Fiber Detour

I can usually be found crocheting something whether it's lacy or warm but I've taken another path lately after my daughter's request to make woolly socks for grandchildren, Kate and Liam. There are a couple of good reasons to do this. One reason is that my daughter and son-in-law have opted to burn wood rather than oil and to keep their house at a lower temperature than most of us are used to. A cranky old furnace and the price of oil were catalysts in that decision but using only less expensive, local, renewable fuel is also part of their value system. So woolly socks it is!

There's another reason to knit these socks as opposed to crocheting them. I actually have basic instructions to knit any size or style of sock. That sort of information, including basic patterns, is sadly lacking in crochet literature. I'm capable of designing a child sized pair of socks but if I took the time to do it the children wouldn't get their socks this winter! It's a complaint I've had for a long time. I have seen basic patterns for knitted socks, mittens, hats and sweaters all my life but only rarely that kind of service to use as a taking off point in crochet. Some day maybe I'll do it myself but for now, here's a photo of Liam with one sock on. It was his idea to make the heels and toes green.

Crochet Their Way

Here is one of the reasons I love crochet. A motivated person can jump on their hook, take it for a drive and end up at their destination. Sy and Preston call it "steering."

 When I joined my husband, Richard, in Sy's workshop today, my first impression was definitely that I was in man land. The outside activity was metal forging with a few bricks to contain the fire and a reversed vacuum cleaner for a bellows. Then, inside the shop we stood on a carpet of wood shavings while we examined a couple of  artfully forged knives - an earlier day's work.

 I noticed that Preston's well-fitting hat was crocheted and asked him about it. He enthusiastically told me that he had worked it himself and showed me another in progress.

 It turns out that Sy had recently crocheted a pair of mittens fit for exploring the Yukon and a roomy possibles bag to carry his lunch on a hike.

 That's all you need: yarn, the single crochet stitch and a hook that doesn't need a GPS system to find it's way around. I probably should have asked Richard to take some photos of their metal work but of course my thing is fiber so here are some photos of what I consider some very creative traveling.

Fairytale Mittens

I've been so excited about figuring out how to do colorwork crochet the way a knitter would: working with color, small repetitive patterns and playing with embellishments! As I thought about it over the summer, I decided I wanted to create a visual record for myself of my early experiments. I completed the first of these mittens a couple years ago and needed to make it's mate. Thankfully, I had taken notes as I created the first one. Last week they became a pair.

My objectives were: to design a project that would put crochet on display by incorporating borders, working the largest design element into the fabric, and then embellishing to catch the eye. The technique that really came home to me as I worked the intarsia ogee is that stranding with a double twist of the carried yarn looks superior to carrying inside the stitch. My ogee appears to be solid red with no hint of the carried blue in the fabric. I'm pleased to learn that.

My prototype mittens are imperfect but they provided a great learning experience.

Busy Summer

Greeetings! I took three months off without intending to. Over the summer Richard and I spent a good bit of time working in the yard and trying to improve the garden while keeping up with our grandchildren. We also took time for siesta in the afternoons, napping and reading, hiding from the sun. It was so humid that I didn't want to crochet.

Now at the end of the summer, the children have grown, fall veggies are in, ten blueberry bushes are on their way, and we are hoping to plant three evergreens along with some grapevines to form a natural fence on one side of the back yard.

I laughed at Richard's over-large but sturdy bean trellis. I told him it needed to survive the next hurricane but when it was finished I wondered if the pole beans could rise to such an expectation.

Scrumbling Workshop

   Last Saturday eight members and friends of the Fredericksburg Spinners and Weavers Guild joined me for a workshop on crocheted scrumbling. Many were new to crochet itself and had been practicing in the preceding weeks with Anne guiding them. Lynette lent us her dining room so that we could meet in a homey atmosphere, complete with friendly dogs as greeters.
   After we gathered around the table, I asked everyone to relate what they had seen of scrumbling and why they wanted to learn. Several members had recently seen the "Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef" and the "Smithsonian Community Reef" installations of crocheted coral that were on display in Washington. The traveler's enthusiasm for this crochet installation seemed to have spread through the whole group. Also, several members work in a variety of mediums and wanted to add to their various skills.
   After a short introduction and some hand-outs, we dumped all our yarn into the center of the table and began to explore the possibilities.

A Group Shot 

Beautiful Hands At Work

Wonderful Works In Progress

Colorwork and Scrumbles

Colorwork and scrumbling are my two favorite techniques to work in crochet and it is time to bring them together. I've worked out how to do stranded colorwork, carrying my yarns across the back (or inside) of my project as a knitter would. Then I taught my fingers how to do it more quickly so that I can move along at a more satisfying rhythm. For this hat, I graphed out a small, jogged pattern of three vertical stitches crossing three horizontal  ones. In crochet, it almost looks like polka dots. I worked back-and-forth in the round, joining with a slip stitch and making a turning chain that didn't count as a stitch. Then I  created a border of small scrumbles, challenging myself to start each one with a small circle and to make each one different. Each piece is sewn on separately. They are somewhat more regular in shape than we usually think of as scrumbling but they are non-representational, worked without instructions and a little bit quirky. As with the wrist distaff, a few French knots pull the colors together and add the finishing touch.

                                                            

Ready For Action

A wrist distaff is a unique aid for a spinner who works with roving rather than rolags. Rolags are short lengths of hand carded fiber and don't require much support during spinning, but roving, which is prepared on a drum carder or commercial carding machine, comes in long strips. With roving, a spinner can work either at the wheel or with a drop spindle for quite a while without stopping to lay in more fiber but the spinner needs her supply kept safely back from the twisting strand! Using the wrist distaff is simple. You tuck the end of some roving into the bracelet of your distaff, wind the supply around the tassel and attach the other end of the roving to your work in progress.

Scrumbled Wrist Distaff

Last month I posted a photo of my wrist distaff in process. Here is a Diptic my husband created on his iPad that shows two photos of the work in progress and two of the completed distaff. The technique is a variation on a process called scrumbling. You freely work a variety of stitches and texture details without a pattern or any rules. You work intuitively, not knowing what the completed project will look like. Most scrumbled projects are worked in small pieces and then sewn together. I challenged myself to build up my distaff by working into it continuously most of the time rather than making small pieces and sewing them together. In the second half, I did make several separate pieces but then went on to finish it with continuous additions. Maybe you can tell where I altered my process.

The materials are Cotton Classic yarn (most of the greens) and number 3 perle cotton (most of the yellows). Cotton Classic is a worsted weight yarn. I used a Clover size E hook throughout. It was fun to keep a bowl full of small balls of yarn by my chair and work as the spirit moved me.

When I was finished working it, I wanted to add embellishments. Beads were the first thing that came to mind but I was uncertain about finding a good range of colors and I really wanted a less expensive alternative. French knots were the perfect alternative as I already had a good selection of perle cottons. I used a handful of white knots to break up green spaces and a great shade of orange to highlight places with yellow detailing. I think the tassel with its orange wrapping accents the bracelet nicely.

Process Equals Progress?

Somewhere along the line in my Early Childhood education I was told that process is much more important for young children than product. I don't think that amounts to the product never having any importance but, yes, I'm sure it is more important for young children to "be" in the flow of experience. I was surprised then, when my teenagers in First Day School wanted to make yards and yards of finger knitting and just roll it up into giant balls - not make anything from it despite my suggestions - just contain it in a large spherical stash and keep going. What did I take from this? Older children, of course, also need process without a focus on product. And maybe adults do, too.

As adults, when we craft something well, we are often in process for years, maybe for the course of our lifetime yet there is a difference between the work of a child simply experiencing a material, a technique, a tool. At some point we begin to work with a purpose, toward an end. First it might be a single project, then a series of projects to explore an idea. Over the long term, we might come to want to contribute to an entire body of work that is available in the world. I hope to share some crochet techniques with the entire crochet community. My book Contemplative Crochet is meant to share my connections of the spiritual to the work of our hands and through this blog I want to share my fascination with the development and use of our hands, especially as we create beautiful and useful products. It is all process!

How do we get there? How important are our earliest experiences with process? I suspect those early forays lay the groundwork for curiosity, creativity, and perseverance. Each kind of process leads to the next. So, even for adults, maybe the place to start any new project is just with basic materials, a playful attitude and an intention to enjoy the process.

Will and Attention Go Together

Maria Montessori observed and was fascinated by the span of time that an individual child could concentrate on an activity and the depth of that concentration. Montessori made a point of explaining how uninterrupted child-centered work actually lengthens a child's attention span.  For that reason, we should not interrupt a child who is concentrating unless it is truly a necessity. It is also why even television programs that are planned for children may do more harm than good.

Another kind of attention span can be found in the Montessori classroom. The "work cycle" is a phrase that describes the span of time during which each child in the classroom moves from an easy level of work to more challenging work within his own sphere of activity and comes to a sense of deep satisfaction. The work cycle stetches over a span of about three hours every morning in the classroom. Montessori graphed these cycles which are included in a chapter called "Experimental Science" in her book Spontaneous Activity in Education. 

While Montessori focussed strongly on attention span, Rudolf Steiner, who founded the Waldorf movement, accentuated the need to develop a child's will. He believed activities that required effort, both physical and psychic, would strengthen a child's will. Small motor muscles as well as large are required to do purposeful work. In the Waldorf classroom, special waxes are used as sculpting material. The waxes require patient warming in the children's hands and then strong use of the fingers to mold them into objects. Making and kneading bread once a week in the kindergarten provides a similar effect. Most recently Waldorf teachers have added felting projects to the curriculum. In each of these activities the children's hands come into play, supported by the arms and torsos. They require the exercise of strength and rhythm to achieve a desired product.

It seems to me as though these two characteristics are important compliments to each other and may be needed now more than ever. In his blog Wisdom of the Hands Doug Stowe asks the question, "Does modern technology in which everything is made "easy" and "user friendly" present the level of challenge that children need to develop as resilient and resourceful human beings?" Stowe has his doubts, as do I. Children's bodies, especially their hands, need to be incorporated in their education and the adults who work with children need to respect their concentration and encourage their efforts.

Sneak Peek

Here is my latest scrumbling project! When it's finished, it will be a wrist distaff, intended to hold roving while I spin with a drop spindle. This project has been fairly slow in developing. I think that's because I'm working a narrow band in one direction rather than having the freedom to go in many directions. I've also been trying to make it all in one piece instead of sewing together many pieces. I'm pleased with it though. The yellows and yellow-greens say "spring" to me.

Looping

Knit fabric is made of many interconnected loops. The knitter holds as many loops as are needed to form the width of fabric on one of two needles and then works across each row, pulling a new loop into each loop on the first needle by manipulating the second needle. As each new loop is made, it is moved onto the second needle. Rudolf Steiner, who founded the Steiner Method of education (Waldorf Schools) called thinking "cosmic knitting" and he encouraged the teaching of knitting in his schools so that the children's hands and minds alike should be richly trained. He believed there was a connection. When the first Waldorf school started in Germany in 1919, we didn't know very much about the actual workings of our brains.

Here is a delightfully circular description of some things we knew about creativity and the mind by 1977. It is from his bibliography Chase, Chance and Creativity by James H. Austin.

   When you solve problems over the full range of situations in life, you likewise use a wide repertoire of association loops, varying from the commonplace to the esoteric, poised at various levels of consciousness,  and you connect them at some very implausible intersections. And when I speak of "loops" in the above context, the word is quite literally correct, for the links made by free associations connect nerve cells in the cortex of the frontal lobes up in front, for example, with those back in the occipital lobes, forward from there to the temporal lobes, up from there to the parietal lobes, down to subcortical nerve cells, over to the opposite cerebral hemisphere, back again--on and on in multiple swirling successions. Indeed to give birth to even the simplest thought, not one but multiple neuronal circuits will be involved even before the primitive idea starts to float up into the more conscious mind's eye or ear. Each circuit is unlikely to be a simple one, because each nerve cell may have up to 10,000 connections, and therefore, big clusters of stimulated cells will be drawn along and invest each association loop. 

Crochet Calendar through June

There's only one more class scheduled at Classic Cottage for April and that is a Beginning Crochet on April 30.

On May 21 between 10:30 and 12:30 I will start a new knitting class called Moving On With Knitting. Here is the description:
This class is for anyone who is comfortable with the knit stitch and ready to learn to make the purl stitch. Once you can knit and purl and learn to identify the placement of each stitch, you can create: ribbing, smooth stockinette fabric and a world of textured stitch patterns. We will make a small amulet purse and learn to decorate it with duplicate stitch embroidery. You will also learn to make a twisted cord.

Also on May 21 and for 2 hours starting at 1:30, I will present Moving On With Crochet. This class is: For those who are comfortable with working single crochet in squares and rectangles. We will learn the half-double crochet stitch and the double crochet stitch. Then we will explore several ways those stitches can be used together: in rows, in textured stitch patterns and in motifs.

In June, I've scheduled a class that knitters and crocheters alike can benefit from: Working With Stripes for Knitters and Crocheters. There's more to making stripes than you could ever imagine! Come and learn how to apply both mathematical and random numbers to your creative projects. We will also be discussing simple color harmonies.

These classes are in beautiful Bowling Green, VA. For more info about the Classic Cottage classes please call Carrie at 804-633-0032.


I'm also very excited about my workshop on scrumbling, to take place at LibertyTown Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg, VA. The date is June 11 between 10:00 and 4:00. Scrumbling is such a great way to experience crocheting intuitively. It has an impressionistic look and can be quite beautiful!

The Squid Story

...Or how something I already knew was re-enforced in a squishy way.
In one of Naomi's enrichment classes, each pair of children was given a thawed squid from a box of previously frozen ones. Their teacher pointed out the sharp "beak" deep inside the flesh of the squid's body. The class talked about endoskeletons and eventually removed them from their squids. Just for fun, they used the endoskeletons as nib pens along with their squid's "ink." When the formal part of their presentation and dissection appeared to be over, my daughter started mashing hers in her hands, which I thought was a somewhat immature action for an eight year old. With my rule not to inhibit unless something or someone is being damaged or hurt, I watched. No one else stopped her either. And then... her squid flesh began to glow... in colors. It became the most exciting part of the class. I realized that squids display bioluminescence. We then related the phenomenon to the tiny sparkling creatures she brought home in her swimsuit after a day trip to Virginia Beach and I told her about seeing bioluminescence that shone in the ocean under moonlight.
This class was an example of what education should be and could be, for teachers, students and involved parents. Hands directly exploring their world offer the best learning. And tongues bitten at the right time can open doors.

Hands-On Learning

My husband and I struggled with what we could do to see that our daughter's educational needs were served. In grade school, she was labeled "gifted" and placed accordingly in a special class. The children in that class got to discuss how they learn. They talked about how they could solve problems by making models, using lists, imaging with their hands. They were presented with a language-rich environment and a hands-on environment that their regular classroom didn't have. Whenever we tried to discuss the needs of "giftedness" other parents would decry that their children weren't getting these enriching activities too. And well they should complain. Our brains, all of our brains, have evolved with dense connections that involve learning through speech and language and the movements of our hands. Sitting at desks and learning by rote has never been the optimal way for any child to learn.

M C Richards on Creativity

"We have to trust these feelings. We have to trust the invisible gauges we carry within us. We have to realize that a creative being lives within ourselves, whether we like it or not, and that we must get out of its way, for it will give us no peace until we do. Certain kinds of egotism and ambition as well as certain kinds of ignorance and timidity have to be overcome or they will stand in the way of that creator. and though we are well thought of by others, we will feel cross and frustrated and envious and petulant, as if we had been cheated, somehow, by life. "

First Knits?

If anyone asks me, "Which would you teach first, knitting or crocheting?" I have to say knitting should come first despite my own particular passion for crocheting. Given a choice, I teach both children and adults how to knit before I teach how to crochet. The main reason is that crochet takes more fine motor development and eye/hand co-ordination. Learning to knit can help pave the way for the creative break-out that crochet provides.

As a knitting teacher, I need a few projects under way: in an effort to explore potential beginner's projects, to try out new yarns, to increase my own skills, and to have uncomplicated projects to work on during classes. The photo in this post is of my last three projects which include: a fingering weight beret, a simple but warm child's helmet and an easy, stylish, garter stitch earlap hat.

Thinking Craft

"......lately I have developed also a sense of destination or destiny. And a sense that if I am to be on quest, I must expect to live like a pilgrim; I must keep to the inner path. I must be able to be whoever I am."

"I do not know if I am a philosopher, but if philosophy is the love of wisdom, then I am a philosopher, because I love wisdom and that is why I love the crafts, because they are wise."

" It is not enough to belong to a Society of Friends who believe in non-violence if, when frustrated, your body spontaneously contracts and shoots out of its fist to knock another man down. It is in our bodies that redemption takes place. It is the physicality of the crafts that pleases me. I learn through my hands and my eyes and my skin what I could never learn through my brain."

from CENTERING by Mary Caroline Richards

Scouting for Knitters

Sometimes I forget how much jumpin' juice I get from being around young people. Given that, it's a good thing I volunteered to teach a local Girl Scout troop to knit. They weren't sure they even wanted to mess around with yarn and needles but with each success: slip knot, casting on, knit stitch, they have gotten more hooked. We had a problem at first, over how to get them here after school with their work. It seems the school considers knitting needles to be weapons. That seems strange to me considering that a number of teachers across the country are having a lot of success with getting their students to listen with greater focus while doing something quiet with their hands, including knitting. The problem resolved itself from our end when I showed the girls how to make their own needles from chopsticks and their leader brought some large stitch holders. Now they have an extra set of needles here at my house (along with the satisfaction of learning to make their own tools) and they can transfer their fabric to their stitch holders to carry it home and put it on a set of needles there. I will add that the juice this week came not only from knitting but also from finding out that these kids love old silly songs. Think Purple People Eater! 

Crochet A Hyperbolic Plane

Of course, Liam needed a "Curly" of his own so I asked him what colors he would like and whipped this one up for him. The two playthings I made, one of which I gave to Kate and one to Liam were very easy to crochet. I thought you might like the instructions to make one yourself.

Liam's Curly

Curly 

Materials: 

Good cabled, cotton yarn 

A size G crochet hook (I used a Susan Bates.) 

A yarn needle 

Scissors 

Chain 10. Turn. 

Row 1: Skip one chain and *single crochet in the next chain, single crochet in the next chain, 2 single crochets in the next chain, repeat from the asterisk 2 more times, turn. 

Row 2: Chain 1, single crochet in the first single crochet of the row below, single crochet in the next stitch, 2 single crochets in the next stitch, repeat across the row. To change colors for a striped "curly" pull through the last two loops of the last stitch with the new color. 

Repeat this pattern of single crochet in each of two stitches, two single crochets in the next stitch, for every row, changing colors every two rows (carry the unused colors up the side). Sometimes there will be extra stitches at the end of a row. Single crochet in each one, then after turning start the pattern again. 

I worked ten rows for a piece about 4 1/2 inches across. 

Sew the two flat edges together, incorporating the carried strands.

Thread the needle through the stitches in the center and tighten it up. 

With a contrasting yarn, overcast stitch through the top of each single crochet in the last row. 

Thread in any remaining ends. 

Wing Patterns

Here is visual inspiration to share. My husband, Richard, took these photos separately and only recently combined them for this grouping. Each butterfly presents such beautiful colors, lines and forms, yet together they are even more exciting. Maybe they will give you some ideas for your own craft work.

Kate's Curly

Here, I think, is an interesting example of the idea of domain change. From knowing crochet as a tool for designing pretty or useful items that are usually made from fabric, Daina Taimina created a paradigm shift when she saw crochet as a scientific/mathematical tool. She was seeking a concrete and mathematical way to express constant negative curvature (the hyperbolic plane). This curvature is found in nature in plants like curly kale and animals like the nudibranch. She is now well known among mathematicians and crocheters alike.

I have a copy of Daina's book, Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes. The other day it called to me to pick it up. I read the first chapter and then set my hands to this strange form. After about ten rows I stopped to play with it, variously: opening it up, folding it, twisting it and wondering whether I should sew the side edges together or leave it as it is. I wasn't sure. In the end, I sewed it up and recognized it as a very cool baby toy, making my own domain shift. It is soft and lightweight, easy to pick up, colorful, can be packed into a pocket and shaken back into shape. As you can see Kate is a great tester!

My Own Hand-Brain Connection

I can put my finger on a specific place, on a specific night when I became consciously aware that in pursuing my own handwork skills, creatively, I had changed my brain, maybe my IQ and definitely the way I would look at handwork forever after - even the way I would see the world.

I had gained a material compass. I understood that all material has its limits of size; things can only be built so large or so small without reaching the limits of the material. I understood that all material had a grain, a bias, a dimensionality, and that to make something in 3-dimensions, those factors in the source material had to be taken into account. Wood, fiber, fabric, metal and even the universe has its own limits to be reckoned with. Yet within those limits, creativity is boundless.

I understood something of the ideas of telescoping and spiraling. Think of: nesting boxes, matroyshkas, a photographer photographing a photographer, photographing a photographer.... These are good skills to have when deciding the form of an object coupled with its texture, line, pattern and color or when changing sizes and proportions. The brain must be able to slip-slide with purpose. Isn't it true? And sometimes we shut down and forget those functions when we most need to transfer them, as in scheduling a hectic day or planning a complex meal. Another thing I learned was how to keep the overall picture in my mind while paying attention to details.

How did I learn all these things? Mostly by pursuing a range of fiber crafts that culminated in original doll making. They taught me skills and philosophy I could never have learned in school. I strongly support handwork as an educational endeavor!

Original Wrist Distaffs

My husband has been playing around with a new application called Diptic on his iPad. He presented me with this little gift this morning after shooting the photos of my newest wrist distaffs. I love this small collage! I want to learn how to use Diptic myself. In the meantime, both distaffs have been added to my Etsy shop. For those who don't know, a wrist distaff is a wonderful way to keep a supply of roving ready for drawing out and spinning. It makes drop spindling much more fun.

Little Explorers

Very young children want to explore everything in their world and their most important organ for doing that is their hands. In their unconscious manner, children want to know about the properties of materials: metal, rubber, plastic, wood, stone, fiber. They need to experience by feeling, such characteristics as smooth, hard, bumpy, rough, crumbly, floppy, and rigid. And, yes, it is very important to safely learn hot and sharp!

Yet, too often, we abruptly tell them, "no!" or slap their hands when it really isn't necessary. I worked in a toy store for twenty years and I wish there had been more parents, who, instead of keeping small fingers completely at bay had been actively teaching their children how to touch and giving them the language and the experience necessary for further growth.

Young children need to pet, stroke, bang and manipulate all kinds of items made out of all kinds of materials. The most child friendly environment is one in which children have a rich variety of things they are allowed to manipulate: blocks made from different kinds of wood, books both hard cover and paperback, magazines, leather purses and belts, bits of silk, velour and wool, baskets, simple tools and age-appropriate goodies from the hardware store. The nerve endings in our fingers are among our most important assets and children with rich early experiences will be on intellectually sound ground toward preparation for later learning.

Kate's Hat

Kate's hat is pretty folky. I think of it as a "Baby Voyager Hat" because it reminds me of the red hats that early French explorers wore in the American Northeast. I worked this hat in back-and-forth single crochet with the stranding along the inside. The yarn is DK weight superwash merino wool. For the first time, I broke away from the 4-stitch repeats I had been using and included my 10-stitch chevron. I embroidered French knots in the lower triangles. After decreasing nearly to the end, I worked several rows straight including a row of half-double crochets for the drawstring. The last two rows reflect the colorwork of the body. 

 Richard took some fun family shots of Naomi with both children in their one-of-a -kind hats.

Tiny Hands

Many of us are familiar with this charming image of a fetus in utero sucking its thumb. What most people don't realize is that the fetus is already developing a more extensive relationship with its hands, touching its surroundings and its own body. New imaging technology has allowed doctors to catch glimpses of a variety of tactile movements during regular prenatal exams and scientists have been able to schedule more frequent exam rhythms to learn even more about fetal activity. Heidelise Als, Ph. D. studies developmental psychology at Harvard Medical School. She describes fetal tactile stimulation this way: "It touches a hand to the face, one hand to the other hand, clasps its feet, touches its foot to its leg, its hand to its umbilical cord." I am wondering, what early incarnation of the hand/brain connection these movements represent?