Gettin' the Fur on!

So, there we were in bed last night. And I was winding the fur tape.


I know what you're thinking! You're thinking it has another name. It does. Today, I was thinking that "yarn ruff" might be more descriptive. During the Medley of Finnish Knitting Techniques at the Nordic Knitting Conference last October, Carol Huebsner Rhoades said that a Japanese woman came to the first or second Nordic Knitting conference, absorbed as much as possible and then returned home and wrote this book.

It's great! It has entrelac, stranding, fur tape, garter stitch beaded wristlets...

Anyways, over the weekend, I knit the two mittlets, got out the packing tape covered 3/4" flexible thingy and started wrapping.




Here's how it goes. Get your working yarn, and another thinner yarn that will be used for binding. You will also need a crochet hook in a smaller size that matches the binding yarn.

Make a slipknot in the binding yarn and insert the crochet hook (one loop). If right-handed, place the working yarn on the left. Wrap the fur tape yarn thrice around flexible thingy, pull the binding yarn under and up (second loop), then grab the binding yarn over the top and pull through the other two loops = single crochet stitch.

Here are some pictures that demonstrate the knitting technique:
These three pics are 1) The wrap, 2) The second loop, and 3) The final loop pulled through







After one has made a whole tape of wrapped yarn held together by crocheted loops, one can apply them to a finished, knitted piece. This book has fur tape added to the top of a knitted purse, knitted throw pillow, and these mittlets. The mitt pattern called for it to be knit flat, four fur tapes applied to the top, sewn on together, then the seam sewn shut. I knit the mitt in the round and applied three fur tapes separately.

The teacher of the Finnish Medley class recommended linen thread. It is very strong. Maybe this is just tradition? Anyways, it isn't very common, but I found a spool at Erica's.

Okay, I'm hating this photo layout. I'm going back to the largest picture to stop the words over pictures and misplaced explanations...

Fully attached fur tape (second of three).

The cutting of the ruff.

The finishing of fur tape is to steam 'em up well.

And, here's the final product.








The "finished" ruff: