A knitting group that I belong to teases me about my having more belts than Imelda Marcos has pairs of shoes.
Yes, I have a lot of belts. Having the right belt for for your knitting sheath or knitting stick or having the right knitting sheath or stick for your belt is critical. And, just as there is no knitting sheath, that works perfectly on all belts, there is no belt that works perfectly with all knitting sheaths.
If you are working with very stiff needles, then the knitting sheath should be able to pivot. Examples include Dutch knitting sticks:
and Yorkshire goose wings
used with stiff needles. Here apron strings or an elastic waist band or a nylon belt work very well.
On the other hand, a Cornish fish
used with long gansey needles wants a good leather belt to hold it in place. However, shorter "Cornish fish" made so the needle placed less leverage on the belt work very well with lighter, narrower, (and slipperier) nylon belts. For example, this:
worked well with leather belts, but very poorly with the nylon belts.
Your knitting sheath and your belt need to work together as a team.
My favorite belt for use with knitting sheaths that hold the needles firmly:
My favorite belt for Dutch style knitting sticks and Yorkshire goosewings used with rigid needles:
I just warp it around my waist and knot it in place.
I buy leather belts from LL Bean (and every outlet mall), wear them with my jeans and knitting sheaths get tucked into them or threaded onto them. Knitting sheaths that thread on to belts are a pain to put on and take off, but they do not get lost.
Yes, I have a lot of belts. Having the right belt for for your knitting sheath or knitting stick or having the right knitting sheath or stick for your belt is critical. And, just as there is no knitting sheath, that works perfectly on all belts, there is no belt that works perfectly with all knitting sheaths.
If you are working with very stiff needles, then the knitting sheath should be able to pivot. Examples include Dutch knitting sticks:
and Yorkshire goose wings
used with stiff needles. Here apron strings or an elastic waist band or a nylon belt work very well.On the other hand, a Cornish fish
used with long gansey needles wants a good leather belt to hold it in place. However, shorter "Cornish fish" made so the needle placed less leverage on the belt work very well with lighter, narrower, (and slipperier) nylon belts. For example, this:
worked well with leather belts, but very poorly with the nylon belts.
Your knitting sheath and your belt need to work together as a team.
My favorite belt for use with knitting sheaths that hold the needles firmly:
My favorite belt for Dutch style knitting sticks and Yorkshire goosewings used with rigid needles:
I just warp it around my waist and knot it in place.
I buy leather belts from LL Bean (and every outlet mall), wear them with my jeans and knitting sheaths get tucked into them or threaded onto them. Knitting sheaths that thread on to belts are a pain to put on and take off, but they do not get lost.
Fantastic wood turning! Do you thread the open-twisted one with a belt or just wrap and tie it?
ReplyDeleteI can't even remember how I tripped over your blog, but it is one of those rare coincidences that I did. I am so very impressed by your dedication to these simple and valuable tools of the pre-circular needle world. I would love to see a photo of how all of these separate parts are brought together and used. I have read a little bit about the knitting sticks, but still can't perfectly envision. Thank you for your interesting posts ! ~Jen
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteSee http://gansey.blogspot.com/2008/03/video-clip-of-better-way-to-knit.html for a Scottish style usage and the following clip for use of Yorkshire gansey needles.
I know I need to make better videos. : )
Aaron