knitted calligraphy

Most recently my knitted fonts have turned into what looks more like knitted calligraphy, and eventually, I should be able to nail down how to make these letters consistently enough to create some boolean operator pillows – if, then, and, or, & not – so that you will be better able to sort the group of friends, kitties, and pups that might result on your couch (I assume everyone needs this, and so am willing to help). Copperplate is the kind of calligraphy that uses the nibs that are split. When you press down, the line is thicker, but when you use it lightly it writes in the thinnest hairline…

It looks Spencerian, which used to be how people were taught to write. Although no one writes this way anymore, there are any number of stuffy instructions on how to learn copperplate still in existence, and I’m sorry to say I have read one enough to actually learn. This is how the “i” is written incorrectly, with a group of wacky examples that end up more inspiring than the correct “i”:

The book kindly points out that such sloppy work might be due to a “careless, too rapid motion.” Okay! I’ll slow down! Mine is still not quite right, but it is certainly getting closer:

My next challenge, the letter “o”:

Believe it or not, this knitted “o” was completed before I noticed the stuffy instructions on how to create a “visual balance”, but they look very similar:

The stuffy instructions must have been hiding out in a dusty part of my brain, willing to come out only to help me knit. It’s funny how things turn out because calligraphy can be really slow, and now I’ve found a way to make it even slower.

Anyway, I am glad that everyone’s work I have seen in progress for the brewery art walk is so stunning, because I will thoroughly enjoy showing up and seeing them finished and displayed together – maybe especially more so because I can leave my work at home, forget about my shortcomings. Maybe after this weekend, I’ll be willing to try n b t f r and e.

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