Azuritedays

#i dont know if people know this bc i sure didnt until i got into sewing but: industrial sewing machines are #the height of sewing automation. every seam on a $15 t-shirt or a $25 Something from shein was fed through a serger by a human person #which is BONKERS but also kinda… makes sense. #car mfg is easy to automate bc car parts are rigid and easy to reliably and consistently grasp and they dont change that often #clothes are being CONSTANTLY updated and theyre made of FABRIC which is a robot arm's natural enemy #but people want cheap clothes!! and so the thing that is being relentlessly optimized away is paying the humans involved in the process

#similarly you know how theres knitting machines? #crochet machines arent a thing. every ~boho crochet top~ made of granny squares was made by sweatshop labor #a lot of mfg processes are STUNNINGLY manual in countries where the time and labor of humans is cheap

@diamondot speaking for myself, i just decided to learn it one day a few years ago (i had a viking phase ok) and simply started with it. It's surprisingly easy since all the info is available on the net. Honestly, i don't remember where i started since it has been so long ago and now i just browse pinterest for patterns alone. Google tablet weaving or card weaving (same thing, different names) patterns and some basic explanations and yt vids for how to turn and weave the stuff. Things like

S and Z threading are there for a reason, so mind your card orientation. Start with some easy pattern like simple wave or diamonds above, 6 - 10 cards are good for your first project. Don't lose hope in initial stage. Streching and threading all that yarn can take anything between 20 minutes and 3 hours depending on how big is the pattern and how skilled you are. Since you need some lenghts to secure ends and to turn cards, use about 40 cm more than wished lenght of your final product. Secure lose ends after threading through cards so you won't end with a bundled mess. Streching/knotting them to something is one way. Taping each card threads together or using weights (check pictures below) is another way (good only for shorter stuff though). Cards could be made out of anything as long as they have smooth edges and rounded corners. Cardboard, thicker plastic sheet, literal cards cut into squares with holes punched through them, whatever. These are mine 2 decks, minus cards i am using atm.

When you start weaving and pattern looks like a total mess, try turning cards in opposite directions. It usualy solves the problem (all that forward/backward can be a bit tricky and mirroring motions/patterns/card orientation can be confusing at first seemingly messing all your work even though you are doing everything right technicaly, just in opposite order/direction). Don't lose your hope. I still manage to mess up like first 5cm of every other work i start. It's not an issue as that start usualy gets cut off anyway (the tension is not right for at least first 4 rows, aka 1 full card rotation, until all threads go up and down at least once no matter what you do. Don't sweat it). You don't need any fancy startup either. Historicaly, people used to weave like this and this and this:

I just strech the thing between 2 chairs myself. Door knobs work as well and so does staircase railing. Wherever you have some space. Long hair clips are your friend, especialy when you are done with weaving for the day and you don't want stuff to tangle

This website is where I learned, twenty years ago while u was intending on Sturtevant Wi.

These books are both great, Collingwood is more comprehensive, but harder to just pick up and weave from.

The thing is that the technique looks complicated due to the fact that there is 100 something and that number alone is scary. But. Actually several buts.

But number 1 - the technique is OLD. Meaning - while being somewhat tedious just like any other textile craft, it has been used and learned for a long long time and there's plenty of resources (check out links above or any youtube video explaining the process) of varying difficulty from complicated af to easy peasy lemon squeezy with closed eyes

But number 2 - there is only one core principle/step you need to understand and that is when some threads go from up to down or from down to up (aka when they cross), you need another thread going in between so they won't simply snap back again. That's it. That's the basic principle behind every weaving ever. What card weaving does compared to standard weave is that instead of a single thread going up and down in the single row, you get 2 or 3 or 4 or 6 or whatever number of threads your pattern calls for in the same row

But number 3 - the number of rows = number of cards. Simple as that. Cards turn around to make a cord like when you are twisting 2 or 4 or whatever numbers of threads to make a rope. If some of those threads have different colours, you get a repeating pattern.

But number 4 - card orientation or S/Z orientation or whatever other fancy name for the twisting direction simply means that if you turn all your card in the same way at the same time, which one of them will make the twisted rope in this / angle and which one will do that in this \ angle. That's it. That's the whole mystery between S/Z threading.

But number 5 - you can start with as little as 4 cards to make a custom set of shoe laces or a key strap or whatever and call yourself a weaver. Because you did that. And it was nice. And it was easy. You just turn and thread and turn and thread and then you keep repeating this while watching a movie or something. There's no need for the math finals level of concentration here.

But number 5 - no one, literally NO ONE starts with a pattern like this

No. Everybody starts with something like this

Keep it simple, keep it easy, make 10cm and be done if you want to. It's perfectly fine.

But number 6 - you don't need any fancy items for starting. No hooks, no needles, no loom, no anything. If you have 2 balls of yarn in different color or some remains of your old cross stitch project or whatever and some card-like stuff you won't be sad for making holes in it, you are all set. Back side of the sketch pad is good. Poker cards cut to squares are good. A sturdy enough sheet of plastic is also good. You remember that old pexeso pairs stack you didn't touch since you were 9? Guess what!

Or alternatively all the reasons why it was a bad idea for Aqua to decide to make one.

Half of this post is therapeutic self-pity the other is recognising the comedic value of the irony behind this project.

It all started three years ago, in 2014 when I was in London with my friend.

We took the chance to visit the creatively named ‘Harry Potter Shop at Plattform 9 ¾’ and that was when this whole story starts.

Now I wanted a hogwarts house scarf, hard to figure by th title of this post, I know, but unfortunately I cannot wear wool. Like at all. My skin is too sensitive for that. Can’t get used to it. I am constantly aware of it and it’s super scratchy. I even have problems with cashmere. Any knit I own is cotton, viscose or acrylic.

The official scarves are, unfortunately, made of 100% lamb wool.

I still wanted a scarf. Because Slytherin house pride.

I decided to make one myself. Yeah, bad idea.

I didn’t actually like to knit. When I learnt how to, I hated it, because it took forever. Crocheting is way faster. And our teacher never actually told us the interesting part about knitting.

Only about two years before deciding to make my own house scarf, I learnt there was more than one stitch to knitting and the size of the needles mattered.

I had no idea what I was doing, to put it mildly.

But I wanted that scarf. And since I couldn’t buy it (way too expensive if you cant wear it) I would have to make it.

For better or worse. (Little did I know how much worse.)

So like with any cosplay I make, I started to research. Looked up a couple of patterns, picked up what I liked, dismissed what I didn’t about them. Looked at the pictures from the official store and actually counted the stitches…

Yes, unfortunately I am quite the perfectionist.

I decided, to make it as authentic as possible, I wanted the smallest possible stitches, so I needed to use the smallest knittling needles I could find.

Which happened to be size 1,5.

If you knit you know what a monumentally stupid idea that is.

If not, let me explain: the smaller your knitting needle, the thinner the yarn you use, the smaller the individual stitch.

The slower you get anywhere while knitting.

Not ideal, if you don’t a) knit often and can knit quickly or b) actually like knitting.

My final pattern is currently something like this: 140 stitches to a row, alternating left and right stitches, (60 rows - 4 rows - 8 rows - 4 rows) x14 - 60 rows.

By my calculations it’ll take 16 balls of green and two of silver.

Yikes, right?

Yet I was still detemined to do this.

So I started.

Now I have to admit, I have the attention span of a… hey, new chapter of a fanfiction I followed…

The first year I got about 55 rows (sounds like much, but really isn’t, it’s barely 13 cm) done, before I discovered a incredibly stupid and terribly obvious mistake right in the first row evidence of which had to be eliminated immediately and had to open all of it again.

The second year I managed to get past the first change of colours.

I learnt then, that yes, it’s actually important to use the same yarn.

Before then I just though it was some kind of knitting elitism. Nope, if you use 2 different yarns, you either have your oattern raised from or embossed in your scarf.

I still have to fix that, because like, heck am I going to undo a whole section of that scarf ever again.

Year three I actually got quite a bit of it done. Mainly because I was really determined to finally finish this stupid thing. I got about 5 sections done. That’s actually 380 rows. Only about 60 cm or so though.

I have learnt a couple of valiable things though:

I don’t like sewing the loose threads in.

You can carry around knitting projects in ziploc bags. But the needles can and will poke holes into it and stick out.

Ebay is by far cheeper when it comes to yarn than going to the store. Also you don’t have to go to the store. It gets delivered to you. You might want to order small quantities at first though. So you know what you’re buying exactly. (Quality and colour)

A train ride is a good place to knit. People don’t try talking to you when you knit. (Or draw for that matter.)

Tracking your progress motivates. “Wow, I did this much in only a year?”

Also with that many rows, you start living for the moments when you need a new ball of yarn or change colours , because progress!

Multitasking is possible. But not with something requiring vision. You can get a computerized voice to read the fanfiction chapter to you though. Google docs has a dictation function. You can terrorize your family by singing solely japanese songs at the top of your lungs for hours on end. Better, you can terrorize your brother’s friends with your singing when he’s gaming with them over skype. You practice your listening comprehension in Japanese if you try to knit while an anime is running original tone in the background.

The more you knit, the better and the faster you get.

It was in 2018 too. It's over 2 m(7 ft) in length.

I still had to correct my earlier mistake though. The first few silver lines which I had done in a different yarn. (Apparently it isn't actually knitting elitism, who knew...)

That meant I had to open up those rows, knit them with the proper yarn and then connect the two pieces.

It took me quite some time to figure out how to stich them together do one wouldn't notice, but in the end after a lot of trial and error I managed.

Next thing I had to do was sewing in the open ends where I had switched colours.

Unfortunately, that too took quite some time. (Can't count how many times I tossed it into a corner because I got fed up with it... what do you expect with more than 2 m (7 ft) of loose ends....)

Now that it's finished though, I am extremely proud of it.

And then I stupidly decided to make a hat.

my ruler: this is 4 inches

Or alternatively all the reasons why it was a bad idea for Aqua to decide to make one.

Half of this post is therapeutic self-pity the other is recognising the comedic value of the irony behind this project.

It all started three years ago, in 2014 when I was in London with my friend.

We took the chance to visit the creatively named ‘Harry Potter Shop at Plattform 9 ¾’ and that was when this whole story starts.

Now I wanted a hogwarts house scarf, hard to figure by th title of this post, I know, but unfortunately I cannot wear wool. Like at all. My skin is too sensitive for that. Can’t get used to it. I am constantly aware of it and it’s super scratchy. I even have problems with cashmere. Any knit I own is cotton, viscose or acrylic.

The official scarves are, unfortunately, made of 100% lamb wool.

I still wanted a scarf. Because Slytherin house pride.

I decided to make one myself. Yeah, bad idea.

I didn’t actually like to knit. When I learnt how to, I hated it, because it took forever. Crocheting is way faster. And our teacher never actually told us the interesting part about knitting.

Only about two years before deciding to make my own house scarf, I learnt there was more than one stitch to knitting and the size of the needles mattered.

I had no idea what I was doing, to put it mildly.

But I wanted that scarf. And since I couldn’t buy it (way too expensive if you cant wear it) I would have to make it.

For better or worse. (Little did I know how much worse.)

So like with any cosplay I make, I started to research. Looked up a couple of patterns, picked up what I liked, dismissed what I didn’t about them. Looked at the pictures from the official store and actually counted the stitches…

Yes, unfortunately I am quite the perfectionist.

I decided, to make it as authentic as possible, I wanted the smallest possible stitches, so I needed to use the smallest knittling needles I could find.

Which happened to be size 1,5.

If you knit you know what a monumentally stupid idea that is.

If not, let me explain: the smaller your knitting needle, the thinner the yarn you use, the smaller the individual stitch.

The slower you get anywhere while knitting.

Not ideal, if you don’t a) knit often and can knit quickly or b) actually like knitting.

My final pattern is currently something like this: 140 stitches to a row, alternating left and right stitches, (60 rows - 4 rows - 8 rows - 4 rows) x14 - 60 rows.

By my calculations it’ll take 16 balls of green and two of silver.

Yikes, right?

Yet I was still detemined to do this.

So I started.

Now I have to admit, I have the attention span of a… hey, new chapter of a fanfiction I followed…

The first year I got about 55 rows (sounds like much, but really isn’t, it’s barely 13 cm) done, before I discovered a incredibly stupid and terribly obvious mistake right in the first row evidence of which had to be eliminated immediately and had to open all of it again.

The second year I managed to get past the first change of colours.

I learnt then, that yes, it’s actually important to use the same yarn.

Before then I just though it was some kind of knitting elitism. Nope, if you use 2 different yarns, you either have your oattern raised from or embossed in your scarf.

I still have to fix that, because like, heck am I going to undo a whole section of that scarf ever again.

Year three I actually got quite a bit of it done. Mainly because I was really determined to finally finish this stupid thing. I got about 5 sections done. That’s actually 380 rows. Only about 60 cm or so though.

I have learnt a couple of valiable things though:

I don’t like sewing the loose threads in.

You can carry around knitting projects in ziploc bags. But the needles can and will poke holes into it and stick out.

Ebay is by far cheeper when it comes to yarn than going to the store. Also you don’t have to go to the store. It gets delivered to you. You might want to order small quantities at first though. So you know what you’re buying exactly. (Quality and colour)

A train ride is a good place to knit. People don’t try talking to you when you knit. (Or draw for that matter.)

Tracking your progress motivates. “Wow, I did this much in only a year?”

Also with that many rows, you start living for the moments when you need a new ball of yarn or change colours , because progress!

Multitasking is possible. But not with something requiring vision. You can get a computerized voice to read the fanfiction chapter to you though. Google docs has a dictation function. You can terrorize your family by singing solely japanese songs at the top of your lungs for hours on end. Better, you can terrorize your brother’s friends with your singing when he’s gaming with them over skype. You practice your listening comprehension in Japanese if you try to knit while an anime is running original tone in the background.

The more you knit, the better and the faster you get.

It’s been 4 ½ years, but I finished!

Finally!

Morale of the story:

Sewing in the threads took sooo long. This is probably the cosplay that took me the longest to make, despite only the scarf (and hat) having been made myself.

Now one can actually tell what it's supposed to look like.