Oh -- before I get into that - I was reading Erin's CaringBridge site today -- Erin was at a craft store in Memphis, Tennessee, for a class and her mother went shopping several stores down since it was going to be a couple of hours. When it was about time for Erin to be finished, Ann texted her to see if she was ready. Erin texted back to her -- "No, I just saved someone's life!" Ann wrote on CaringBridge that one of the employees choked on a peppermint. Someone asked if anyone knew the Heimleich manuever and Erin said yes and ran to the lady. After performing the Heimleich four times, the lady coughed and out came the peppermint! We're so proud of you Erin! That lady was blessed that you were there!
Here is one scarf that is getting close to being finished - she is still working on it though - you can see how it is still attached to the straws.
Straw knitting, as explained by Erin, (but in my words, so I hope got it right - I'll get her to proofread before uploading!):
Yarn needs to be thicker than just regular yarn. What she was using was Homespun and it was kinda curly - so that gives it more bulk than just a regular skein on yarn.
1. Decide how many straws you want -- i.e., width of scarf. She recommended about 6 to 10 - have to remember need to be able to hold them in your hand. Cut the flex part off if they are flexible straws.
2. Decide how long you want your scarf to be. Erin usually measures her lengths of yarns by the armspan -- from fingertip to fingertip. Some scarves she does by one armspan; some scarves are 1 1/2 armspans. Cut yarn to length desired - one length for each straw.
3. Then thread one end of one length of yarn up through the straw. You might need a skewer to help poke it up through there. When you have it through - pull about an inch down and scotch tape it to the straw - wind tape around straw. Do this for all straws and lengths of yarn.
4. Go to other end of lenths of yarn and holding the batch together, tie a knot.
5. Then take the end of the yarn from the skein and tie it to one of the straws, which will be the first straw on your left when you line all the straws up in your left hand. It can be kinda toward the middle or bottom.
6. Then line all the straws up in your hand, and with the yarn from the skein, weave it behind the first straw, in front of the second one, then behind the third one, in front of the fourth and so on.
7. When you finish the weave with the last straw on the right, then go back the other way, doing the same thing.
8. See how it builds up a weave? Let it build up on the straws for a little while.
9. Then as you get more and more, push the weaved part off the straws and down the lengths of yarn. As you work more and more, just push the weaved parts off and closer together.
10. Here's a closer up view with a darker yarn she was making a different scarf with. See how the weave is built up on the straws and you can see how it is close together soon after coming off the straws.
And here is one even closer to completion than the one at the top. She is still working on this one too though as the skein of yarn is still attached.
And here is the explanation for the end step - Erin typed it in Comments - but I copied the straw knitting specific info back over here to make it easier for y'all to see.
8. See how it builds up a weave? Let it build up on the straws for a little while.
9. Then as you get more and more, push the weaved part off the straws and down the lengths of yarn. As you work more and more, just push the weaved parts off and closer together.
10. Here's a closer up view with a darker yarn she was making a different scarf with. See how the weave is built up on the straws and you can see how it is close together soon after coming off the straws.
And here is one even closer to completion than the one at the top. She is still working on this one too though as the skein of yarn is still attached.
And here is the explanation for the end step - Erin typed it in Comments - but I copied the straw knitting specific info back over here to make it easier for y'all to see.
From Erin:
"Before you take it off the straws, you tie your string in a knot to one of the outside straws like you did in the beginning. Push all the yarn off of the straws. Then, you cut the “guide strings” at the top of the straws between the top of the straw and the tape. Slide the straws off of the loose yarn and tie the ends together! Trim your fringe if you want and VOILA!"
1 comment:
Helen,
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. Before you take it off the straws, you tie your string in a knot to one of the outside straws like you did in the beginning. Push all the yarn off of the straws. Then, you cut the “guide strings” at the top of the straws between the top of the straw and the tape. Slide the straws off of the loose yarn and tie the ends together! Trim your fringe if you want and VOILA! The store I went to that you mentioned from Caringbridge was in Memphis, TN, not Atlanta. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Erin
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