Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

When someone comes up with a whole new way of seeing something ordinary, it catches my attention. If an honorary PhD could be given for knitwear design, I would nominate Cat Bordhi, a woman with true vision. She thinks outside the box, then shows us how to explore her new horizons. The woman is a knitwear design genius and is happy to share her insights. Although a very experienced knitter, I still look for designs that teach me something new. A couple of weeks ago, I happened to catch a rerun of Knitty Gritty, originally aired on the DIY network. In this episode, Ms. Bordhi explained a most cunning method of knitting a moebius scarf, based on the geometric shape described by the German mathematician Dr. A. F. Mobius.

For those unfamiliar, a moebius strip is a surface with only one side and only one boundary, a most unusual geometric shape. To make a model, take a strip of paper, twist it one half revolution, then tape the ends together. You now have a moebius strip. If you then trace along the length of the paper, you will go twice the length of your original paper strip. While most knitters create a moebius scarf by knitting a long strip then making a half twist and joining (such as in my example with paper and tape), Ms. Bordhi demonstrated a moebius cast on, setting the stitches up for a bit of magic. On a long circular needle, she effected a cast on where stitches are ready to knit in both directions, knitting both top and bottom simultaneously, on each row. A twist is purposely placed before the join, creating the moebius strip. A marker is placed and she proceeds with another new technique when knitting the first row. As a picture is worth a thousand words, go to www.diynetwork.com for photos and complete instructions for Ms. Bordhi's moebius scarf.

Other projects from Cat Bordhi can be found in her many books. Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles
teaches a technique which frees knitters from double point needles for sock making. In New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book one, she teaches more innovative techniques for knitting socks. A Treasury of Magical Knitting and A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting explore unusual projects that all start with a moebius cast on.

On Kay's Needles

The past several months, we have received reports of the website being down. Luke has been working to remedy this situation and we are moving forward with uploading retail yarn listings. Please check back from time to time as new yarns are being added weekly. Our goal is to become your first on line stop for knitting needs.

Mum and I gave a baby shower for my niece Jessica this past Saturday, so last week I was busy working on a gift that I hoped would not only be practical, but also fun. I designed a pattern of bright stripes of color in eyelash against a background of pure white, all knit on the diagonal in easy and reversible garter stitch. I chose royal blue, lavender, baby yellow, turquoise, and red, colors suitable for either gender, and used washable synthetic yarns, FunFur from Lion Brand for the eyelash and Cascade 220 Superwash, one of my all time favorite yarns for children's items, for the white background. The finished project was both festive and useful, a cute addition to Blake's nursery.

Copyright 2008 Kay Mather