Book Review: Knitting for Radical Self-Care

If you consider knitting part of your self care ritual — not self-care in a cutesy way like people on the Internet usually describe it, but as a vital part of your means of survival — you definitely should take the time to read and knit from Knitting for Radical Self-Care by Brandi Cheyenne Harper.

The book includes essays and reflections on how knitting serves us as an act of self-care and a way to show up in the world and how to find joy, self-expression, armor and resilience within our stitches and ourselves.

Each of the 10 patterns offers a reflection on and is inspired by a word and the words of women who are meaningful to the author.

The patterns mostly use bulky and super bulky yarn and place a lot of emphasis on shaping details and the structure of the pieces that make them more than just a shawl or a sweater. For example the Ode Cardigan, one of my favorites, uses chunky yarn and begins with an I-cord cast on. Pockets and the shawl collar (which doubles as a hood) are integrated into the design and the raglan shaping adds even more movement to the piece.

There are cowls, mittens, sweaters, a hat and a shawl in this collection (you can see some of them on her website or at the Amazon link below) and all the knitting instructions you need, even if you’re totally new to knitting (I would say these are good for knitters who have a couple of projects under their belts, but everything is well explained).

The author models her designs and the joy she feels in sharing her creations is apparent and serves as a reminder to all of us that this is what we should be striving for in life: pure self-expression and acceptance. It’s not an easy thing but it’s what we’re here to create.

The health benefits of knitting are well-established, and entering the new year consciously choosing projects and materials that speak to us, as well as embracing knitting as a practice, is a great way to begin. Knitting for Radical Self-Care calls on all of us to remember why we knit and how it helps us to build connections to ourselves, our community and our ancestors.

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 10 patterns. Published January 2022 by Abrams. Grab the book from Amazon.

I rarely understand why something becomes a trend in crafting. Gnomes and geese are both cute I guess, but I never thought we’d be making them for all seasons. (See, for example, this collection of gnome knitting patterns, or these knit geese.)

Another one I don’t totally understand is sardines or little fish more generally. Sure, they’re cute, and the shape is fun, but I had no idea when I was sharing this pattern for a fish-shaped pouch last year that it would become a hugely popular pattern that people are still searching for on the site. It is pretty cute, though, so if you weren’t around then or don’t remember you should got check it out.

Recently another fishy knitting pattern crossed my monitor: the little knit fish from Classical Songbird Designs.

Just as the name suggests, these fish are little, about 4.5 inches or 11 cm from end to end. They look like little sardines and take about 12 yards of sock yarn to make.

You can even make a two-tone fish and use just 6 yards of each color.

This sounds to me like just about the perfect use for the yarn that’s left over after knitting a pair of socks, or a mini skein or several that have been sitting around unused in your stash.

The fish are knit flat in one piece, which makes it easy to stitch on the eyes with more yarn or embroidery floss before stuffing, and you can stitch up the sides while you stuff (though it’s not a very big piece so you could probably stitch and then stuff, finishing with the end of the tail).

Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one wondering, I measured an Altoids box and as the pattern is written the fish are a little too big to fit in it (the box is about 4 inches/10 cm long). But you could make the fish a little smaller if you want to make a box of them. Or just make a fishy bag to put them in!

You can grab the free pattern for the little knit fish at Classical Songbird Designs.

[Photo: Classical Songbird Designs.]

Have you read?