SED 17B: LUCET!!!!
May. 17th, 2015 07:49 pmYeah, I made another lucet. This one is huge. It is also the prettiest by far. Made of 4.8mm copper wire (approx 3/16 of an inch); the handle is wrapped with brown leather. The handle is twice as long as it needs to be, because I basically didn't figure out how much wire I needed, I just cut a length and started working on it. I made five bends (very thick wire, hard to bend) and then I hammered and I hammered and I hammered. Then I de-tarnished it with citric acid, and gave it "put in the wash" treatment. It came up nice and shiny. Then I wrapped the handle with leather thonging, gluing it down with black (sticks-to-metal) hot glue. And burnt myself once (oops). Then I wrapped more leather thonging around the bit of the fork between the straight prongs, and where it bent inwards towards the handle, so there's a triangular "hole" at the base of the fork.
Measurements:
- distance between prongs, 4cm
- length of prongs, 5cm
- length of handle, 14.5cm
- length of entire lucet, 23cm
Despite this being so large, it works much better than Lucet #3 which I made yesterday. The fact that the wire comes together in a V to make the handle means that the handle is easy to grasp with the last three fingers of the hand, leaving the index finger and thumb free to turn the fork. My hands actually feel less fatigued than they did yesterday.
It's amazing all the things one doesn't realize which go into a good working tool.
Measurements:
- distance between prongs, 4cm
- length of prongs, 5cm
- length of handle, 14.5cm
- length of entire lucet, 23cm
Despite this being so large, it works much better than Lucet #3 which I made yesterday. The fact that the wire comes together in a V to make the handle means that the handle is easy to grasp with the last three fingers of the hand, leaving the index finger and thumb free to turn the fork. My hands actually feel less fatigued than they did yesterday.
It's amazing all the things one doesn't realize which go into a good working tool.
SED 16: Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu(cet)
May. 16th, 2015 10:12 pmToday I made another lucet. I made it out of scraps of tiny pipe, and bits of craft sticks, and string, and hot glue. On the good side, the prongs were nice and round, and they were nicely spaced apart. On the bad side, the handle was very wide, too wide to turn comfortably with one movement. Grrr. Will I have to learn woodcarving to make the perfect lucet?
Anyway, the characteristics of this lucet were such that I thought I'd try to figure out the "no-turn turn" method of luceting. When I tried before, I was so used to doing the "fast grab" turning method that I got all tangled and confused. This time I decided to ignore all the instructions, and figure it out as if I were doing it via the fast-grab method. One prong was exactly the same, obviously. The other prong, I figured out the following:
1. index finger of hand holding the lucet: press down on the back of the prong you just worked (first prong), holding the stitch you just finished, so it isn't pulled too soon
2. dominant hand: wrap the working yarn around the back, to the outside of the second prong, round the front, and to the back again; hold with little finger (it sounds more complicated than it is)
3. grab the back of the loop on the second prong (dominant hand), lift up the index finger away from the first prong (other hand), and pull on the loop to close the previous stitch (dominant hand)
4. lift the loop over the prong from the back to the front
5. move the working yarn from the middle where it was, through the front, over to the side past the second prong, and tug (again, this sounds more complicated than it is).
Luceting is dangerous. I just lose track of time when I'm doing it, and I end up overdoing it and my hands do not thank me.
Anyway, the characteristics of this lucet were such that I thought I'd try to figure out the "no-turn turn" method of luceting. When I tried before, I was so used to doing the "fast grab" turning method that I got all tangled and confused. This time I decided to ignore all the instructions, and figure it out as if I were doing it via the fast-grab method. One prong was exactly the same, obviously. The other prong, I figured out the following:
1. index finger of hand holding the lucet: press down on the back of the prong you just worked (first prong), holding the stitch you just finished, so it isn't pulled too soon
2. dominant hand: wrap the working yarn around the back, to the outside of the second prong, round the front, and to the back again; hold with little finger (it sounds more complicated than it is)
3. grab the back of the loop on the second prong (dominant hand), lift up the index finger away from the first prong (other hand), and pull on the loop to close the previous stitch (dominant hand)
4. lift the loop over the prong from the back to the front
5. move the working yarn from the middle where it was, through the front, over to the side past the second prong, and tug (again, this sounds more complicated than it is).
Luceting is dangerous. I just lose track of time when I'm doing it, and I end up overdoing it and my hands do not thank me.
SED 07: Extremely Lucet
May. 7th, 2015 09:14 pmLate last night I made myself another lucet. This one was made of 2mm Aluminium wire, string, and black hot-glue. The string and hot-glue were for the handle, to build up around the wire handle. The lucet part was good, it was the shape I intended it to be, just a little wider than the fork, slightly bent out at the ends, parallel in the middle... with sufficient hammering that it would stay where it was put.
So I played with my new lucet on the bus this morning, and I came to a few conclusions:
( the conclusions )
So I played with my new lucet on the bus this morning, and I came to a few conclusions:
( the conclusions )
The Spooling - Part 3
Feb. 15th, 2015 07:25 pmFeedback, more materials and additional tools have forged the next set of small-gauge knitting spools.
( Spool 8 )
( Spool 9 )
( Spool 10 )
( Spools Next To Each Other )
( Light-Tent )
Now I have to figure out what to do with the not-so-good spools that I don't want to use any more. Throw them out? They're too crappy to give away - the pins are too uneven, even with the best ones. But it feels wasteful to throw them out.
( Spool 8 )
( Spool 9 )
( Spool 10 )
( Spools Next To Each Other )
( Light-Tent )
Now I have to figure out what to do with the not-so-good spools that I don't want to use any more. Throw them out? They're too crappy to give away - the pins are too uneven, even with the best ones. But it feels wasteful to throw them out.
Spools Measured
Jan. 28th, 2015 01:25 pmAt the request of ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fred_mouse I am posting a picture of the most recent knitting spools with a scale comparison, to wit, two rulers next to them. The rulers are in both centimetres and inches, so hopefully that makes things clear.
( spooooools )
fred_mouse I am posting a picture of the most recent knitting spools with a scale comparison, to wit, two rulers next to them. The rulers are in both centimetres and inches, so hopefully that makes things clear.( spooooools )
Note To Self
Jan. 22nd, 2015 08:43 pmIf one wishes to use paper clips for wire-work that involves bending or un-bending said paper clips, do not use "non-slip" paper-clips: as soon as you bend them, they break. Presumably because the extra stuff they do to make them non-slip work-hardens the wire to such an extent that it is brittle.
Oh well. Now I know.
Oh well. Now I know.
One of the frustrating things about knitting spools is that if one wants something that does more than four stitches per row, all that one can find to buy are these plastic things with thick pegs that are spaced wide apart; which is all very well if one only uses chunky yarn, or is happy with loose lacy stitches. It's absolutely no good if one wants to make a tube from lace-weight yarn with small enough holes so that one can put beads down the middle without them falling out. Which I do.
So over the last little while, I've been looking at tutorials for DIY knitting spools. Of course, most of them are flimsy crap - toilet rolls with popsicle sticks, crudely cut out drink bottles - or require skills or items which I don't have and can't get, such as wooden thread spools. However, there have been some that looked like they had potential. So today I tried a few of them.
( Spool 1 )
( Spool 2 )
( Spool 3 )
So... I still don't have the Ideal Knitting Spool that I am seeking. (sigh)
So over the last little while, I've been looking at tutorials for DIY knitting spools. Of course, most of them are flimsy crap - toilet rolls with popsicle sticks, crudely cut out drink bottles - or require skills or items which I don't have and can't get, such as wooden thread spools. However, there have been some that looked like they had potential. So today I tried a few of them.
( Spool 1 )
( Spool 2 )
( Spool 3 )
So... I still don't have the Ideal Knitting Spool that I am seeking. (sigh)
