99 Names (#2)

Work on the shawl continues - actual knitting, now! In a different post, I'll give a few examples of the charts I've made for each name, but right now, I have a ring of names:

This is a simple center increase with five names in the first ring. These names are ar-Rahman (The Compassionate), ar-Rahim (The Merciful), al-Malik (The King), al-Quddus (The Holy), as-Salam (The Peace). Ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim occur the most often in the Qu'ran of any of the other attributes. The names are drawn from the list compiled by al-Walid ibn Muslim. There are several similar lists and some of the later names vary by list; this list is by no means official.

The attributes or names all point to the unity of the Greatest Name, the name of God Himself. It will take all 99 names to make this shawl into something greater than the little beaded doily above.

99 Names of God

I've always admired circular shawls, particularly the Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi Shawls. The math, combined with the delicate lace, make for a gorgeous and geeky knit. I've always planned on knitting one, and I think it's about time.

If I'm going to knit something this geeky, however... I'm going to do it EXTRA geeky. In that effort, I'm pulling out something I haven't used in years. My Arabic.

In Islamic tradition, there are 99 names or attributes of God. Those used most in the Qu'ran are Ar-Rahman (The Compassionate) and Ar-Rahim (The Merciful), and there are certainly more than 99 attributes given to God throughout Islamic texts. One such list sits on my mantle.

  I've decided to do something that might qualify as a bit insane. Using the methodology blogged by my friend (gannet on Ravelry), I've decided to chart out 99 names of God using Abjad numerals (assigning a numeric value to each Arabic letter), and bead the names of God into a shawl.

First I need to design a central mandala, though. Something including Allah in its Abjad form (1, 30, 30, 5), either beaded or in the number of stitches or rows in the pattern or or or...

This might be insane. It will definitely be geeky. And by golly, it will be FUN.

In the Wake

In months and years when I look back at this post, I want to remember the heartache I feel. A mentally ill man -- not much older than a child -- walked into a school where his mother volunteered and shot up a classroom of little children. I don't want to remember more details. I can't handle most of the news as it is, with my own darling boys playing before me as we ready the house for Christmas guests and gifts.  There are parents and brothers and sisters and grandparents and friends in a little town in Connecticut, and their networks of family across the country, who are saying goodbye, instead of Merry Christmas.

What I want to remember is the outpouring of grief and support in my own community. In that case, my community is both here in Durham, NC, but also worldwide through the knitters on Ravelry and beyond. I'm part of a Ravelry group knitting critters to send to the children and families affected by the tragedy: 600 Monsters Strong for Connecticut. The lovely ladies at Three Irish Girls are offering colorways with donations going to the town; they are also planning to organize knitting blankets for the bereaved families.

Now how's that for beauty from horror? It makes my heart feel slightly lighter, to use my stitches in the hopes that someone hurting from this loss will feel one tiny ounce of support from someone who they will never meet. As always, the knitters step up.

I love this community.

Busy Little Knits

I've been working on an idea. Working hard. And that idea became something I'm quite proud of.

That idea became the Bull City Scarf.

This scarf has a secret, too. Hidden in the lace is a Durham "D".

Can you see it? I love honoring my adopted home in yarn!

Looming

The best thing about learning a new craft is exploration. When I carted Nilus into my living room, I'd done a tiny bit of reading and planned on purchasing a simple rigid heddle loom. That was back in our old house, where space was a premium and all craft items were required to fold up and fit into half of a closet.

Our new house has twice the space. My crafts get a WHOLE closet. And the loom gets its own place of glory.

Setting up the loom has taught me plenty already. I had to track down some replacement parts that disappeared over the years it was in storage (thanks, Earth Guild!). I had to get instruction as to how one winds a warp. I then wound that warp three different times before it met what I needed it to be.

Youtube and I had a nice little sitdown, as I watched videos of people warping looms and studied books at the same time. And now, lo and behold...

Warp.

Almost ready to weave.

Oh, and I had a bit of help.

I have a loom.

My wonderful, wonderful friend got wind of a potentially awesome loom, and checked it out for me, as she knows a lot more about weaving than I do. I almost bought a simple rigid heddle model last year at SAFF, but decided that it wouldn’t do what I wanted, so I’d wait.

So now I have a loom. A floor loom. A 45” LeClerc Nilus in a gorgeous dark finish, with all pieces accounted for and no rust on things that matter.

For free.

I’m in joy and awe and everything else because of the generosity of my friend, and of the woman who gifted me the loom because she wanted someone to have it that would use it. So here's my newest project (to go along with the standing 6-month-old and the running and jumping 2-year-old...)

Nilus LeClerc.

She needs a name.

Waldorf Crochet Cap

I've been working on a Waldorf-style doll, and I've been completely unable to find a pattern for a crochet cap for a 10 inch doll. I've worked one out and offer it here for free, in case someone else needs one. The hat requires less than 20 yards of worsted weight yarn for the base and should fit snugly to the doll's head.

Crochet Cap for 10” Waldorf Doll Hair

Using a size F hook and worsted weight yarn, chain 6 and join to make a circle.

Rnd 1: ch 3, then dc 11 times into the circle (12 sts), place marker to keep track of rounds

From now on, ALL stitches are made into the back of each stitch. This forms a ridge of loops that can be used for tying on hair.

Rnd 2: dc 2 into each stitch (24 sts)

Rnd 3: dc 2 into stitch, dc 1 into next stitch. Repeat for the rest of the round. (36 sts)

Rnd 4: dc 2 into stitch, dc 1 into next 3 stitches. Repeat for the rest of the round. (45 sts)

Test hair on doll’s head to see if the cap is the right size. You may need to add stitches in the next round. This size fit my doll’s head (circumference XX inches) perfectly.

Rnd 5: dc into each stitch

Rnd 6: dc into each stitch

Rnd 7: dc into each stitch for about half the round. Test to see if the cap fits snuggly onto doll’s head and reaches the nape of the neck and high on forehead.

If cap doesn’t reach the nape of the neck, repeat Rnd 7 until it fits.

If cap fits well, hdc into next stitch, sc into next two stitches, slip stitch into next stitch to bind off and give a nice smooth edge.

Secure the cap to doll’s head with needle and thread. Use a crochet hook to knot hair into each of the loops left by crocheting through the back loop.