New Places to Find knitonthenet on the Web

As well as the main knitonthenet site, you can now find us in a number of other places on the internet.

Discuss your knits-in-progress, show your finished objects and talk about knitonthenet on the Ravelry group forum.

Become a fan of knitonthenet on Facebook and get all the latest announcements there.

Knitonthenet is now a member of Subversive Yarn, so say hello if you are too!

Add photographs of your projects to the Flickr group pool, and last but not least follow us on Twitter too.

Hope to see you out there!


Ingrid
editorial assistant

Baktus Bravado

Squirrelly Neckerchief - Aqua by Moon Angel on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Licence.

I asked on Twitter a couple of days ago for the modern-day word for 'neckerchief'. People came up with various answers including cravat and fidget. It turned out that the closest to what I was thinking was a 'baktus'.

Baktus is a character from a 1949 Norweigian children's novel 'Karius and Bactus' by Thorbjørn Egner in which the two main characters are 'tooth trolls' that live in a small boy's mouth: Baktus is a pun on bacteria. The Baktus scarf, which is named after the red-haired tooth troll is knitted in garter stitch: if you knit the same accessory in stocking stitch you would make a Karius scarf.

This triangular type of neckerchief/scarf was very popular last year on Norweigian knitting blogs and is a great way to use one or two skeins of sock yarn.

The idea is to take a skein or perhaps two, and knit a triangle using the exact amount of yarn available. To work this out it is a good idea to use a set of scales. Weigh the yarn before casting on, and (weighing every now and then) start the decreasing when there is around 50% of the yarn left.

Bravado Lightweight © Dittany. Knitonthenet Issue 9

A great example of a Baktus style scarf is Bravado by Dittany from the current issue of knitonthenet. There are two versions: one in lightweight sock yarn and one for medium weight yarn.

If you too are the sort of person (like Dittany and I) who is not good at wearing traditional bulky scarves, knitting yourself a Baktus scarf like Bravado might be a good idea. Dittany says:

'This scarf is the perfect compromise. The triangular shape keeps your neck warm, but the tapering ends mean that you don't have the bulk of the traditional scarf.'

I cast on the lightweight version a couple of weeks ago and it is knitting up beautifully. Have any of you made one yet?

Ingrid
editorial assistant

One Last Poppy

Many thanks to Brenda C for sending in a picture of her lovely poppy brooch, below. I like the way she has used a button for the centre, as a few people have.


The Knit a Poppy campaign for 2009 is officially closed.
Knitonthenet would like to thank everyone for their kind donations which ultimately totalled £2684.00.

See you same time, same place next year.

Ingrid
editorial assistant

Knit a Poppy Campaign - Many Thanks

The Knit a Poppy Campaign is drawing to a close at midnight tonight GMT.
As editor Susan says, 'Donations have surpassed our wildest dreams standing at present at £2632.00. It's quite astonishing, thank you all so much...' adding that there is still time however if you would still like to get your poppy pattern by making your £2 donation here.

I'd like to echo Susan's thanks to everyone who downloaded the pattern and donated to the very worthy Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal in doing so.

There have been some interesting adaptations of the original pattern with great results.
Here are just a few of the poppies you have all made.

by Gavin Crawford


by Skein Queen's 12 year old son


by Skiff Vintage


by Ingrid and Grace Murnane

by Chrissy Fletcher

Ingrid
editorial assistant

Knitonthenet on the Airwaves

Airline Tele-Dial Radio by The Rocketeer on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Licence.

Knitonthenet has had some great coverage on radio and podcasts recently.

BBC Radio 2's Sarah Kennedy talked about the Knit a Poppy campaign on 3rd November which led to flood of downloads of the pattern! A big thank you to her for that. If you are in the UK, you can listen-again to her radio show on BBC iPlayer here for the rest of the week. If it makes it to a podcast I will link to that too for everybody else.

Since the announcement we have raised £1690 for the British Legion. Many thanks to all who have donated by downloading the pattern.

Hoxton Handmade also gave us a review on her excellent podcast, the Electric Sheep. It starts at about 23 minutes into Episode 15.

In reviewing both Issues 8 and 9 of knitonthenet, she made special mention of the Glamour issue's Miss Moneypenny cardigan, Quadrato headscarf, Miss De Havilland top and Joan Crawford jacket. Also of the two scarf/belt Bravado patterns and Mia sunhat in the current Wanderlust issue. Check it out!

Ingrid
editorial assistant

Announcing: In the Loop 2

After the success of last year's In the Loop knitting conference, held at Winchester School of Art, there is to be another, this time held in Shetland.

Knitonthenet editor Susan Crawford will be one of the keynote speakers there and there is also a general call for papers, below.

Keep checking the In the Loop website for more details of the conference.

IN THE LOOP 2 - CALL FOR PAPERS
Knitting: origins and evolution

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A four day international conference

SHETLAND MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
Lerwick, Shetland
1-4 September 2010

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Susan Crawford
Deirdre Nelson
Annemor Sundbø

In response to the success of In the Loop held at Winchester School of Art in July 2008, and the continuing interest in knitting, this second interdisciplinary conference proposes an exploration of knitting from a broad range of practical and theoretical perspectives within the theme of tradition and renewal. Proposed papers that cross geographical or chronological boundaries in the following areas are of particular interest:

Knitting - traditions and their renewal in the 21st century
Knitting narratives - film, literature, music, poetry and the internet
Knitting - fashion knitwear including the industry
Knitting cultures from across the world
Knitting - artists and designers crossing boundaries

We welcome new and recent research in the form of short abstracts up to 300 words from practitioners, knitters, historians, conservators, theorists, educators, curators, technologists and the industry. Abstracts will be considered for formal 20 minute papers.

Deadline for abstracts: January 11, 2010
Notification of decision: March 1, 2010

All enquires and abstracts to the Conference Administrator: J.A. Horgan[at]soton.ac.uk

Please forward to any interested parties.

Selected papers or visual essays will be considered for publication by Shetland Museum and Archives

This is a collaborative event between Shetland Museum and Archives and the University of Southampton Library. The joint organisers are Dr. Carol Christiansen and Linda Newington.

Ingrid, editorial assistant

Spooky, Spooky Halloween

Halloween Pumpkin Burning Lamp by euart on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licence.

What plans do you have for Halloween? If you're going to a party, do you have a costume ready yet? Or appropriate attire for keeping warm whilst out Trick or Treating? Well, if not I have some suggestions to help you along because there's still time to knit a quick something before Saturday night.

Some Fingerless Boucle Gloves would look great knitted in black with a wide orange band in the centre. I have even seen lots of pumpkin and ghost buttons in the shops that you could accessorise with too.

For the chaps, I think you'll agree that a Bowtie Tie could set off your zombie outfit nicely.

Best of all though, the Tiny Tippet could look great knitted up in flesh or white, with a line of red through the middle. Wear it jauntily to the side, for that cut-throat look: it's an outfit in itself!

Happy Halloween, knitters!

Ingrid
editorial assistant

Poppy Gallery: 1

Remembrance Poppy by Milliebead on Flickr

Here is the first of our featured poppy brooches, made by Millie (mildunk on Ravelry), for knitonthenet's Knit a Poppy Campaign. Isn't it gorgeous?

You can download the pattern and help to support the British Legion's Poppy Appeal by visiting the knitonthenet site.

Please do send a photo of your finished brooch to ingrid(at)knitonthenet.com or post it in the Ravelry group. We'd love to see yours.

Ingrid
editorial assistant