Ripping out knitting or crochet is just a matter of pulling. When I decide to undo a looped project, it isn’t that easy. I had started a new loop and twist bag, but then learned of a new-to-me ancient technique of looping around a core cord. That sounded much more interesting to try than continuing on a second iteration of the same bag I’ve made before. So I pulled out the knots, first the twist, then the knot, for each loop.
Photo description: one twist removed from the beginnings of a loop and twist net bag
The whole of the cord has to be pulled back through each twist and loop, and since I made the cord as I went, I had quite a lot of twined flax to pull through. Eventually it was too much and I kept dealing with tangles, so I cut the cord. I was able to recover a good bit of hand made twine, so it was worth the effort.
Photo description: small ball of recovered flax twine, with Izzy the calico cat as a background since she sat on my lap the whole time I was pulling out knots
This recovered twine will become the core for the loop around a core construction of the next project.
The felt wreath sewing kit now has two cats. I didn’t deviate from the instructions on this second cat like I did for the candy cane with the first cat. I sense more deviation coming in my future, though. The thought of finishing the wreath and it looking like the picture on the kit is disquieting. It won’t ever look exactly like the picture, a head tilt difference here, a slight color variation there, but I’d like to make it mine, specifically. I have lots of scrap felt. Hm.
Photo description: in progress Bucilla felt kit with a gray cat with a red scarf, and a cream striped cat in a Santa hat
I’m not a dyer. I don’t like dye. I don’t like the accidental stains, the bleeding, the quasi-chemistry that is more art than science. But I thought I would try to dye some dried iris leaves. I pinged my wild basket group, and one person said she dyes iris leaves with regular dye meant for cotton. I bought some Rit dye for cotton and natural fibers, followed the instructions for the hot water dye, thinking that had the most chance for success. I added salt and dish soap as instructed, and about a quarter of the bottle of dye. I put in the rewetted leaves. I stirred. The dye and leaves refused to connect. I added a cup of vinegar. I stirred. I added the rest of the bottle of dye. I stirred. I checked that the temperature was staying at 140 degrees Fahrenheit on the stove. I stirred for 40 minutes. The leaves should have been absolutely black for the amount of dye that was in the bath. They were stubbornly the same original color. I drained the dye bath outside and rinsed the leaves, and rinsed, and rinsed (have I mentioned how much I detest dyeing?) and rinsed some more. There were faint purple streaks in the iris leaves, but not even close to the color I was hoping for. I thought I rinsed it enough, but when I handled the leaves, my fingers turned purple. The dye liked my skin better than the iris leaves. Arg.
Photo description: dried iris leavesPhoto description: iris leaves after rinsing, the faint bits of purple disappeared, well, didn’t disappear, it left the leaves and stained my fingers instead
I went back to my post in my basket group to report the failure. I noticed another person said they soaked iris leaf pulp in mordant before dying. When I feel less vitriolic toward dyeing, I will research mordant, and maybe look for a book on dyeing that has the actual chemistry explained. Right now I would rather stick with natural colors that don’t stain my fingers.
I’ve cast on a new pair of spiral socks. This time I’m trying a 3×3 offset rib. The yarn I purchased years ago, tried to make a sweater, but frogged the whole project, so am now using the yarn for socks.
Photo description: top down spiral socks in progress using variegated blue and yellow fingering weight super wash wool and nylon yarn
I do think it is an interesting phenomenon that the spiral rib presents the garter stitch, while a straight rib shows the stockinette as predominant.
I started this large macrame hanging back in October of 2024. This basically qualifies as a throwback Thursday post, except that this project has been in progress suspension for over a year due to indecision. It has been hanging in a hallway and I’ve passed it daily during the last year. Many possibilities have gone through my head, and I’ve done a few knots, but a concrete plan never coalesced. I finally just wanted it done so I could organize my small instruments that have been living in a box in the closet. I decided to just knot a mesh of offset square knots on the right, similar to the two layer open side pockets on the left. As I started the net pattern, I decided that there should be different spacing between row to accommodate different sized instruments. It turned out perfect for my flutes, whistles, and recorders. I’d like to say I planned it for that, but really I was just desperate for it to be done and the knot pattern was the easiest path.
Photo description: large cotton macrame wall hanging with natural cedar rodPhoto description: same macrame hanging filled with small instruments from top to bottom, left to right: maraca, harmonicas in cases, kalimba in a case, pan flute in a case, castanets, steel tongue drum, train whistle, wood whistle, sliding wood whistle, soprano recorder, chanter, alto recorder, bamboo flute, rain stick, and on the top of the piano, a ukulele made from a laser cut kit
I’m glad the hanging is now doing its job and not sitting idle in the hallway. I would absolutely do the macrame mesh again for a different storage project, especially for long stock, such as spoons. Hm.
Happy Thanksgiving. May your projects result in satisfying completion.
Critters and Craft 