas heat turned the vines crispy. I picked off the small remaining cucumbers and also broke open the ear of … corn? that formed on the volunteer plant in my pumpkin patch.

Photo description: last cucumber harvest with bonus corn-like vegetable

It all went to the chickens. I do have quite a large basil plant that I will harvest before the weather turns cold, and the pumpkin vines are not crispy, but also not producing fruit.