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17 Miles of French Knitting!

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british knitter 17 miles french knitting

Ted Hannford’s story highlights the therapeutic benefits of knitting and the creative ways in which knitters can use their craft to make something truly unique. French knitting or spool knitting, as it is commonly known, is a technique that involves wrapping yarn around a small device with four nails on top, and repeatedly pulling the yarn through the loops to create a long chain of knitted fabric. The repetitive motion of French knitting can be very calming and meditative, making it a great activity for those who are looking for a way to relax and unwind.

The fact that Ted took up French knitting to use up his wife’s leftover yarn from making Fair Isle sweaters is a testament to the resourcefulness and creativity of knitters. Knitting can be a great way to repurpose old yarn and turn it into something new and beautiful. And while Ted’s 17-mile long piece of French knitting may be an extreme example, it serves as a reminder of the endless possibilities that knitting has to offer.

The Australian knitter who is trying to break Ted’s record highlights the competitive aspect of knitting and the determination of knitters to push their skills to the limit. It’s a friendly competition that brings knitters from around the world together in their shared love of the craft.

In summary, the story of Ted Hannford’s 17-mile long piece of French knitting showcases the therapeutic benefits of knitting, the creativity and resourcefulness of knitters and the friendly competition that brings knitters from around the world together.

Ted Hannford, who presently holds the record for the longest bit of knitting.

 

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Practice Colorwork on a Cute Knit Bunny

Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]