Spider

Linda didn’t have a specific spider variety in mind when she made hers, but later determined that it might look like the Mexican red-kneed tarantula, which can be seen in the Oregon Zoo’s Insect Zoo. We prefer, though, to pretend it’s a spider that can weave webs! Linda does love spiders, and if she finds one in her house, she carefully captures it and releases it outside. One of the things she loves about Fall in the garden is the number of spider webs that appear at that time of year.

Linda made this ply-split spider in Peter Collingwood’s Master Class at Spliterati-01, September 29-30, 2001 in Bampton, England.

She started with linen cords plied AABB, and created a square in two-layered interlacing (cords at right angles). Once the square was completed, she started working in TLOI (two-layered oblique interlacing) and soon the piece shaped itself into a two-layered half-sphere. She pulled the layers apart and stuffed yarn in the center.

At this point, she had a ball, half gold and half red, with cords sticking out all around the equator. While she was looking at this, trying to think of what to do with the cords, she realized she could make her ball into a spider. She had 32 ends, so this conveniently allowed four cords for each of eight legs, which she worked in SCOT (single-course oblique twining). When she got home, she put wire into the legs so he (she?) would stand up straight.

Linda really likes this spider, in spite of its anatomical incorrectness!