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This was written in
2007
so is now very dated
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Chapters |
Mazes were fun to make so, a little later we made another. This was another square maze, this time on a filet crochet grid. You may have noticed that we like to choose titles with some play on words or double meaning. We were particularly proud of this one, which was called Give Me a Clew, as we discovered that the dictionary definition of a ‘clew’ is ‘A ball of yarn used to trace a path through a maze (as in the Greek myth of Theseus in the Labyrinth)’.
We had been asked many times to put all the afghan patterns in one book. We were very much against this idea as most knitters were initially attracted by one particular design and returned later for more. We felt that however we combined the patterns few people would find the combination they wanted. However, the four mazes lent themselves to being grouped together. In addition to the small booklets we produced for individual afghans, we put them together in a larger book, along with mazes on a cushion and plastic canvas, and advice on how to adapt other mazes.
The next batch also went together to make a larger book, which was called Afghan Games. They were exactly that – afghans that could be used as floor games. Snakes and Ladders came first so we were back in the realms of a 1 to 100 square. Same strips, same method, just the ordering of the numbers was different. It was another wonderful use for odd bits of yarn. Every piece used was pale and insignificant on its own but together they made a subtle background, and cost nothing. The snakes were crochet but could have been knitted, embroidery, felt, or other fabrics.
Steve made the ladders with a new toy. He had previously discovered the delights of French knitting and we had quite a collection of ‘bobbins’ with varying numbers of pegs, ranging from the fairly common four, up to about thirty. They produced some interesting cords but were slow to use. Then, at a knitting exhibition, he found something to make the task easier and bought a version where you merely feed in the yarn, wind the handle and the job is done for you. That’s the theory anyway. In practice it’s not quite so straightforward. The yarn can be too thick or too thin, gets caught if it is not smooth and falls off for no apparent reason. Nevertheless we had piles of finished cord and no use for them – until we needed ladders.
It wasn’t long before someone asked if Snakes and Ladders could be made on a knitting machine. Because the background was so plain and simple it could have been made in a variety of ways. It was only when the details were added that it became a game. We made a plain grey background and added the squares, numbers and very colourful snakes.
Check Mate was also made on a knitting machine. This was a vivid pink and black chess board, with hand-
Granny’s Ludo was a brightly-
Noughts and Crosses was similar, with nine large squares. It had double-
The final game, Backgammon, was more of a challenge and needed a lot of experimentation to get the shape of the wedges.
To make the two sides match it had to be made in two pieces, seamed down the middle. Trying to find a way to do it in one piece was frustrating but when it was finished the seam in the centre looked like the fold in a board and served to reinforce the impression of a board game. More French Knitting, coiled and stitched, made the pieces. The games were a great success but were they mathematically valid? We weren’t sure. It was some time before we got an answer.
Click here to see more about Give Me A Clew
Click here to see more about Snakes And Ladders
Click here to see more about Check Mate
Click here to see more about Granny’s Ludo
Click here to see more about Granny’s Draughtboard
Click here to see more about Noughts And Crosses
Click here to see more about Backgammon
16b. AMAZING CHANGES continued