Nana Knitting: A Hatter to the Grandson

Being a grandson's hatter has been more of a challenge than I anticipated. My first attempt was part of the first ensemble and it was obvious months before he was born this rabbit-eared hat was not going to fit even a newborn's head.

I had some deliciously soft angora leftover from a jacket and made a much bigger hat with attached earmuffs in a retro boys helmet style.

He wore the jacket home from the hospital but being a July baby it was way too hot for him to wear the matching hat that day.

Angora knit jacket

I selected a vintage pattern for this helmet with a built-in neckwarmer.

However, after enjoying a hot prairie summer, he had outgrown it long before he needed a winter hat.

The same happened to this traditional balaclava.

By this time what I was learning about knitting for babies was to make things much bigger than currently needed and work out the corresponding season.

I cast on to make a retro flying helmet to fit size 1 to 2 years.

It looked so adorable in the pattern.

Washed and blocked

Ready for embellishment

I made a hat in the pattern known as The Teabag. It was so easy - knit a rectangle then fold in half. I did add little ear flaps and made some twisted yarn ties. It was decided 'no pompoms.' They don't fit the Christopher Robin Chic style that guides all of my Nana Knitting for this grandchild.

I knit this traditional watch cap made famous by fishermen in many countries. I had to use the small ball of Croftspun Shetland yarn spun in the Seafield Mills in Keith, Scotland I had in my stash because of the family connections.  One of Osmund's dad's middle names is Keith and he has ancestral roots in the area.

You may have noticed most of the above hats are white which was part of a plan. When mother-to-be arrived for a visit she had the task of dyeing all of the hats, and the white garments I had knit.

The traditional balaclava dyed with a Bengala earth dye.

The Bengala dyed retro flying helmet with added sheepskin trim.

Another Tea Bag hat dyed with a mix of different Bengala dyes to give complex neutral colour. This hat became a favourite.

The Keith Watch Cap. The yarn did not soften after washing and felt itchy. 

My solution was to knit a soft angora inner band.

Unfortunately, with the washing and dyeing the yarn fulled and the hat became smaller which meant it didn't fit when it was needed when the weather started to get colder.

I learned a lot while making this first batch of hats for our grandson. The second batch has been more successful but still with a few more lessons learned, which I'll cover in a later post.

Nana Knitting: A Cobbler of New Baby Booties

Nana Knitting - 1st outfit

Included in the 1st outfit I knit as a New-Nana-To-Be was a pair of booties for a newborn. I used a Churchmouse pattern that most resembled the most successful booties my 3 cherubs had worn i.e they could not be kicked off. Churchmouse calls them Stay-on Baby Booties

I lined this first pair with the softest white rabbit fur.

After this initial success, I set up a cobbler bench and went into production.

 

The next pair got a soft, gray rabbit fur sole.

Then I worked with sheepskin. The wool was so thick I didn't think there would be much room for the foot but sewed on knowing they would be warm on a frigid cold Edmonton winter outing in the stroller/pram.

I made several sizes and varied the knitting stitch patterns to keep the knitting interesting.

The sheepskin ones got I-cord ties and longer turn-down cuffs.

The rabbit fur ones got twisted cord ties.

Osmund William Lackey

Here they are being worn by their owner, who had arrived by this time.

His parents have decided to give him privacy at this stage in his life. No images of him are put on the internet. However, I did get permission to show this much of him. I wanted to show how well the booties fit. The square box (cobbler talk for the toe area) allows plenty of room for feet to wiggle around unrestricted.

Here is another photo of Ozzie

Notice the grey rabbit fur sticking out around the join. I trimmed this off which solved the problem.

I'll write another post later about my experimenting and testing of toddler shoes but the next post will be about my work as Oz's hatter.

Nana Knitting: Pinterest Board, Vintage Patterns and Searching for Buttons

Previously I posted about my new project, Nana Knitting, here How this project began

The new mother-to-be, daughter Katherine gave me guidance - a Pinterest board she had loaded with the styles, colours and look she was after for her first born's knit wardrobe. She described it as 'Christopher Robin Chic.'

From the Pinterest board I could see vintage styles in low intensity, gender-neutral colours.

I started with a traditional wrap-around surplice (that's a really old word for this baby garment) worked in one piece.

In a past life when I taught knitting I was known to my face as The Swatch Queen because whenever anyone had a problem they needed help with I would first ask to look at their swatch. I began most workshops with a swatch. I suspect I was called other names out of earshot...

Now I must confess when working on Nana Knitting I don't make a swatch. Also, I continue with my habit of rarely ever working a pattern in the yarn it was written for. For Nana Knitting I make my choice of yarn, match the needles and make a bigger size the baby will grow into. It's then up to the parents to get the garment out of the closet at the right time. That is no problem with my daughter. She is an organiser.

The nursery in anticipation of baby's arrival.

I made a pair of traditional short rompers with crossed straps to go with the surplice. According to the the pattern it was for a 12-month size but instead because of my yarn and needle choices it ended up more like an 18-month size. This sizing was just as well because the combination of the all-over seed stitch and the high twist yarn made for a 'hard' fabric more suitable for an active toddler than a sitting baby. 

I found an amazing yarn for a cardigan using a 1960s vintage pattern. The yarn is Lang Magic Tweed Superwash, a soft spun, single ply that fluffs up after it is washed.

Blocking the garment pieces after the first wash.

Working the neck and front band edgings.

Another wash and block.

Christopher Robin Chic requires buttons with a specific understated look. None of those cute shaped Fimo plastic animal etc buttons will do. But I found Christopher Robin chic type buttons are hard to find. I have now added buttons to my shopping list when I travel.

The finely knit garment fabric itself does not provide much to secure buttons on safely so I add a circle of fulled wool on the inside to stitch the button securely to not wanting it to become a choking hazard.

Sewing on the button with a pad of fulled wool fabric at the back.

Finishing the cardigan with coconut shell buttons.

The finished cardigan fits age 6 to 12 months.

 Another characteristic I like about this Lang Magic yarn is it makes a very light and soft garment. This cardigan took less than 2 balls so it is economical too.

A note from the future: This cardigan was a favorite. It was worn and machine washed regularly until reluctantly it was retired when it no longer fit.

I am loving my Nana Knitting Project with reports on more results to come.

Surface Design Association Conference, Beyond the Surface, St Louis, Missouri

The Surface Design Association's 2019 biennial conference, Beyond the Surface, was in St Louis, Missouri. It was held in conjunction with the Innovations in Textiles 2019 a three-month-long event held every four years. With 43 participating venues and a large number of other museums and other historic buildings in the St Louis area, SDA members attending the conference had to come up with a plan to make the most of their time. We couldn't see it all even when arriving early in St Louis and leaving a few days after the conference.

One of the highlights for me was SDA's own annual juried members' exhibition Beyond the Surface. Jurors Jo Stealey and Jim Arendt said in their opening remarks they selected 48 artists who demonstrated a "well-developed artistic vision" and mastery of their craft, both factors equally weighted. The gallery was full of strong works executed with an exceptionally high skill level.

Kathy Nida, Swallow Me Whole, raw edge applique with quilted ground, 67" x 76"

First place award

Kathy's website/blog https://kathynida.com/

Swallow Me Whole, detail

It was fun to stand in front of this work and come up with a story. Kathy has perfected her technique and uses it consistently making her work easy to recognise. She knows her biology so well she pushes, pulls and exaggerates it with great humour. Check out her website for more of her funny/serious narrative quilts.

 
Marie Bergstedt, In There, fulled fabric sculpted wall hanging, 48" x 35" x 3.5"
Second place award
Marie's website https://mariebergstedtartist.com/home.html

In There, detail

Sorry about the fuzzy image but it was the only one I took and I wanted to show the sculptural 3D quality of this work. Marie is a fibre artist who has perfected several different techniques. I have seen some of her amazing button works and know she is a skilled embroiderer. I didn't know she also works in wool. This work is kinda icky and at the same time warm and fuzzy. Marie really plays with the viewer's emotions.

Leslie Horan Simon, Geologic Time, 34.5" x 27" x 0.5"

Third place award winner

Leslie's website https://www.lesliehoransimon.com/

Geologic Time, detail

This close up shows how Leslie knit then fulled each stone before attaching it to a black felt ground.

If I was forced to pick my favourite work this would be it. It got me with being knit and fulled, 2 techniques not often used in quality fibre artwork. I was enchanted with the luminosity of colour Leslie managed to achieve with fuzzy wool.

I did have many other second favourites.

Chris Motley, Here and There, hand-knit wire and fibre, 43" x 50" x 4"

Chris's website http://www.chrismotleyart.com/

I would have preferred the individual units hung level at the top to give more of a suggestion of downward movement.

Here and There, detail

Chris is a knitter and as a result, has a vast range of techniques she can use as well as a world of different materials that can be worked with two sticks. In this work, Chris shows the sculptural quality that can be achieved with the knit stitch.

Chris in front of her work opening night. I did enjoy talking with her about her work.

Nanhee Kim, Layered Fluidity, nomex, monofilament yarn, 48" x 36" x 4"

https://twitter.com/nanheekim

Another knitted work caught my eye, surprise surprise. This one worked in a stiff 'yarn' so the shaping stood out in raised relief. It made for the most interesting play of values strengthening the form.

Nanhee Kim describes herself as a "knit textile/surface/ fashion designer and artist."

Melinda K. P. Stees, st equal px, knitted yarn mounted on a rigid internal frame, 24" x 29"

Melinda's website https://imageknits.com/about/

st = px, detail

Melinda says about her work, "The strong contrasting colors can catch your eye from across a room, while the knitted texture will pique your curiosity when you’re up close enough to see it."

You may also notice this computer-programmed, machine-knit work has been worked from the right to the left, with the stitches presented lying on their sides. I wonder if Melinda did this and stretched the work on a rigid frame to counter knit fabric's characteristic drape.

Time Notes: Day, detail
Here is another work with computer-programmed, machine-knit work in a scale making it readable only from the other side of the room.


Ann Clark, Time Notes: Day, knit fulled wool, 93" x 66" x  0.25"
Ann made this work as a rug. As fabulous as it looks on the wall I imagine the impact of the image would read differently when viewed from above while walking.

I was delighted there were so many knit works in this exhibition showing 'the best of contemporary work by SDA members.'

Check out Wendy Klotz's blog post about what she saw during the SDA conference, here and see more on what there was to see and do in St Louis.