The Knitting Fiend

Once again, in my never ending quest to force my readers to “push the envelope” and learn new knitting techniques, I bring you my instructions for knitting a spider.

This spider is basically one small tube, one large tube and 4 idiot cord legs. I knit mine using wool-ease and stuffed it with fiberfill.

I read directions to knit a spider written by Cathy Hollingsworth. Her version required knitting a very small number of stitches circular or on double pointed needles or knitting stitches back and forth and creating an extra seam. I didn’t want the seam; I hate knitting a very small number of stitches on doubled pointed needles, and I wanted to knit a spider. What to do?

I decided to use a technique called “double knitting”. What is double knitting? It’s a way to knit an open tube while working back and forth instead of circular. Try the pattern, and you’ll decide if this is a technique you ever want to use.

My Tubes:

Tube 1:

• Cast on 10 stitches using waste yarn; I used mauve colored yarn. Knit 1 row. Break yarn, attach grey yarn leaving a long tail of grey.
• Row 1: *Knit 1, slip 1 with yarn in front; repeat from *. Note: When slipping, the yarn is positioned as though you are going to purl, and you slip purlwise. Just don’t purl. After you do this the first time, every other stitch will be worked in grey.
• Repeat row 1: until the length of the tube is equal to the width. Note: after the second repeat, all stitches on the needle will be grey.
• Break yarn leaving a long tail.
• Remove waste yarn by snipping individual stitches of waste yarn and pulling the yarn out carefully. The piece will open up into a tube! Thread a tapestry needle with tail of yarn and run through open loops pull tight, anchor. (See right.) Insert tapestry needle through center of the hole you closed and hide the yarn inside.
• Carefully remove work from needle. Run thread through open loops,
• Stuff with yarn or fiberfill. Pull thread to close; it will look sort of like a sphere. Anchor and hide yarn inside the sphere.

Tube 2:

• Decide if the piece you just made is the head of the body based on size. (The head should be the smaller piece.
• If the first piece is the head, knit a body by casting on 20 stitches. Follow the directions for the head, once again knitting until the length is the same as the width. (This is what I did.)
• If the first piece is the body, cast on 6 stitches. Work as for first piece.

Ok, you have two tubes made my way. Now, follow Cathy Hollingsworth. directions for the sewing the two pieces together and attaching the legs. (I made my I cord legs about the length of the body, but varied the lengths.)

So far, I’ve made a cute Halloween center piece consisting of the spider and knit pumpkins. My mother in law chuckled.