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Ethnic Knitting Exploration by Donna Druchunas

April 23, 2009 by Terrye

Huge leap of faith here! Knitting without a pattern. Or, Knitting The Old Way, as Donna Druchunas author of Ethnic Knitting Exploration says.

donnaStep 1: The Revered Gauge Swatch! Yes, you have to knit a swatch.

  • What if I don’t want to?
  • Tough, knit the swatch.
  • Is there any way to NOT knit the swatch?
  • Just knit the swatch, you’ll thank me later.
  • But I don’t like to knit swatches.
  • Knit. The. Swatch.
  • Fine!

So, swatch is knitted. Now what. Augh! Gasp! Being one of the most mathematically challenged people on the planet I’m being assaulted with this word: “Calculate”. Of all things! Seriously, what was I thinking?

Ok, I can do this. So calculate I did (not without a calculator, that would just be dumb!) and calculate is what I continue to do. Figure out based on “The Swatch” how many stitches to cast on, how many to increase, how many rows to knit, how many decreases, then finally getting to the fun part, the 2 color design…. how many repeats I need of said design. I’m ready for a nap at this point, but we must persevere!

Based on a previously made promise to myself to knit from my stash and to handknit an item for each grandchild’s birthday this year, I decided to do matching (sort of) sweaters for my twin granddaughters. The 2 color designs in one will be birds and flowers from the Lithuanian section of Donna’s book. The other sweater, in the same colors, will be a snowflake or star design from the same Lithuanian designs. And, since they’re not identical (the sweaters, not the girls, the girls ARE identical, but I can tell them apart cause I’m a good grandma…..) that really means that I’m not knitting the same sweater twice, right? At least I only had to measure one of them!

p4230097So, here’s what’s done so far, in a Phildar acrylic, worsted weight, stashed, lovely purply heather yarn. 13″ from waist to underarm, ready for the next step.

This has been a fun experiment, so far, I’ll keep you informed as I journey through this frontier unknown to me (that of knitting without a pattern of specific items – slippers and dishcloths don’t count).

Who knows, when this is all said and done, Donna may have converted me to a Unpatterned Knitter! That would be awesome! Imagine the freedom! But there is still the swatch issue and that word that strikes fear in the hearts of mathematically challenged knitters everywhere: CALCULATE!!

Take heart, if I can do it, so can you! Give it a try,  this awesome book is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Ethnic-Knitting-Exploration-Lithuania-Iceland/dp/0966828992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240504793&sr=1-1

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Have you read?

Felted Bag Knitting Patterns

I feel like felting is a knitting genre that deserves a resurgence. My first knitting book (which came out in 2008, eek!) was all about felting, but I don’t feel like there are a lot of felting knitting projects out there these days. I really like the technique as an easy way to make a thicker, more durable knit fabric, and it’s actually perfect for knitting bags.

The ZZ Bag from yamagara recently caught my eye and got me thinking about felted bags, and maybe remaking one of the bags that was in that book. This one has a fun zigzag pattern and is worked in worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

A lot of the other knit and felted bag patterns I could find were older, but that doesn’t make them bad patterns. I’ve always loved the booga bag from Black Sheep Bags (the pattern is on their website but the photo is broken so you can also check it out on Ravelry). This is a fun one because you can use all your leftovers or a self-striping yarn (the original was made with Noro) to give it a colorful look that’s super easy to knit. 

An envelope purse is another easy shape to knit, and this version from Lavender Hill Knits on Etsy comes in different sizes for younger girls and teens or adults. The small version is worked with one strand of worsted weight yarn, while the larger uses two held together.

The Japanese knot bag is a classic, and a felted version is a lot of fun. You can find this pattern from Cindy Pilon on Ravelry and knit one for yourself using bulky yarn. I also love her bag The Curve, which is also on Ravelry and has a fun rounded shape and contrasting handles.

And there’s also the amazing stained glass bag from Knitting Dream, which also uses a Noro yarn, but you could use wool scraps on the different fans to give it a unique look. There are two size options to choose from and it’s not as tricky as it looks.

 

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