Barcode Knit Complete

Music-themed scarf/iPod cozy.

Vital stats:

Needle size: 2, one set straight, one set double pointed
Yarn: sock weight
Gauge: 6 stitche per inch, 8 rows per inch
Total number of stitches in project, 13,382, (31 stitches per round)


Here is what I learned.

Barcode is truly a machine language. I took the name "bellflur" (after the band) and used an online converter to translate it into Code 128. It looks really good on paper. Great visual, nice stripes. I enlarged the printout so I could see and count each row of pixels. Very simple. Stripes are easy to knit?

WRONG.

In barcode, each number translates into rows of pixels. The number 1 is a single row, the number 3 is three rows. Code 128 does the same for letters. This allows a lot of information to be printed in a small amount of space, such as a label.

In knitting, this greatly expands the project. If you look at the photo of the scarf, you will see that the letters take up less space than the stripes of the code. In addition, in knitting there is the issue of color changes and weaving in ends. I carried the yarn up the sides to avoid having over 100 loose ends to weave. A final consideration with knitting is changing colors on odd or even numbers of rows. In flat knitting, it is easiest to change colors every two rows. Originally, I tried to expand the barcode so that one row of pixels equalled a two-row stripe. That gave me a pattern repeat in the range of 250-300 rows. Eventually, I chose to knit the scarf in the round, to facillitate frequent colr changes of one-row stripes. I knit the scarf as a closed-end, double knit tube to make it more interesting for myself. After knitting about 6 inches of the pattern, I decided to use the tube to hold my iPod or cellphone, leaving an opening that was later bordered in 1x1 ribbing.

After the barcode portion was completed, I knit the remainder of the scarf in plain black. This portion was knit on double pointed needles and I just knit until I used up nearly all of the black yarn. The final length is 55 inches, which is rather short for a winter scarf, but just right for holding my ipod at a comfortable level.

The last step in the main scarf was to duplicate stitch the name "bellflur" on the solid portion of the scarf. I used chart that I made some time ago. The chart was made from the band's logo that I charted using KnitPro and then altered to get the effect I wanted. I found it frustrating to duplicate stitch black yarn, at a small gauge, in a long, narrow, tube.

The final steps were to bind off the knitting and add fringe. The loose ends were tucked inside the scarf.

I am SO glad this thing is done. This project had an idea that I loved. I hated the execution. If I do another barcode project, I will choose a different yarn and perhaps knit it using a knitting machine, flat. I will definitely do it at a much larger guage. I fit the project to use the yarn I had available in black and white. I may try another version of barcode, called AZTEC next because it appears to be graphically intersting.

Jelly fish

The photo shows jellyfish, "moon jellies", my current model and inspiration. Jellyfish, invertebrates and bioluminescence have been interests of mine for years. I want to do something that has a passing resemblance to the real creature. I don't like cutesy, anthropomorhic versions with faces.
I started out trying to use some of my stash of glow yarn, but it wasn't right. I want to get something that is truly transparent or at least translucent. I've tried knitting strips of thin clear plastic from the dry cleaners. It was just awful, soft slippery, sticky at the wrong time, very frustrating. Besides that, at the end of the evening, my husband was making comments about my "descent into madness". Next morning, the plastic went into the trash. I went out and purchased two thicknesses of nylon monofilament fishing line to try. It is knittable. I am trying to find a tolerable way to start this project. Once established, it should work well. I will get the transparency I want and will use glow-in-the-dark yarn for the luminous parts.

Aberration, Anniversary, Independence

This is the one year anniversary of this blog. The embarrassing photo at left is Penguin, a "retired" feral cat who adopted us a couple years ago. Today I gave him cause to re-think that decision. I saw the blogpost about International Cat Hats, some time ago and just loved it. Normally, I don't humiliate the cats or make demands on them. They are independent contractors. This was the exception. I knit the crown overnight and got photos today. The photo part was hard. My husband is not a photographer and certainly not for cats. This was the best I could get. There was another photo shoot, with my cat, Raven, that was an unmitigated, blurry disaster. If my husband had shot video, it would have been fun. As it is, neither cat is speaking to me.

Barcode Section Knit- Update Bellflur

Confession....I have been "socializing" on Facebook and not knitting. Anyway, I'm back to the knit at least for a while. Bellflur is hitting the road for their summer season AND they will finally be releasing new songs. I want to get this project finished before the EP and Album are released.

This project started out as a simple barcode experiment. Along the way, I realized that I could use this narrow scarf/stole to hold my iPod. The barcode portion was knit in tubular double knitting. The remainder of the scarf will be knit in plain black until it is long enough, or I run out of yarn. I am finishing it on double point needles because knitting on black yarn in dim light made for some .......unravelling. Now I can just knit on circular auto pilot.

The last step will probably be to embroider the title "Bellflur" on the black portion.

If you look carefully at the iPod, you can see the cover of the first Bellflur CD.

A New Thread

I do other things besides knitting. All my life, I have been fascinated by bobbin lace. Several years ago, I finally found the proper materials and began to learn. This was really only possible through the Internet. Lacemaking requires focus and patience. For me, it is a form of meditation.

I am really glad to pull my pillows out of storage. The photos show a detail shot of my "cookie" pillow, which is about 18" in diameter. The pattern, called a pricking, is pinned onto the pillow and the lace is worked directly over the pattern. In my mind, bobbin lace incorporates techniques of weaving, braiding, and perhaps knotting. Pins are used to stabilize the threads at edges and crossings. Finished lace is stretched, stiffened and released from the pins.

This particular project is an exercise in Bruges lace. "Tapes" are woven to define the shape of the lace. The center area is filled with a "ground" pattern. It is a fairly easy, quick and fun type of lace. Since I haven't done this in a couple of years, this will be a good refresher piece to finish.

The photo on the right shows my pattern book and examples of my patterns or prickings.
I hope it will be easy for me to pick this up again.

I stopped making lace several years ago, when i went back to work full time. Somehow, working 8-12 hours a day for 5-6 day weeks is not conducive to focusing on anything other than sleep at home.

Life is Now

Everything changes, but why all at once? I am overloaded. The pillars of my life, spouse, kids, finances, friends, identity, language, psyche are all shifting. I have some choice in the matter. I am also obligated to cope with external change.
Hitting the wall. Knit happens.

A Neckwarmer means your scarf ran out of yarn

I just could not leave this alone. Last fall I knit a scarf for C-los, who surprised me and chose red yarn. I totally fell in love with the yarn and stole a skein for myself. (Carlos, your scarf is one foot short as a result.) I started knitting my own project with the "stolen" yarn and NOTHING has come out right in five different attempts. I finally settled on a pattern, the Lamar Scarf, only to run out of yarn- hence it's a "neckwarmer". I will never wear this as a neckwarmer. Last night, after work I went back to the store to get more yarn. There was no hope of getting the same dyelot. I'm only hoping that the color jog will blend at the back of the neck or get buried in the cable crosses.

I'm also feeling guilty about not finishing the barcode project. Maybe I'll finish it in time for the new Bellflur album.