This post has pictures that might be disturbing to some … view/read carefully. It occurred tome the other day that spiders have a bad rap. As a knitter, we should love these little guys. Watching them spin a web is one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever seen. It reminds me of knitting. Actually, I can’t help but think that if spiders were able to, they’d be the best knitters ever! They’d come up with patterns to rival Barbara Walker, and Dorota and any other texture knitter you can think of. I mean seriously, their work is something to behold!
And what about the silk they produce to make their webs? I would seriously like to spin that into fibre. Did you know that spider silk is stronger than steel of the same thickness? If we could figure out how they make it and replicate it, we could solve a lot of problems. We’d have a much lighter (thinner) yet stronger alternative to steel. We could replicate tendons and ligaments to repair damage to the body. You see, even though spider silk is stronger than steel, its incredibly elastic. Just watch how a web stretches and moves in the wind, even with the spider sitting in the middle of it.
But even more than all of that I’d like to have the creativity of the spider. To be able to create those beautiful patterns would be incredible. Could you imagine as a knitter the patterns you’d come up with if you could just go from nothing and knit up a beautiful shawl just like that? And you know the best part? No swatches! Here are a few more pictures of the Cross spider (Garden spider), known as Araneus Diadematus. There are quite a few near where I live and they seem to come out for the month of September in particular in this part of the world. They’re my favorite because they make the most beautiful webs, and at all sorts of angles. Their webs seem to pop up so quickly. I was lucky enough to capture one on video making a web. I guess they know how to knit in the round!
Perhaps they’ll inspire you when making your next shawl!
Hugzzz 😎