CLICK STICK BANDITS

SPIRAL SCARF - Free Knitting Pattern

2011-08-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

SHAPED SPIRAL SCARF

In Garter Stitch

Thisis a great knitting-101 pattern for beginners. When you wear it, it feels fullaround the neck where you need the warmth, but drapes gently into a spiralfashion. Although this pattern is written for garter stitch [every row plain], any short repeatpattern that incorporates 2 rows of knit or purl could produce interestingresults.

A fantastic pattern for those who are wondering what to knit withthose first over-spun fat yarn attempts on the spinning wheel.

You will need:

· Apair of extra large size 12-14mm knitting needles

· Approximately 400metres of bulky or multi-stranded yarn

· Usual finishingequipment for tying in loose ends and making fringe

Gauge:

Not terriblyimportant. The scarf shown above was knitted on odd sized 12 and 14mm needlesbecause I didn’t have two needles that were the same size. However it hasstretched with continual wear so that it now measures 20cm wide by just shortof 1.8 metres long. A 10cm square equals 11 stitches and 15 rows.

The pattern goes something like this.........
Instructions:

Cast on 95sts and knit 2 rows.

Next and every row increase 1 stitch into the second and laststitch of the row. All rows are the same so keep knitting in this fashion (except for rows 10 and 25, which are the increase rows.)
For increase rows 10and 25, increase 1 stitch into the second and every 5^th stitch along the entire row.
Castoff very loosely on about row 32-35, whatever takes your fancy, go a bit wildon this one, just remember to leave some yarn for the fringe. Add fringe alongthe bowed edge as it suits.

Thrash wearing this scarf cause it's a bit like making pizza dough... it just keeps looking better and better the more you stretch it and bang it around.

FREE BABY HAT PATTERN

2011-08-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to you persistent SOULS who have been visiting this site...
I have not gotten around to writing up that bootie pattern yet, so to say sorry I send you this pattern of the baby hat in the picture instead. It is not one I made up, it is from a knitting book I found in the Waiuku Library... and I am writing it from off the top of my head where my memory lives. Those of you who have faith in my recall may want to give it a go.
Remember to use soft-as wool, silk, cashmere, alpaca or similar so that it doesn't itch, and there by make the Small who ends up wearing it SCREAM. Also i used at least the equivalent to a double knit weight yarn, and because I am a lazy knitter I probably knit it on size 5 or 5.5mm needles.

The pattern goes something like this............
Instructions:
TO MAKE THE RIM:
Cast on 79/99 stitches [79 for little head, 99 for bigger head].
Knit in plain stocking stitch [1 row plain, 1 row purl] for several rows [30ish] until the curl of the brim is well and truly looking like a rim on the needles.
Continue in stocking stitch for 9/10 more rows finishing on a purl row.

TO DECREASE/SHAPE CROWN OF HAT:
With right-side facing, begin the decrease rows by knitting every 9th and 10th stitches together along the row until you get to the end.
Purl back (wrong side facing), until you get to the end.
Knit every 8th and 9th stitches together along the row until you get to the end.
Purl back (wrong side facing), until you get to the end.
Knit every 7th and 8th stitches together along the row until you get to the end.
Purl back (wrong side facing), until you get to the end.
Knit every 6th and 7th stitches together along the row until you get to the end.
Purl back (wrong side facing), until you get to the end.... etc. etc. etc

Continue this decrease pattern until 9 stitches remain. Keep knitting these last 9 stitches until they measure 6cm's.

To cast off, continually knit 2together every row. until no stitches remain.

To sew up the seam:

Make sure you sew the rim on the inside of the curl, then pass the needle through the work to continue sewing a tidy seam on the inside of the hat, all the way up to the top of the sticky up stalk bit. Turn through and pop on small's head.

Go outside and get some fresh air with small.

Designing Knits For Babies From Scratch

2011-04-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hat and booties.

I wanted to knit some booties but didn't have a pattern so what I did was draw the shape of the bootie side-on, then drew what I thought it would look like as one flat piece. They're really quick to knit and a good pattern for beginners to use if I can just work out how to write out the pattern in a way that others can easily follow and understand. (I'll try to find the piece of paper I drew it on and post it later). I would like to get together with other knitters that want to play around with or share designing ideas. There is no reason why we couldn't draw a design for a garment or sculpture and then nut out between us how to go about making up a knitting pattern to make it, whether it is for something functional or fanciful. The hat is not my own design.

Knitted Tea Cosy with Flip-Top Flower Motif Lid

2011-04-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Tea cosy from hand-spun wool

Playing around with odds and sods, function and form, art and aspect..... its all part of the adventurous learning curve for something bigger and grander....Like say a collaborative work for entering into one of the Pollok Co-op's many exhibitions?????

Filling in time till the winter projects get going

2011-04-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Commercially dyed hanks of yarn

I am not a big fan of commercial dyes and therefore am not very confident when it comes to producing dyed wool. However I have a large quantity of commercial wool yarns that I sometimes need to dye to a specific colour for certain projects. It would be great to get a few of us together to do some eco-dying specifically targeted towards hand-spun or commercial wool hanks.

THE TASTES CREATIVE CONNECTION

2010-12-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

For a few months I have been speaking to the Gals at TASTES CREATIVE about how I had set up a blog site targeting knitters who wanted to get together and have a bit of a wag with the knitting needles. I was based in Waiuku where I had my weaving studio, and thought it would be a good space to offer a weekly or fortnightly get together knitting and creating.

Gin and Sue suggested there would probably be more interest and support for what I was trying to do up on the peninsula, and that as Gin and I both knew how to knit, and both had several spinning wheels why didn't we have a go at doing something up there?

With likely contacts and a good knowledge of the creative hunger shared by like minded friends up there, they have offered to support a group of us getting together on a monthly/fortnightly basis to see what evolves.

So if you are interested in joining me and some of the Gals, do get in touch through them or contact me at warpedartanddesign@gmail.com text/ph 021 3432838.

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WOOL AND HOW TO KNIT A SCARF

2010-09-05T02:10:00.001-07:00

Above: Copper wire, stitched tapa cloth. turtle-shell sticks.

Come and have a play with both traditional and non-traditional materials in an environment where we can all bounce some ideas around.
Maybe join up with someone else to work on a sculpture-knit....
or just enjoy the company, while you knock out the things you've always loved to knit.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?..........

2010-08-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is an opportunity to network with people, resource knitting materials, and to glean or share some creative insight and ideas.

2010-07-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

If you or your friends are interested, make a few enquiries have a bit of a look see, it might be a bit of fun.

2010-07-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

If you've got something you have made, then bring it along to the group so we can have a show and grill about what you've been up to.

WHERE IS IT THAT WE PLAN TO MEET?

2010-07-13T01:25:00.000-07:00

MEETING TIME & PLACE.........

Yet to be arranged. It is possible we can use the Art Barn at Orua Bay or another local building that supports community group meetings. Alternatively we could meet in our own homes on a rote basis.

Cost: Small koha to cover costs if applicable.
B.Y.O. Knitting needles, yarns, ideas. (A small selection of yarns will be made available to get you started.)

COME AND HAVE SOME INPUT INTO HOW YOU WANT TO.....

EITHER LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO KNIT
GET INTO SOME SAFE GRAFFITTI KNITTING
FIND OUT HOW TO GO ABOUT DESIGNING SOMETHING TO KNIT AND WEAR
MAKE A KNITTED SCULPTURE FOR HANGING ON YOUR WALL

ARE YOU UP FOR IT???

2010-07-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

This blog has been set up to encourage a group of us to get together for creative fun and experimentation with the click sticks. Here are some reasons you why might want to get together with other knitters up here on the Awhitu Peninsula.

BECAUSE I WANT TO.....

Plaster my mailbox/fence line with soft graffiti knits.
Learn how to knit more than wiggly lines of garter stitch.
Design knits that I like, and would love to wear, but that I can't afford to buy.
Buy a fleece of wool, learn how to spin it, and knit my four kids a jersey each for less than 40 bucks.
Meet other people who want to design, knit and assemble three dimensional fibre artworks so that that the artist within doesn't totally shrivel up and die.

SOCK FOR A POLE OR A TREE

2010-07-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

This LENGTH of KNITTING is DESTINED for AN outdoors PLACEMENT.

It IS a SAMPLER that INCORPORATES the TWO basic STICHES of KNIT and PURL......

Join US for OUR get togethers.

Possibly YOU just WANT to FIND out IF you CAN even BE bothered BEING part OF a GANG of KNITTING bandits......... if so

TEXT OR PHONE 027 343 2838

THIS IS NOT KNITTING

2010-07-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

VISIT THE LINKS (top right)

COUNCILS ARE ON TO IT AND CAN BE A BIT TITCHY ABOUT KNITTING ADORNING THEIR PROPERTY SO....

UNLIKE SOME OTHER GROUPS, WE - THE CLICK STICK BANDITS WILL SEEK OUT & FIND BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS, AND COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES THAT SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT......

"RANDOM KNIT-BOMBING CAN MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER BECAUSE LEG WARMERS ON A TREE OR BUS STOP BENCH ARE OBJECTS THAT MAKE PEOPLE SMILE AS THEY GO ABOUT THEIR DAILY BUSINESS."

This painted transformer is a Safer Communities incentive, supported by Franklin District Council and Resene Paints. It is situated at Matakana and was painted by the author of this site.

Safer Communities is open to supporting arts related activities especially if they believe they can reduce the amount of tagging damage out there in the community, if a proposed art venture will encourage the local community to participate in an arts initiative or if they believe youth will respond well to positive models.