These are a few of my favorite things – #4: A primer for adding knitted and crocheted trims to handwoven cloth

James Joyce has been quoted as saying Mistakes are the portals of discovery.  Sometimes I think the older I get, the more I agree with this . . . or perhaps it’s merely my way of justifying some of my mistakes . . . but, in this case, a small mistake was a darn good thing.

For a while now, I’ve been working on some new trim techniques.  One evening last year, while searching for a particular reference with the word knot in the title, I made a typographical error and typed knit instead.  This produced results that included a title for a reference  . . . A primer for adding knitted and crocheted trim to handwoven cloth.  My first thought was COOL!.  After all, stumbling on to a reference for anything having to do with handwoven fabric is surprising.  What was even more surprising was that the reference was available for download from Handwoven‘s website Weaving Today . . . AND . . . it was free!   Which lead to my second thought REALLY COOL!  (Please bear with me . . . I become less articulate as I become more excited.)

I was extremely curious and logged into Weaving Today so I could download this reference . . . and what a gem it is!  After a brief glance at it I wondered how I was unaware of this wonderful resource.  When I came across it, it had been quietly available for nearly a year-and-a-half.  Since there is a possibility that I’m not the only one unfamiliar with this reference, I thought I should point it out to others as one of my favorite things.

A primer for adding knitted and crocheted trim to handwoven cloth was authored by Heather Winslow . . . a marvelous weaver and teacher.  It’s nine pages long and covers 23 different knitted and crocheted trims.

It also briefly covers steps before attaching knitted or crocheted trims.

At first, I thought this might exceed either my skill or patience in knitting.  I’m fairly proficient with the basics of knitting, but I find my patience tried if I attempt a knitted project.  First, I’m a hard core weaver.  Second, I’m a rather pokey knitter . . . especially when I think I can weave an entire row in the same amount of time that I can knit a few stitches.  But, this primer has provided me with some options for creating trim and utilize those day-to-day moments that maybe too limited to accomplish much (e.g., standing in line).

To get started, I recently tackled one of the 23 trims . . . a simple 9-stitch stockinette stitch.  Nine stitches???!!!  I can keep track of that!  If I get interrupted or distracted, I can easily put it down and pick up where I left off.   Plus, the stockinette stitch creates a curl to the edges, which is perfect for binding the edge of a garment.

I’ve had fun keeping my hands busy while watching the  second season of Downton Abbey . . . and even though I’m not a very fast knitter, I’ve already knit up over four feet of black merino wool trim that I plan use as edging in a garment.  At the rate I’m going, I should have quite a bit done when the current season of Downton Abbey wraps up.  Then I’ll try another trim when PBS broadcasts the third season.

If you know a little about knitting and/or crochet and have ever been interested in trim, I highly recommend you check this out by clicking on the following link http://www.weavingtoday.com/media/p/64.aspx.  

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