I used to collect knitting needle gauges – for a rather perverse reason. Our first knitting book (Woolly Thoughts) was about modular knitting using any needles and any yarn to make a garment of the right size without ever having to knit a tension square (known as a gauge square, or swatch, in US). Many …
Author: Pat Ashforth
Running Repairs
Ins and Outs of Flexagons
I have always been fascinated by flexagons and have made several over the years, some more successful than others. My first crochet hexaflexagon was about twenty years ago and, amazingly, it is still surviving. It isn’t the most comfortable cushion in the world but it is great fun. I can absolutely predict what will happen …
TMRO puppet show
Ben made a short video of some of the puppet presenters. The soundtrack is from previous TMRO webcasts. The puppets are loosely based on Woolly Thoughts puppet patterns
To Bias Or Not To Bias
DIY Circular Needles
I am not really a sock knitter but I recently wrote a pattern for mathematical slippers and made several pairs in a few weeks. The front, sides and sole of the slippers are knitted flat; the cuffs can be knitted flat or in the round. Things with a small circumference, such as socks, can be …
French Flying Dragon
Yesterday I came across this video, on YouTube, of someone making Steve’s Flying Dragon Illusion on a shawl. It is in French so I am not sure what it all says but it is very detailed and I can tell that she explains a lot about the pattern and the yarns she used. The pattern …
Magician’s Chain
Several years ago, Colin Wright (mathematician/magician/juggler extraordinaire) showed me a Magician’s Chain. This is a toy made from metal rings where the rings cascade from the top of the chain. It was fascinating, fun, and quite intriguing. I have seen Colin’s chain, and others, many times since. Then, a few months ago, I was at …
Mathematical Slippers
When the colder weather came I couldn’t wear my normal slippers, because I had an injury to my leg a few months ago and it was still strapped up. I decided to knit some. I looked at various existing patterns but then decided to design my own because I suddenly realised that feet are basically …
An Orchid
Steve recently completed a new illusion knitting design, called An Orchid. It is based on a drawing by Lodygin Sergey Pavlovich who was a Russian graphic artist and theatre designer. There is very little information about him and his name appears in several different forms. This is a very intricate design. It took well over …