Let me get this out of the way first. I am making no claims to having created this stitch sequence. I am posting this "how to" because I'm positive there are others out there who have seen it, or a variation of it, and haven't found a good (aka: free) set of instructions regarding how it's made. There are patterns that include this stitch sequence. But none that I have found that simply show the process of it. This is my take on how it's done. It may not be the correct way, but it worked for me. I hope my instructions are useful. I think the Solomon's/lover's knot is one of the most beautiful stitches crochet has to offer. For a light and airy shawl or wrap there isn't a better stitch around. It's easy enough to do that you don't have to pay close attention. Mindless TV crocheting in other words. This stitch sequence is a variation of that stitch. It's very nearly as mindless, though you do have to sort of pay attention. It's fun, quick and the end results are stunning. Let's get to it! Begin with a slip knot and create a foundation chain of as many lover’s knots as desired, plus one extra and an extra loop. In the photo below I've made six lover's knot with one extra lover's knot and one extra loop. Turn. Wrap yarn around needle as if to double crochet, then pull up a loop into the base of the sixth lover’s knot. Repeat this again: wrap yarn over needle then pull up a loop into the next lover’s knot in the chain. Pull a loop through all five loops on hook. Insert hook underneath the 5th loop. Pull a loop through the 5th loop. Now there are two loops on hook. Pull a loop through the two loops. Continue this across. Wrap yarn, pull up loop from the base of the last group...... Wrap yarn around needle, pull up a loop into the next lover’s knot on the chain. Pull a loop through all five loops on hook. Insert hook underneath the 5th loop. Pull a loop through the 5th loop. Again, there are two loops on hook. Pull a loop through these two. Continue across until you have one loop of your foundation chain remaining. At the end is the slip knot you began your foundation chain with. Continue as usual: wrap yarn, pull up loop from the base of the last group...... Wrap yarn, pull up a loop through the slip knot...... Pull a loop through all five loops on hook. As before, pull a loop through the 5th loop and then through the two loops on hook. End this row with a lover’s knot and an extra loop. Turn. Crochet across this row in the same way as the previous one. As you complete each row, a flower pattern (or star if you like that visual better) begins to emerge. That's it! It's not difficult at all and creates a light, airy texture that is pretty no matter what weight yarn you use.
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I have heard some people who knit refer to themselves as turtles because, for them, knitting is sloooooow. I get it. I am a former knitting turtle. I was one for damn near 25 years. It was excruciatingly slow. Even though I loved the look of knitting, I didn't enjoy doing it because I knew it would take me forever to finish any project.
So, I picked up a crochet hook most of the time. I taught myself how to do both after my maternal grandmother died, but, I was just always faster at crochet. Every now and then I would pick up needles and start to knit something, but more often than not, I would leave the project in a sad unfinished heap at the bottom of a box. I figured that's just the way knitting is. It's a laborious process that takes eons to finish. Still, in the back of my mind, I always wanted to pick up those needles and try again. I figured there had to be a better way to knit that didn't make me feel like I was crafting under water. And there is! As I often do, I turned to the internet, more specifically YouTube, for information. I discovered many things in my quest for knitting happiness. One thing I discovered, which I knew already, is that I was knitting completely wrong. I can't even describe how wrong I was doing it because it was such a convoluted mess that it defies explanation. My second discovery was that there are two primary styles of knitting. English, (sometimes called American) or “throwing” and Continental (sometimes called German) or “picking”. There are other styles, but more on that later. I taught myself how to knit English style, where the working yarn is held in the right hand and is “thrown” over the right-hand needle to create stitches. This is the most common style of knitting, but was always awkward for me as a left-hander. It literally caused my arthritic shoulder to ache. Which was also a reason to keep away from knitting, but I digress. Continental style is the opposite, where the working yarn is held in the left hand and is “picked” with the right-hand needle to create stitches. My mind was blown! How could this be?! When I learned how to crochet, I taught myself right-handed, not left, because I didn't want to bother with reversing patterns. So, I knew that this style of knitting, with the working yarn held in my left hand, would be so much easier for me since I was already used to that from crocheting. I believe that anyone who already knows how to crochet right-handed can benefit in this way too, but again I digress. When I actually saw the Continental style of knitting being done in a video, I could visualize my grandmother knitting. She had done it this way. This also made sense to me because my mother's side of the family is mostly from Germany. I discovered that this method of knitting fell out of favor during World War Two and English knitting became the preferred method as a way of showing patriotism. I grabbed some needles, fired up a few videos and began to practice. I won't kid you, there was a learning curve. I was really learning how to knit all over again, the right way. It was tricky, but not as tricky as I thought it would be. The hardest part was purling. I watched a ton of videos about purling Continental and found this to be the most difficult part because usually the working yarn is brought to the front to complete the stitch. I was frustrated trying to complete that purl stitch the way they were showing in the videos and found it impossible to do. They were doing some weird contortion with their hand that was mind boggling. This brings me to the “other styles of knitting" comment I made earlier. I discovered another way of completing that purl stitch that was far easier for me. As a result, the stitch gets seated in the opposite direction on the needle, which seems to upset many hardcore knitters. However, it's very easily untwisted on the next row. Honestly, it's not a big deal and I think is an important thing to know how to do. Anyway, this style of knitting is called Combined knitting because apparently it's a combination of Continental and Eastern knitting. I don't know anything about Eastern knitting, but the purl stitch was so much easier to do because the working yarn is sort of “pulled” through without any hand yoga necessary. Then I decided that if I were to ever work on a project that required long stretches of purling it might be a pain to untwist that many stitches. I was now on a quest to find a Continental purl that I could accomplish without the hand yoga. I discovered the Norwegian purl stitch. This type of purl is made with the yarn held in the back of the needle, just like the Continental knit stitch. No flopping the yarn back and forth! But if you want to learn this way of purling, don't be upset if it takes some time to master. I'm not saying you will have to practice for weeks to get it down. But, for me anyway, it took about a day of constant purling to get right. So, that's pretty much my journey to knitting nirvana. I am so much faster now and, more importantly, actually have completed projects. Several projects. Many, many projects. I still crochet too, but I am so in love with knitting that it's kind of hard to stop! There were many, many people who posted videos on YouTube that I have to thank for my new crazy knittin' ninja skillz! Here are a few of my favorites if you want to travel to the world of the Continental: Awesome knitting instructors: https://www.youtube.com/user/LiatMGat https://www.youtube.com/user/CherylBrunetteTV https://www.youtube.com/user/WynnKnit https://www.youtube.com/user/pasticheknitwear https://www.youtube.com/user/iknitwithcatfur https://www.youtube.com/user/catbordhi Continental knitting vids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrEKucLV_j0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jra_bHaGd8U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx9YXxmXJ7g Norwegian purling vids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DkwcejowiI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDCWA8yB8x4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwfbO6_eFwI I've started this blog in order to post interesting things that appeal to my crafty nature. In the process of researching how to start a blog, I read a lot of articles from others who have taken this path before me. I hope that my observations will help other newbies like me take the plunge into blogging. I promise that future posts will be on the craftier side of life!
I think rules are a good thing in general. They provide boundaries and guidelines that help us succeed in unfamiliar situations. I don't think they are always helpful though. Before I set up this blog I did a ton of research in an attempt to learn as must as I could. I wanted to "get it right". Or as right as I am able. There is so much information out there. Some of it is incredibly helpful. Some of it isn't. The steps (aka. rules) I read about most often usually went like this:
This advice is good, but it bothered me too. What I found particularly annoying was the inference that anything less than these steps is considered just plain wrong. The very idea of setting up a blog on a free platform such as the one I am using, Weebly, would indicate that the person with that sort of blog isn't professional at best, and cheap at worst. In a perfect world I would agree that every effort should be made to make sure that whatever you put out there be as professional looking as possible. But, unfortunately, I live in the real world with real issues such as having to spend my money on necessities first and luxuries last. I am responsible for paying the mortgage, insurance, buying food, filling up my car with gas, etc. Just because my blog has an address with .weebly.com at the end of it, that doesn't make me unprofessional. If someone else thinks it does, that is their issue, not mine. When it is financially possible, I will "follow the rules". But for now, I'm ok with my decision to break them. So, for what it is worth, my advice to anyone out there who is interested in starting a blog but may not have the financial means to pay for the "must haves in starting a blog" is to do what you can. It's ok to be a rule breaker. As a person much wiser than me once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because people who mind don't matter and people who matter don't mind." Hiking along a winding trail allows me to clear the pressures of life from my mind for a time. Luckily, I live very close to some of the most beautiful areas to hike in this part of the country. The trailhead of a hike signifies not just the physical beginning of the hike, but also the promise of the serene views that lie just over that hill. In a way, I am at a trailhead with the beginning of this blog. I don't know where the next twist, turn, hill or valley will lead. I just know that I'm ready to begin the hike.
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Kitty G.
I often feel as if I belong on the Island of Misfit Toys because I'm not a creative with just one area of expertise. I enjoy making digital creations in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. I love knit and crochet. I love glass art. The creative process is very therapeutic for me and, mostly, keeps me somewhat sane in an insane world. Archives
August 2017
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