One thing I love about knitting is that it can be three-dimensional. Sample E, unfolded Knitting doesn't have to be. Making a scarf or blanket is usually a two-dimensional process. It is creating a flat plane of fabric. Sometimes there are texture patterns, but we think of them as embellishments or decorations. We think they aren't fundamentally changing the nature of the item as a plane. Socks are a great example of three-dimensional knitting. They are typically worked in the round. They have special shaping to turn the heel. If they are knee socks, they might even having shaping through the calves. And, of course, there is shaping at the toes. Think about all the socks you own. Are any of them made from flat fabric sewn together? Even commercial socks are typically worked in the round with a seam at the toe. While I find weaving intriguing for its mathematically prop...
Earlier this summer I completed repairs on a commercial sweater. One of my students had a friend whose favorite sweater looked like an alligator had chewed on the cuffs. I suspect a backstory but I don't know it. I didn't take a lot of pictures of the sweater. I probably should have. One of the challenges was the sleeves were worked cuff up (bottom up) rather than top down. This meant repairing the damaged sleeves included recreating the cast-on, re-knitting the damaged fabric, and grafting the hole closed in pattern. If the sleeves had been worked in the other direction, it would have been a much simpler repair involving ripping back and re-knitting. The repair was further complicated by the stranded construction of the sweater. I was using similar but not identical yarn. I eventually figured out I needed to pull some plies off the replacement black yarn to bring it down to match in girth. This also meant all the knitting and grafting used multiple...