Last week, it was the monthly meeting of the Huddersfield branch of the Knitting & Crochet Guild, and we had a workshop run by a local member, Elizabeth Smith. Some of her knitting and crochet is based on what you find on beaches - seaweed, pebbles, sea anemones,... You can see one of her seaweed covered rocks
here, along with one of her beautiful cushions in stranded knitting, based on local Yorkshire landscapes. We didn't attempt anything very ambitious at the workshop - we just knitted strands of seaweed. I have knitted quite a bit more of mine since the workshop.
The yarn is Jamieson's Spindrift, in the
Granny Smith colour. I've also experimented with another variety of seaweed, in
Moss, with more complicated branching (but have run out of yarn.) It's very satisfying to see how it develops, and I know from seeing Elizabeth wearing some of her knitted seaweed that it looks good worn as neckwear - she says it's surprisingly warm too. The plan is to combine three strands in different greens, and wear them together.
I'm a bit behind, but that looks like a wonderful holiday. A few more places to add to my must-see list. And then the seaweed, fascinating.
ReplyDeleteWhat a simple beauty that piece is! I would LOVE to have this pattern. Has she put it into a book, or would she allow you to share it? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNo, it isn't in a book. I don't know if she would be willing to share the pattern - I'll ask when I see her.
DeleteI feel like the pattern for this is pretty simple, from how I see it. It looks like you keep one stitch on the needle (continue knitting that one stitch every row) and then cast on, increase, bind off various numbers of stitches in various ways to form the branches.. I'm about to try out my theory for it and see if it works, but I see no reason why it wouldn't.
DeleteHi Andi. Sorry for the delay in publishing your comment - I haven't been getting email notifications recently and have only just realised. You're right, it is a very simple pattern. For each frond, you cast on a random number of stitches and then as far as I remember you bind them off again immediately. They curl up automatically.
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