K is for Knitting shop assistant

Once again I have picked a theme for the A to Z Challenge. This time I aim to entertain rather than to educate. My theme is careers or occupations. I begin with a piece of creative writing.

To navigate between posts, please scroll down to the end of the widgets in the sidebar and use the arrows << or >>.

Kate and Keith own a knitting shop. They know how to knit by hand and using machines. Although they are the proprietors, they still work as shop assistants. Customers are glad of their advice about yarn, patterns, needles and stitches. Kate and Keith also have to do all the ordering and keep the shop clean and tidy. Once a year they have to do the stock-taking. All the goods in the shop have to be accounted for – the packets of coloured yarn, the machines for sale, the tiny items, such as buttons and other decorative and functional items.

Further reading: Knitting

I am a knitter. My posts about items I have made may be found under the category Craft.

Knitting is an ancient craft. It is possible to knit flat fabric and tubes. I wonder whether Jesus’ robe was actually knitted rather than woven.  The whole of the passage including the verse in my post for the Letter D ends with the seamless robe. John 19: 1-24 

Advertisements

A Knitting Project

I enjoy knitting and find it a good leisure activity. My recent knitting projects have mostly been charity knits. For those of you, who may have been wondering, I finally found homes for my baby knits and the twiddlemuff.

When I offered to knit a sweater for a member of my family, I hadn’t anticipated such a big project. However, I wasn’t going to refuse outright to create something similar to the suggested picture. A compromise was required.

Detail of hem ribbing

Detail of neckline

Detail of raglan seam

Overview of front

A pattern I had used decades ago seemed suitable to adapt. The pattern was classic in style, but something more modern seemed to be required. Instead of a short 1×1 ribbed welt, I used longer 2×2 ribbing, which was echoed with a single layer neckline in 2×2 ribbing. The neckband was worked without a seam using a circular needle.

Instead of working the Aran pattern all over I restricted it to the front and back. After the matching ribbing on the sleeves, I worked the first row of the pattern and maintained an irregular rib throughout. The slip stitch pattern on the raglan seams was included to match the front and back.

The yarn was Hayfield Bonus Aran with 20% wool. The pattern was from The Aran Look by Patons No. 161.

A baby’s dress

I decided earlier this year that I needed to do some knitting without the pressure to finish it by a particular date. I bought some lemon baby DK acrylic yarn. Then I looked through my patterns. I realised I needed another 100 gram ball. The dye lot I had originally purchased had all gone, but I think it would be difficult to spot where I changed from one batch to the next.

The pattern, which had grabbed my attention, was the one I wrote about in a previous post – Peter Gregory designs for knitting 685.

I finished the coat I mentioned there and sent it to its intended recipient without blogging about it. Here is a photo of it.

Baby’s coat in white

This time I decided to knit the whole set – coat, dress, bonnet and bootees. No-one was lined up to receive it. I thought I would do it for charity. That is still my intention. It is complete apart from the ribbon for the bootees, which I have not yet managed to purchase from a real (as opposed to on-line) shop. I have an idea how to use it as a charity project without adding any more to its carbon footprint. An acquaintance is expecting a granddaughter. If she would like to purchase it with the money going to a church hall restoration project, that would be ideal. I shall keep it until the baby has arrived and then see what she thinks.

I am posting a picture of the dress, which fastens at the back with press-studs (snap fasteners). The yarn I substituted this time is Baby Care DK by Woolcraft.

Baby’s dress in lemon