Red Under Petticoat Update

The Red Under Petticoat is growing. I will do a thorough discussion of it when it is finished but for now I have to say that it has been fun to knit. The puckered lower edge is created by extended slipped stitches. Once I was past the lower edge, this became my World Cup knitting as I only need to keep count of the stocking stitch rows and not really look at them as I knit.

Unlike England's Flag Flying*, designed by Erssie Major, which required more attention. I worked on it as fast as I could but didn't have it quite ready for the first match! I knit this on 2.25mm/US 1 needles with DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss in the Portrait version of the pattern. The finished piece measures 5 1/2" wide and 3 3/4" down, not counting the garter stitch edge I added. The gauge/tension is 12 stitches to one inch.

*Free pattern at http://erssieknits.squarespace.com/

Worldwide Knit in Public Day/Week

An Outdoor Literary Salon
French School, early 19th Century
Private Collection
The Bridgeman Art Library
Creative Image #79108854


Saturday, June 12th, kicks off this year’s celebrations of Worldwide Knit in Public which have been extended from one day to a full week! Seize upon your latest project, wips or start something new, and dash outside as often as possible over the coming days! Follow the example of the lady in the lower left corner of this image who calmly wields her needles in the midst of a volatile literary discussion. As usual in this genre, there is a great deal happening and even more being implied in the image but I am, for this post, just interested in the knitting although happy to have an illustration from one of my favourite eras in history. The industrious lady seems to have ony two needles in action – is she knitting something flat and, if so, what? A comforter, part of a shirt? Or is that the beginning of a stocking on four or more needles and we cannot see the others? There seems to be several strands of yarn hanging down from her work but she is only knitting in one colour. Could these strands and the fact that she does not seem to be holding her knitting in a very capable way suggest that her knitting skills are as pretentious or limited as the literary ones of those of her fellow members of the society? Or is this yet another example of an artist being unfamiliar with knitting, its tools and its hand positions? At any rate, the picture is bright and funny, and there is a knitter in it so I cannot really complain!