Here are pix of my current working clew and knitting holder:
On the left is the knitting sheath with WIP boot sock for me (2x2 ribbing in cuff is just over 6" long) from last night showing the knitting holder that I would use if the knitting got heavy. (Swaving is more sensitive to the weight of the knit object than gansey knitting.)
On the right is a clew to hold my yarn off the ground for knitting out and about. You can see how a whittler that did not knit might whittle out the objects in Brear's Fig 5 to replace these apparently make shift approaches. Really the only key element is the fishing swivel between the yellow twine and the blue stitch holder.
Does one need a clew and knitting holder? I find knitting with a sheath and straight needles to be much more difficult while walking than knitting with hand held needles while walking. Thus, I had substantially given up trying to knit while walking. Swaving (with needle rotating in the knitting sheath) changes all that. Swaving while walking is easier than knitting with hand held needles while walking. This forces a reconsideration of the whole knitting while out and about paradigm. I can knit in more places, and I knit faster, so I have to carry more yarn.
The other issue is that swaving needles tend to corrode faster than gansey needles. I think this is because swaving is easier on my hands than gansey knitting, and therefore I use less hand lotion. It may be that my hand lotion helps protect the gansey needles.
On the left is the knitting sheath with WIP boot sock for me (2x2 ribbing in cuff is just over 6" long) from last night showing the knitting holder that I would use if the knitting got heavy. (Swaving is more sensitive to the weight of the knit object than gansey knitting.)
On the right is a clew to hold my yarn off the ground for knitting out and about. You can see how a whittler that did not knit might whittle out the objects in Brear's Fig 5 to replace these apparently make shift approaches. Really the only key element is the fishing swivel between the yellow twine and the blue stitch holder.
Does one need a clew and knitting holder? I find knitting with a sheath and straight needles to be much more difficult while walking than knitting with hand held needles while walking. Thus, I had substantially given up trying to knit while walking. Swaving (with needle rotating in the knitting sheath) changes all that. Swaving while walking is easier than knitting with hand held needles while walking. This forces a reconsideration of the whole knitting while out and about paradigm. I can knit in more places, and I knit faster, so I have to carry more yarn.
The other issue is that swaving needles tend to corrode faster than gansey needles. I think this is because swaving is easier on my hands than gansey knitting, and therefore I use less hand lotion. It may be that my hand lotion helps protect the gansey needles.
You do know that the word "clew" refers to the ball of wool, not to the tool that you are using to hold a ball? Or is this another of your own re-definitions?
ReplyDeleteOk, What do you call the thing that holds the clew? Looking at the detail of quill and pirn, there are likely a group of words that we have lost. Until you find all those lost words, I am going to use the words that we have.
ReplyDeleteIt is my knitting wool, my clew, by extension, the clew holder is my "clew." Do you know of a better word that causes less confusion?
If I say "clew holder", you then say, "clew holder is not in the OED". I can't win. It is a real tool, but you are not going to like any name use.