Signs...

It is about mid August in Melbourne, when the wattle is turning mustard and the giant magnolia trees suddenly blossom, that I start feeling hopeful for the return of warmth. Sure, it's a little out of touch with reality. We will get plenty more freezing night and icy winds, but the blossoms signal hope, change and moving on!

As for the knitting, nothing will stop me!

I finished another hot water bottle cover with Fair isle patterns on both side, made in 16ply pure wool from Uralla Wool Room. This is what my daughters did in Class 4 as part of the Steiner/Waldorf craft curriculum. Ravelled here.

How to make your own Fair Isle Knitted Hottie Cover 

Cast on 35 stitches with 6mm needles (16ply wool). 
Start with garter stitch (plain knitting) and knit about 4 rows. 
Then increase on every 5th stitch to give you 42 stitches. 
Introduce your second colour and just play around with patterns and colours.Once your piece is as long as the hottie, do a couple of plain rows, then knit 12,  then cast off 18 stitches (which means you have to knit up to stitch 14 and then pop stitch 13 over stitch 14 and so on until 18 stitches are cast off, and you should then have 12 stitch left to knit.)
On next row, knit 12, cast on 18 stitches using backwards loop method, and then knit remaining 12 stitches to end.
You can now knit some plain rows before starting your second fair isle panel, and end with the size garter stitch panel to finish.
Fold right sides together and sew up bottom and sides, then turn out through the neck opening.
Now for the "neck", cast on with double pointed needles or circular (for magic loop) around the opening. Preferably you will have an even number of stitches (36 works well).
Knit a double rib neck and  cast off !

Fair Isle Knitting: Class 4

 

In craft in Class 4, the children are such consummate knitters they are ready to make an item using Fair Isle patterns.  Ideally, the repeated pattern is no more than six stitches in total, which makes the knitting manageable and less likely to be pulled in at the back. The children are left to discover for themselves how to get the results they want. I started with alternate single stitches and soon got hungry to experiment and make the yellow "chook-monsters" at the top.

I found this process very free and creative. There were enough parameters put in place, ie. the stitch limit, two colours, selection of about ten colours, to provide a clear path.  Yet within those limits, a whole world of discovery, learning and enjoyment. I slowly branched out, changing colours, assessing the effect, devising my plan to finally get my monster chooks.

I know some people see Steiner education as too prescriptive, criticising the limit in colour choice in the early years or the sameness of the craft projects, but my experience has been that a few conditions set in place provides a safe space in which to create and discover. For children this seems ideal! And no two Fair Isle pieces could ever be the same. 

I also love how children are developing the skills to make themselves useful objects! A water bottle bag, a knitting pouch, music bag, water bottle cover, a pillow or a vest,

even a present for their baby brother, as my own child discovered she could gift her Class 2 doll to her new brother. 

Empowering! Love iT!