I’m playing with this and thought someone else might find it interesting. I’ve not bought the book about it that is out and at present don’t intend to. I’m learning some of the basics and might find uses for this way of knitting. She shows it Continental but it can be done with yarn in the right hand.
Distitch - new to me!
Wow - looks like fun and something new to learn. Not for the projects already underway but I may just go to my needles right now and try st st.
M&M
I’m making toe up worsted weight slipper socks (Knitflix project lol) and may increase all around and use this on the cuff when I get there. I’ll have to watch the video again and see how it might work. I often find myself grabbing some handy yarn and needles and trying something I see online.
I seem to be good at finding old topics and reviving them, I do hope no-one minds?! But I’ve just discovered Distitch, rather late in the day, and wanted to say how wonderful it is and that you can do it in Portuguese knitting, too, which is the only way I ever knit. It takes the usual effort to convert, but is SO worth it! So far I’ve only learnt selvedges and casting on and casting off, but oh how beautiful they are!! The book is full of how to do much much more, but I’m trying not to overwhelm myself! It has brilliant Q code links to videos that are very useful. It’s all the usual stumbling learning curve, at least for me, but I think it truly is a new way of doing some things and well worth thinking about. There are a few of her videos on YouTube - she’s called Assia Brill, and is, I think, a bit of a genius to have invented what doesn’t seem to exist anywhere else. I so recommend taking a look at this; her website is www.assiabrill.com; I don’t know her (wish I did! She sounds so interesting!), don’t have any vested interest, just in-vested admiration and fascination in something innovative and wonderful. If anyone out there can do brioche (I can’t but this book makes me want to try) please do check it out, it seems to be a seriously good way to achieve a beautiful version of this particular technique.
I wonder if this technique also goes under another name? I have seen factory made stuff that to me looks like if they were made with this technique, so I do not think Brill is the only one to “invent” this.
As the original video in the first post can not be seen anymore, I searched youtube to see if I could find this technique demonstrated somewhere and apparently Roxanne did a lengthy review of it:
Just watched the video, englblom, thanks v much for posting it. Elizabeth Zimmerman, as is so often the case, got the business of inventing things right, didn’t she, when she spoke of “un-venting”. There’s precious little new under the sun, of course, but the re-discovery and the taking further of the already-invented is interesting in itself, I think is fair to say? Beethoven said much the same thing about music, but his “un-venting” certainly made a difference to many of us. For anyone in a hurry and wanting to watch the Roxanne video just for this, she doesn’t really get onto the history of potential precursors to this technique until around 11 minutes into the video, nor into the actual review of the book until approximately 16 minutes into it, and the actual ‘how to do it’ bit at 22 minutes in. The history bit goes back to Nordic wire knitting, and a really ancient archaeologically discovered technique referred to as “compound” knitting. What Roxanne does acknowledge is that Assia Brill thinks of this as a completely new ‘invention’ because, despite much research, she didn’t manage to unearth any of these ancient techniques, but in any case has taken them to new pastures with the depth into which she delves. It’s obviously not for everyone. I’m not sure whether or not I’ll ever want to get into, for example, her version of brioche, probably because I’ve struggled with brioche in the past - my “fault”, and doubtless my loss, and maybe one day I’ll have another go - we all have our preferences, don’t we. I think this video is well worth watching if anyone is at all interested in trying it - Rosanne’s demonstration of how to knit and purl the compound/Distitch is very clear and helpful. And, even if you don’t use anything else, I think the selvedges are really nice; these are demonstrated by Assia Brill herself on YouTube, so you don’t have to buy what is an expensive book. I did grit my teeth and but it because I wanted to learn the cast on and bind off, and I’m glad I did. One day I might get brave enough to have a go at some more, mainly because otherwise I’ll feel so guilty for spending so much money on a book that I don’t use enough!
Can’t see a way to edit, but should have put “I did grit my teeth and BUY it”, not BUT it!!
Ha! Found the little edit icon - not very bright - now you can see why I have trouble with knitting! And spelling your name, engblom, forgive me. I’ll do better in future!
There is actually one thing I am curious about with distich: how do you combine it with short rows? When making a short rows heel, there are always a bit more gaps between the stitches along the short rows edges than the rest of the heel. It is hardly noticeable, if the short rows are well made and tight, but still they are there. It looks like a combination of traditional short rows technique mixed with distitch would perfectly solve this and as a bonus the heel becomes more wear resistant.
I tried the link but the site wouldn’t let me watch the video, so I tried Googling Distitch and came up with something by Assia Brill, but there was no sound with it.
From what I can make out, it sounds like it would make a warm and pretty fabric, but I don’t think I’ll be using it anytime soon.
Gillian