Weeping Machine is what I call, in my mind, a conceptual scarf I was thinking about in the bath this morning. I’ve been working on some odd scarves, based on concepts of time, repetition, process, mixed media. Scarves that are maps. (One is coming up in knit.1 in December!).
In an interview in knit.1 you will find (if you look) that I talk about knitting something vast and colorful. The Weeping Machine could be it. When working this scarf, you change colors every time you want to give up. The changes would create a map of your energy and moods.
To get one thing straight, I would never finish it. To get another thing straight, to knit this comfortably, you would need a really long needle of a very tiny bore. Like the kind of needle that makes hardened yarn shop salespeople swoon.
You would need five colorways of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight, or as many as you could stand without going all Crime and Punishment. Using one of these colorways, on size 2 or so needles, you would, conceptually, cast on 770 stitches. You would think of this as Color A. You would work in garter stitch until your eyes fell out, and, yet, you were able to weep. Every two rows you would alternate with another sock yarn colorway known as B. Whenever you wanted to cry or give up, you would change one of your colors, continuing to alternate with the other one. You would work in this overlapping manner until you got through about five colorways. You’d bind off loosely.
You could do something to mark this occasion, say rip a doll's head off, toss back some gin?
I’m wondering if anyone would even try such a project. If so, I really want to see it, so if you do there will be recognition. For the first person who successfully casts on for this scarf, I will commission my sister (who prays, and I don’t unless I've lost my wallet or shomething) to pray to give you fortitude and a love of color and texture so deep that you are like a freight train and no man can stop you.
For the first person who finishes such a scarf, there will be something very special. I’ll show it to you just as soon as I get my USB cord all hooked up-y.
This is fascinating. I don't know if I have the wherewithal to do it but it's getting my creative juices flowing. Thanks!
Posted by: E to the M | October 14, 2008 at 11:38
Hmmm, I've been wanting to do something with the mound of sock yarn I have, but I'm not certain I could commit to this vast number of stitches. Have to ponder a bit. . . :)
Posted by: Cindy (maxfun) | October 14, 2008 at 11:47
Wow, that sounds like fun...no, really... i've doen something similar, thought it was a blanket...about 800 sts accross, and well, rows upon rows, upon rows of sts. I thinkit was like 50 colors, all told, at like 5 rows at a shot...
Posted by: Joy Wingert | October 14, 2008 at 12:00
If I wasn't in the middle of holiday knitting, I would so do this!!! As a matter of fact, I'm noting this so I can try it after I finish all my other stuff! Thanks!
Posted by: P-la | October 14, 2008 at 12:04
That is some challenge!
Posted by: Mama Urchin | October 14, 2008 at 13:11
I love it! "Bind off loosely" is my absolute favorite part. No matter what the project, always, always, bind off loosely.
Posted by: Mandy | October 14, 2008 at 13:40
That must have been some bath lotion you were using.
Posted by: suse | October 14, 2008 at 15:44
oh my, i would so fail at that challenge, well, except the weeping part.
i can't wait to see your pattern in knit.1! i have one in the same issue!
Posted by: melissa | October 14, 2008 at 15:58
This is reminding me of an incident that a friend had with William S. Burroughs. He was teaching a writing course and asked everyone to build a time machine as an assignment, and the next time everyone came to class and no one had attempted it--he was crestfallen!
Posted by: Heather | October 14, 2008 at 17:43
Haven't people already done this? I've seen quite a few sock yarn scarves knit horizontaly show up in my friends activity lately.
Posted by: Preita | October 14, 2008 at 18:17
Wow! This sounds lovely. Do you think the stitches would fit on a 60" needle? This sounds like a project fit for me. I am all about process knitting and I have so much sock yarn it's not even funny. :)
Posted by: tulip | October 14, 2008 at 18:51
Preita,
I'm sure they have, yes, done garter stitch scarves before. It's not a new idea or really a pattern per se. It's more a concept about knitting until you cry, or until some arbitrary thing happens.
Cheers!
Posted by: larissa | October 14, 2008 at 19:05
You could scale it up to STR heavyweight at about a size 5 needle and 200 stitches and have something pretty wonderful. Maybe not weepy, but a 30 minute meals version of weepy.
Lately, I've been thinking about the STR chevron scarf and the Noro striped scarf and wondering what would happen if you turned it sideways, with something lovely like STR or Noro and alternated every 2 rows.
Posted by: Cathy | October 14, 2008 at 19:27
wow! I just stumbled in here and find you have an idea that appeals, yet may be the 'final straw' in knitting crazy. Love the yarn you have shown there. STR? Colorway?
Posted by: Robby | October 15, 2008 at 06:56
Yup, STR in Jasper.
Posted by: larissa | October 15, 2008 at 09:53
Casting on as I write....perfect idea!
Posted by: MrsMK | October 15, 2008 at 10:34
the hard part would be the casting on of 770 stitches. after that it would be easy peasy. maybe i'll give it a try.
Posted by: maryse | October 16, 2008 at 12:09
I love this color of yarn!!! It is just so awesome looking! I also just wrote down a note to remind myself to pick up knit1 for the pattern!
Posted by: wendy | October 22, 2008 at 19:25
It disturbs me that I read this and thought, "Oh my god, I HAVE to try that." And yet, I think I'd be weeping immediately after casting on.
Posted by: Kristen | October 28, 2008 at 19:25