Knit Structure

          This has been a great year for me in terms of aligning my creative work with making a living...and that sort of response has pay it forward type of results. I feel energized by the knit structures I am developing and so appreciative of support so I'd like to gift an individual with a pair of my short mittlets. Just comment on this post and I will randomly select someone on January 1st.
          Other ways I feel this pay it forward idea has ramifications is through the energy I feel for developing and exploring new structures for future products (despite it being the Holidays:) I use scrap yarns in funky colours to develop these samples so please excuse the colour combinations. My vintage machines are capable of patterns by selecting and deselecting "cams" or channels in the carriage. They force the needles through a particular path and thats what creates uniques structures in addition to the fine gauge double bed capabilities. Converting domestic machine knitting ideas to industrial knitting is challenging  because the terminology between hand knitting, domestic machine knitting and industrial knitting is not the same. Additionally my old machines are really limited in terms of what they will do, so playing on my machines becomes a negotiation between the specific strengths of my machines versus the effect I am going for:) 

        To develop my work, I tend to stalk esoteric classified or online auction sites for outdated knitting machine magazines and publications. Machine knitting was in many ways at its height in the 1950's so that is usually how far I go back for more sophisticated fashion forward knit ideas. People tend to assume we exist in a more advanced age but check out machine knitting from 1910, its very developed and accomplished.
Well I hope everyone is having having a lovely Holiday and hope 2013 is as good as 2012.....

A lozenge double bed rib structure with selective tuck.

Simple tuck and slip combinations which mimic the punch card capabilities of modern domestic Japanese machines.

A double bed racked wave pattern which combines a row of rib knit with circular knit.