Bond Machine Knitting - Knitting Tartans

Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 15:31:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tartan Knitter tartanknitter@yahoo.com
Subject: [BOND] Re: Knitting Tartan

Bette Holleman wrote:
"I read your message on my Bond digest this morning
and I am wondering- can you knit tartan on the Bond?"

Hi all, I thought I'd post this answer to the list
since we have some newbies who didn't hear the trials
and tribulations of knitting a tartan.

A true tartan has different colors of warp and weft
yarn so in that sense, no you cannot knit a tartan. 
However, It is possible with a little work, a lot of
planning, plenty of time (the bigger the article, the
more time necessary) some hair pulling and generous
offerings to the Bond goddess  to knit a
reasonable facsimile of a tartan.  

In truth, I wouldn't trade a single minute of the time
I spent working on these.  They have brought me such
an incredible sense of satisfaction (even more so than
my first sweater) that can't be measured in terms of
time or money.  There are so many different tartans
that I'm sure most people could find one they like. 
So if anyone else wants to give this a go, I'd be
happy to assist.

Blessings to you!  

=====
Lis in Beech Grove, IN tartanknitter@yahoo.com
Timmmmmberrrrr...
Oh I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay.
I sleep all night and I work all day.

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Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 11:49:20 -0400
From: J Merritt jmerritt@roanoke.infi.net
Subject: [BOND] Tartan

Hi,

A true Tartan has square color blocks as part of its repeats.  This can
be acheived by a combination of knitting and weaving.  A knitted lace
mesh is worked in a repeated, striped color sequence.  Then the vertical
color sequences are worked in weaving using the posts and bars of the
mesh as the "cloth" to weave around.  Susuanna Lewis developed this
technique some time ago  (I will be bringing a sample of this to the
Wilmington, NC Bond meeting the end of July).

Faux Tartans can be knitted on the machine by knitting stripes of color
for the horizontal and finishing the veritcal stripes in various ways,
i.e., dropping a stitch and weaving over and under the bars with a
threaded tapestry needle, leaving a needle out of work and crocheting up
the bars with another color, leaving a needle out of work, hanging this
area on the machine, and working a crochet bind off around the bars,
etc.  Each technique gives a different look.

I saw the pictures of Lis' tartans at Camp.  Those that didn't see them
missed out on some beautiful work.

Jennie in Moneta, VA

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Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 11:50:46 +0100
From: Susan Jane Caraccio susancaraccio@cableinet.co.uk
Subject: [BOND] Re: Tartan knitting

Dear all

Interweave Press do a book on tartans, it is meant for weavers but is
very informative, it gives the 'setts' for a wide range of tartan, (a
'sett' is how many rows of each colour is needed to form the pattern. 
It is also a good book for anyone looking into Scottish clans. 
Unfortunately it is not in colour.  

As far as I have studied them, 'true' tartans are a copy of the 'sett'
ie if you have five red, five blue, two white, five blue, five red going
across the machine, you should have five rows red going up, five blue,
two white, five blue and five red, which completes one 'sett'.

Susan in overcast and drizzly south-west London (very near Wimbledon...
hence the drizzle!)

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Please e-mail any comments to me at steph@stephthornton.co.uk

Author : Steph Thornton.
Last modified on : 4th July 2000.