Knitting Chronicles # 3

Knitting has now become a way of life. Its crept into unchartered areas of my life - during boring lectures, long bus or taxi rides and TV commercial breaks. Knitting mufflers and large  garments in simple knit and pearl  is easy in the TV breaks. My ruana ( see previous blog) is a TV break project while the mufflers owe thier beingness to the temporal nature of " wednesday morning talks" at our institute.

 

 I actually found that Hill stations may have these small knitting supply stores. In Conoor I found one shop with a whole wall filled with wool yarns in colours.  In the amazing old style bazaar, there was a button shop who had 5mm needles. Considering that I passed Pony industries on the way from Ooty to Conoor, I had a good mind to get off and ask them a few searching patriotic questions about knitting needles in India. But then I was knitting in the bus and felt very distant from all the fury of the early days. Also very smug with my bamboo needles from the US!

 All along the journey, instead of sleeping I knit. and my golden needles attracted a lot of attention from young girls who watched me . a little girl simply wanted the knitting needles. I quickly knit her a ring: k5, K5 , k1- k2tog-k2,k4, k2- makeone-k2,k5, close ( like a buttonhole) then she stopped her tantrum!

There are a few experiments I thought  I should share about:

I tore an old silk saree into tapes and have knitted a duppata/stole with it. Looks like a manish malhotra design if you ask me.

I have also become smarter at holding yarns together to knit. Holding two yrands from two balls together gives a very nice effect and also thickens the wool. 

I am wondering if we can knit our jute strings into bags.

 and  I am asking searching questions about crocheting!

 My ongoing projects:

 Cable vest, mufflers for brother and sis- in Law, a knitted hoodie, beret and a pullover!

Wool in Conoor

Conoor is  a small hill town in the southern hills of India called nilgiris. More about this place is in my regular blog. I found some fancy wool that is locally made - from ludhiana called  " Rosy wool." I just got a bit yarn mad and did pick up lots of colors too. ( I seem to be in a purple mood, I confess)

I am knitting a muffler for my sister in law from Europe. 

Along  a curving path, on the way to Lamb's rock 

lies a needle craft homeshop. 

Hand towels hand embroidered 

with and very prettyIndian themes .

(Do ignore the dates on the photos, I just did not set it right)

Ruana is complete

I got the free pattern and had to modify it a bit for tension and size:
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/swewrap.htm
and this is what it looks like in "Bravo" wool, 3stitches = 1 inch in 5mm needles. its the first time I have knitted sideways.



Finished Ruana

Knitted from the side, used about 158 stitches and a 5mm needle

R1 knit
R2 pearl
R3 Knit
R4 knit

The wool called 'Bravo' ( mohair and silk ) I got at a sale in NYC at a shop in east manhattan called " wool gathering"! thanks for the discount.

It just came out perfect and has been much admired.
here is me in it
I used a bit of the green to give it a slightly designer look! ( actually I had bought less red wool during my us Trip)



THANKS Barbara Breiter !

from the US and projects

In a leisuring walk down eugene streets I was directed to this amazing store called soft fabrics packed with all kinds of knitting supplies. Very carefully I picked a lovely kettle dyed wool to knit my husband a birthday cap. and here is it.

knitted with my new bamboo needles too. The colorful cap is a purchase from a bazaar in Delhi. Crocheted in cotton yarn

Knitting chronicles note:

For my dear friend from Delhi I brought back susan bates needles made of plasic in US size 13 and 15 and guess where they were made (for susan made specially by coats india)

And this lovely yarn which was on sale from New York , manhattan

plan to make a ruana . Watch out for the next post.

and I went to the US

The knitting needle chronicles close for me. I got to visit the US of A and amazoned to myself two sets of bamboo knitting needles in all possible sizes. They were made in China and thankfully , not India and so I can avoid the deep embasrassment of an Indian citizen buying Indian products from USA. I also got myself some

Baby socks and grey cap

Its getting hotter and so making my projects smaller. The good news is that I seemed to have started an epidemic of knitting that is fast spearding in my institute. People will get sweaters with thier PhD. any way here are some photos!

My first project with circular needles that are attached with a wire.

Cute socks for a baby.again with circular needles. I used kitchner stitch to finish and it looks like a once piece work. Very clever stitch and loads of instruction on the net.

Break from knitting to finish a nice cross stitch project.

Section of the project, a birth sampler.

cap finished

The Next project I got off is a cap. Winter is over by now and its no longer wool time. Taking time to do smaller things like belts, caps and accessories.
here is a small cap for my dear friend S, knitted with a circular needle.
yahoo. My loving Bro is getting me huge needles from Romania.
watch this page for yet more things from the knitting in India.

My friend had a birthday and I knit these by holding two yarn together. I loved the easy project and it took me just one weekend to finish. I know the front looks floppy but I wanted it to be like the Indian Kholapuri slipper.

I added a note that said, click heels three times to feel warm comfortable and at home and she loved it.

Thanks to a great Seamless socks slipper pattern from http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/slippersseamless.htm

Knitting chronicles 2

I talked to the pony industries sales person, I found the number on the net! “Do you think you could get me the rosewood needles or the 6mm plastic needles or give me the name of an agent who could sell them to me....blah blah” I asked.
No, madam. They are for export only, how can we sell them locally?
Could you please sell me some?
I will pay in dollars if you want
No madam how can we sell for export needles in India?
Please I will buy a dozen. (Loosing it)
No madam, why don’t you try the Bangalore office, if they order then maybe…
Okay give me their number and address.

Tring...tring, Is this Bangalore Pony office?
Yes madam, what can I do for you?
“Do you….. blah blah” I asked.
Well madam the person in charge is on leave.
Huh? Could you tell me if you will get my needles for me?
Difficult madam, cant say! Why don’t you write an email and also to the head office saying what you want?
6 mm needles?
That? That is for export only!
…….

Well, the needle story continues. In commercial street I found a shop that had wool! Including the vardhaman special funfur type you see in the picture. I got my needles 4mm and 4.5 mm.and the cable needles! I decided to work in the limits and

1. asked my cousin to buy a gift set of needles from the US. I am importing Indian needles from the US!! ( what a large ecological footprint that is!!!)
2. asked my fellow Phd students to get me a size 6mm and 5mm needles
3. am asking my brother to make them
4. written a letter of reprimand to pony company
5. Bribe an employee of the industry to get a pair out ( STEAL?!?)
6. More next time, I have decided to go to chikpet!!
   
   By the way I designed stitch markers using cheap 10rs earring pairs I picked at a fair. I wound the hook around a plastic coated paperclip and bent the sharp edge in and voila! Stitch markers are ready.

My projects

I have three projects going.
1. A cabled vest for my husband. I did mess up the pattern a bit, the cables dont go over and under like weave . My fault for not trusting myself and following a book pattern blindly . But I corrected and unless you look closely you cant see.

2. A vest for me. I am holding two yarns to gether and I like double moss stitch. project UFOED till I get new 6mm needles.

3. Vardhaman yarns came out with a yarn that looks like funfur and the effect is pretty. I found out that patterns donot matter so I have begun knitting in st stitch and colours.

For day time @ research, I began something and am just making fabric. It can be a hat or a scarf or a purse.

The good news is that my brother who works with wood has some 6mm turned rose and teak sticks ( he was making a tray ) May be I can make something out of them - like Knitting needles!

The knitter chronicles

The practice projects I knitted were two small purses for two little girls. Nothing fancy but i tried all the basic stitches and so it is like a knitting sampler. I remembered how to make knitted cords. One of my early kiddy knitting project was to make cords of five stitches and create knitted yard for a number 0 needle ( UK )
Here is my technique.

Cast on 5 stitches in a double ended needle ( needle size of your original work - socks, purse etc. I used No 10 UK)
Using another knit to the end of the row .
K5
without purling back turn the needle and re knit keeping the yarn behind work. It is like circular knitting only there are only 5 sts. the yarn has to be drawn taut and you can start to see a cord after about 5 rows.
Caution, keep yarn without twisting it around your work and don't leave loose when you shift to the beginning again

Try it!

N for Needles

It all started when my cousin’s wife from the US of A presented my aunt, her mom- in law with a magnificent shawl. My knitting roots were awakened. My grandma on my father’s side was called by me as wool-wool pati, a tribute to her knitting excellence. I had knitted on many a wintry day during my stay in the Himalayas. I quickly decided to start and recover my rusty skills. I found I could read philosophy and knit at the same time. It’s ideal to knit when you are an academic as you get a lot of listening and reading done. A small search for pattern books, websites and supplies informed me that the knitting world patterns from UK had moved to USA. The Needle and Yarn had got thicker and quicker. No problem, I still remembered Cable-work and the names of the stitches. I just also happen to know to adjust my tension. And know the expansions for PSSO is - pass slipped stitch over. Then after about three books and five patterns later, I set out to buy my supplies. I given way my old needles long time ago and needed to restock all the tools. I live in Bangalore and there would be many shops. Yarn was easy; knitting needles I knew would definitely be available in Chickpet but I did not want to try there first. I just had to go locally to what we call a ‘Fancy store’ selling bangles, cosmetics and cosmetic jewelry and toys. The odds and end stores were still around, and were not displaced by the many supermarket. Pony & Jyothi, the companies that made needles were in South India . So far it was my personal project. As I began to look for the needles, my wanderings became the story of my city, Bangalore! I did not expect find knitting needles in Koramangala, but I knew the more traditional areas such as Jayanagar, Basavangudi or Malleswaram would definitely have needles. Then begins my search in Bangalore for knitting needles size 8, ( 4mm) 6 (5mm) and 5 ( 5.5 mm). And circular needles. My friends in Calcutta could walk down the road and buy them easily .But here in hi-tech city, the art of knitting was dying. The famous 8th cross shop where my mother got all her knitting supplies was no more selling knitting needles. They were very kind and brought out a dusty card board box with the leftover supplies and even gave me a pair free! Indian sizes 10 and 12 are common for baby knits and so these were plentiful in supply. I got the various lengths and the circular needle number 10 but no stitch holders or wool- sewing needles. And no cable needle! Cable needles are small double pointed and essential to making knitting into a more complex art work. Needle number 8 ( UK Size) and 6 , I found in the next shop that also had some acrylic yarn. I decided to try other shops. No. no and illa. And then I found that my local fancy store was changed. There were more cosmetics, gizmo and toys and art items. I walked into one shop. Two young boys – almost invariably with pencil thin mustaches and a gold bead earring, staring at me . Pushing through women buying bangles and children brawling for toys, I raised my voice and I asked “Knitting needle idiya?” Huh? “Kya oon ka sililayiwala dandi hai?” (In Hindi – do you have the sticks that one uses with wool?) The assistant looks at the senior assistant and mumbles in what I think is Marwari. He points to a draw in the shelf. I eagerly push forward and find him taking out wool crochet needles. My face falls. I never learned to crochet properly. Knitting was my strength. Nahi ye nahi. Doosra. Aur lambi dandi. The assistant looks at me as if I am ignoramus “ Yahi behenji oon ka hai. Aapko teek patha hai?” ( these sister are for wool do you know properly?) My three, paneled cable sweaters with three cable patterns an bobbles, knitted in one year, flashed before my eyes and I couldn't’t even speak. With a retort “ isse sweater thodi banthe hain?” (Do these things make sweaters or what?) I walked out.“Sweater dookan se le lo didi!” he call after me! ( buy sweaters in the shop, sister) Numerous repeats of this events and conversation occurred in Sanjaynagar, Rajajinagar, BEL road, Gandhi bazaar, Indiranagar with minor variations. In Gandhi bazaar I walked into a shop that had some Kannada speaking locals running it. They looked like old timers. May be I thought, just maybe…. “We don’t keep things like that,” he said, spitting out ‘like that’ at me with disdain. I felt like I had insulted him. A next shop owner was kinder. “NR colony.” he said. “G’s shop keeps needles and all such craft items.” I wrote to my cousin from the US. Bring me needles I said. Next week I go to Chickpet. My search for needles will continue. I am going to use this search as an excuse to walk through this city’s markets and blog my journey. I invite you to join me every month on the knitting journal.