Celebrate I Love Yarn Day by Teaching Someone to Knit

Did you know there’s a holiday completely devoted to yarn?

It’s I Love Yarn Day, which is celebrated this year (2023) on October 14. It’s a day to celebrate all the things we love about yarn and the fiber arts, to teach someone to knit or crochet, maybe to knit or crochet in public (though there’s a day set aside for knitting in public as well!), and definitely a great excuse to visit your local yarn shop if you have one.

I Love Yarn Day was started by the Craft Yarn Council and this year they’re using the day to launch an audacious goal: for one million knitters and crocheters to teach one million people to knit or crochet.

“The guiding principle of the campaign is encapsulated in the mantra, ‘Make One, Teach One’” said Jenny Bessonette, executive director of the Craft Yarn Council. “Participants are encouraged to create one item for themselves while also taking on the challenge of teaching one new student how to make that very same item. The campaign’s ultimate objective is to spread the warm and gratifying feelings associated with working with yarn and yarn-related crafts.”

As part of the initiative, the CYC has released a collection of simple patterns you can use to teach someone to knit or crochet, or to learn yourself. For knitting that includes a garter stitch square that can be donated to Warm Up America, a bracelet made just by casting on and binding off, a striped dishcloth and a basic hat and scarf.

You can access the patterns by going to the I Love Yarn Day website and scrolling to the Make One, Teach One section.

As for me, this will probably be the year I finally teach my daughter to crochet. We actually tried it the other day but she didn’t get past working chains. (And I did help someone remember how to crochet, which led her to knitting, so that sort of counts, right?)

[Photo: Craft Yarn Council]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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