(re-post Oct 10 2007)
Juggling is one of those activities that has given me pleasure across my life. I am not particularly good at it – or, more accurately – there are times when I can keep three items in the air and other times I cannot. It seems to have something to do with my level of feeling good – but that is another posting.
Thing is, I always seem to enjoy the effort no matter how it turns out.
I've made juggling bags out of fabric; cubes are fine but when I discovered that two figure eight pieces of material sewed together magically into a receptacle that could be filled with beans and juggled – well, that was a fun epiphany.
Lately I've been knitting them in a shape that likely has a name but which I do not know; sort of a pyramid on a square bottom. I was 'playing' with some yarn one day and came up with it, likely 'unvented' as Elizabeth Zimmerman would say. (I can't get the link thing to work: just Google in her name and you will come up with all sorts of marvellous sites about her!)
These were for a gift, knitted from koigu hand painted yarn and a hemp/wool (not much wool is required so you can indulge in something exquisite: luxurious functionality!)
Here is how I do it. Cast on however many stitches you think would make a nice-sized juggling ball. I like a palm-sized three inches or so. This one is in black cotton, a fairly heavy weight yarn, giving 4 sts to the inch on #9 / 5.5 mm needles. I cast on 11 stitches and knit in stockingette stitch until I had a three inch square. (approx)
Now pick up 11 stitches along the side. I found this easiest to do (as shown) by picking up the stitches with a double-pointed needle (white) and then knitting from it with the one with the original stitches (yellow). There are now 22 stitches on the yellow needle with a right angle (more or less) halfway along. Knit in garter stitch for three inches. Cast off.
This is what it will now look like. This is the patio at the Polish Deli.
Now sew up two of the edges to make a pyramid shape, fill with beans, sew up final seam. Toss and catch a few times. You're juggling! Okay, so one-third of the way. Make two more bags.
These juggling bags were part of a series of seeing just how many items I could make from one ball of Manos del Uruguay wool – it's the multi-hued yarn and the solid wool is Prairie Silk from the Brown Sheep Company. And the larger bag makes a nice place to stick and store sewing items.
Knitting needles behave themselves when stuck into juggling balls, these knit totally from the koigu merino: the multi hues jumble together very nicely in the stockingette and the garter, side by side.