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The World of Illusion Knitting

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PICKING UP THREADS

This was written in
2007
so is now very dated

Thinking of things that move reminded us of the old-fashioned Milkman’s Wallet and we tried to make one. They are very easy to make, if you have had the chance to look at one, but trying to work out the logic of the mechanism otherwise was not an easy task. At the Easter Conference that year we had access to a huge range of Maths books, as always, and found just what we needed. Our first versions were in card, then we progressed to covering them in hologram paper and eventually in embroidered plastic canvas with patterns and messages on the outside.

From the Milkman’s Wallet it was a short step to Jacob’s Ladder. This is the toy that many will remember from their childhood. They were made of wood and the pieces flapped and banged down when it was held at the top and tipped in a particular way. We made quiet versions, in plastic canvas, stitched with stripes and patterns to enhance the tumbling effect. I think one can also become addicted to this simple toy. We had versions made from anything that came to hand. We used cardboard mats intended for making tiling patterns, empty sweet containers (which we filled with beads to make them noisy and sparkly), and, on one famous occasion, Ben used six new CDs that Steve had just been given for his birthday!

That summer, Steve and I went to Norway. It was to be a long trip, driving from the south to the most northerly point then cruising back through the fjords. I needed a knitting project to keep my hands busy and decided on an idea that had been brewing for some time and now had a link with what we were already doing. It was to be an afghan that could be folded back on itself and pushed inside its own pocket to form a cushion. I had seen something like this before and there was nothing particularly mathematical about it. It was to be made from twelve squares plus one more for the pocket. Each of the squares would be made up of four diagonally knit squares. It was to be a fairly mindless piece of knitting because I didn’t want anything I would need to concentrate on for fear of missing the scenery. In addition to this it was to use up hundreds of oddments of yarn. Each of the twelve squares was to be a different colour with lots of shades and textures.

I sorted out all the little bits and balls of yarn that I knew I would never use alone, and tied them together in short lengths to make a large ball for each square. I left rough knots and ends at the joins because there could be no right and wrong side to afghan so the joins should become a feature. We went away for three weeks and I took most of the balls with me. Very little got done. On the drive up Norway we stopped to marvel at the scenery so many times it was never worth getting started and on the cruise I did even less. There is something about boats that sends me to sleep almost as soon as I set foot on them, which is very strange for someone who doesn’t normally need much sleep.

In one of my waking moments we visited the Trollfjord’s shop and were immediately attracted by something, the name of which we still do not know. Perhaps they don’t have a name but everybody has seen them. It was one of those things you find at holiday resorts, made from eight cubes with photos stuck onto the cubes. The cubes fold and unfold to reveal different photos. We didn’t know the name but we had to make one.

As soon as we got home I set about making one in plastic canvas covered in twelve colours of yarn. Again I cheated by making a paper version, with eight separate cubes sellotaped together, colouring it then unfastening to use as a pattern. Steve set himself the challenge of drawing the net for all eight cubes, in one piece. It took longer than my version but he got there in the end. Steve’s version is intricate and beautiful but the plastic version stands up to being handled by all and sundry. Plastic canvas comes in a variety of colours and we decided we could make another version where we would be able to see through the holes in the canvas, to the inside. We already had seven or eight colours and it took a lot of searching to make this up to twelve. After searching the internet and buying from various parts of the world, we acquired enough and the ‘thing’ was made.

Alongside all these items we used cartoons with eggs that Steve had drawn many years before but not used. The full title was Twists and Turns (or Eggsentricities) : A crafty collection of curious objects.

Click here to see more about Milkman’s Wallet
Click here to see more about The Woolsack
Click here to see more about Octopush

23c. THINGS THAT MOVE continued