Wednesday 10 October 2012

 

Entrelac

As I am working on a book for a Japanese publisher, I experiment and here is a story of my last knitting-game.
Ever since 1993 I have worked with domino-knitting. I love it and I will always enjoy working with domino - it has become a way of thinking knitting for me. Knitting is simply not just casting on so and so many stitches on a circular needle. No, it is working my way in any direction creating all sorts of shapes. I have never tried entrelac as I have always been shown that it goes horizontally and you have to knit all the squares in a row. I find that boring. But since I figured that I could knit entrelac in a domino-way - it opened up for me and I am now having fun with entrelac.

 
My friend Susanna Hansson (http://www.oneofsusannas.com/)
told me about this book: Entrelac by Rosemary Drysdale. I do have several books telling about entrelac, but this book really made a difference for me. I was mainly attracted to it because the front cover was so nice and colourful, but also because it had this step by step instruction that I could follow. She work her way from the right to the left - one row of squares and then the opposite. But since I now know how it is done - I can make it my way. I can simply knit almost from where I want to where I want - one square at the time, not a row of squares.
The book cover tells the story of why it is smart to work in rows - as you do not need to cut yarn between squares. But since I weave in my tails as I go it does not matter - and my squares are bigger. 
  
So here to the right is a garter square, then a square with a star on top and the third square (with a star) to the left etc.
I use the Clover Point Protectors (left) so that I can insert my double pointed needle into stitches from a square from whatever direction and then place the Point Protector. Easy!!!
On the picture to the right I just used straight needles, but using double pointed needles and Point Protectors are smarter.

I don't know what I will use this technique for - I just played with it and we will see what will happen in the future.

Knitting is about having fun - isn't it?