Thanks for your enthusiasm about participating in this
earth-saving art experience.
As you can see, a knit red wiggler (eisenia fetida) offers each of us many possibilities.
Children love them--and it's a great beginning-to-knit technique.
For grown-ups, a knit worm lightens up teaching
about the environment.
Garbage takes on a whole new dimension when red wigglers are suggested as a problem-solver.
Wearing them (check out Free Lunch) has countless dimensions from head adornmentto shoelaces. Remember, the worm you knit is not supposed to be entirely realistic--as you can see from the ones on my website. Imagine a red worm quilt, Or, a frame of worms to surround your favorite picture.
Add other fiber techniques--crochet, felting, wrapping.
Colors can vary-just always include some red.
And, please, no eyes!
These worms must charm on their own
(real ones have no eyes) rather than be cute.
You can do I-cord, but tapering the ends is trickier.
Here's the basic pattern for the 150 red wigglers I created for This Dirt Museum.
Size 7/8/9 double-pointed needles, worsted & thicker,
begin with 2/3 stitches.
Knit in stockinette.
After a few rows, increase a stitch.
Keep increasing till there are 7/8/9 stitches.
Along the way, add some rows of garter stitch in natural/other color indicating worm's reproductive band; check out Mary Appelhof's, "Worms Eat My Garbage" and her website.
Taper off to end; sew seam. Total length? I always see if it can go around my head as a hat--twice around is nifty with cotton yarn. Get a mirror! Go to it, fiber artists!
-Naomi Dagen Bloom
Do you keep records of your fiber projects?
Yarn description (type, brand, country of origin--or "remnants"):
Why I did this (changed your attitude toward worms? began kitchen composting?):
photo of yourself, your bridge club, Brownie troop wearing knit worms (not required)
(No copyright, feel free to reproduce...worms do it!)
