Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Giveaway: Knitting Ephemera

by

knitting ephemera book review

Mary is the winner.

It’s fun to know about knitting history and some of the funny stories, legends and trivia that go into this craft we love. Whether these facts are amusing to friends or only to us doesn’t really matter. It’s nice to be able to throw out a fact about the origins of the sock knitting machine or the story behind a figure of speech derived from fiber arts.

If you like that sort of thing you’ll love Carol J. Sulcoski’s book, Knitting Ephemera, which collects a lot of knitting lore and fibery fun.

I’m giving away a copy of the book this week, so if you’d like to win it, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, June 12. Do you know any knitting trivia or knitting jokes? Who would you share this knowledge with? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Save

Comments

  1. Unfortunately I do not know any knitting jokes. I might share this book with a friend of mine who also likes to knit.

  2. I am new to learn knit, and I wish to win this beautiful book because I love it’s content. You are lovely people…….Iam your big fan from Pakistan.

  3. Here’s a knitting joke – What happened to the cat who ate a ball of yarn? She had mittens!

  5. I don’t know anyone else that knits but this would be awesome for my own enjoyment.

  7. I was driving on the motorway but the traffic was dreadful, I was at a standstill, so I pulled out my knitting. A police motorcyclist drove up beside me and shouted through the open window ‘pull over’, ‘no’, I replied, holding up my project, ‘socks’, I said! (ah, the oldies are the best!)
    I’d share this with my knit night friends in the pub.

  8. My husband is a master of trivia and frequency shares facts with me. I would love to be able to share knitting trivia with him.

  9. The world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook are in my hometown – Casey, IL!

  11. I don’t know if this would be considered trivia or just dating myself, but back when I first started knitting, stores like K-mart, Sears, Woolworth (remember them?) and S.S. Kresge sold yarn. They only had acrylic worsted and baby yarn – not all of the selections that are out now, which make you drool!! lol As a matter of fact, I still have a few skeins in my stash, if you can believe it, since I inherited my Mother’s yarn, after she passed away. The craft stores sold things like mohair, which were considered exotic, and a couple other types, but it was mostly acrylic yarn that was available. I had to stop knitting for a few years, due to a severe hand and arm injury, so you could imagine my surprise and joy once I was able to walk into my LYS and saw what was available!! This book is going to be like going back in time for me, and I’m really not that old!! Thank you for the giveaway!!

  12. I don’t know anyone who knits so at times I feel lonely. Reading books about knitting makes me feel connected.

  14. As a Knitter for some 57 years, I would love to know the history of knitting. I have knitted for 4 children, 11 grandchildren, family members, friends and for charity – teddy bears, blanket squares, warn clothing and more.

  15. Love the knitting jokes but some of my knitting is a joke, so I guess it works out! The book sounds fascinating, but if I don’t win it….where can i get a copy?????

  17. I love Carol Sulcoski, i got to take a class from her once. This sounds like a book I need on my bookshelf.

  18. No knit jokes here, I would love to read this book! And better yet, win it! I’d swap trivia and jokes with my knit/crochet pals!

  22. Would love this book! There have been so many changes since I began knitting about 40 years ago as a teen. I think back and remember stores like Woolworth and Kresge were some of the few places to buy yarn. I would visit them weekly looking for new colors, books, patterns…really anything to add yo my stash. Thanks so much for the chance to win this awesome book!

  23. I’ve been wanting to read this book. I’d share knitting trivia and jokes with my mom, who taught me to knit as a child.

  25. I don’t know any knitting jokes. But I would love to win this book and learn some! Thanks

  28. I have never knitted. 🙂 But really would love to start. This would be a lovely way to get started. such a great Idea

  29. I don’t know any knitting jokes, thanks for the chance to win this awesome book!
    Kim R.

Have you read?

Fun Halloween Cowls to Knit

One of the fun things about knitters is that we will use a holiday theme on any kind of project. From Easter bunny socks to Christmas sweaters, there’s no combination of holiday motif and knitwear genre we won’t combine. 

Case in point: Halloween cowls. 

This fun cowl from Sweet Vireo Designs features large carved pumpkins and little cats and skulls. It uses two colors of DK weight yarn and I love the multicolored yarn for the background color on this one. And the braids! So cute. 

Spooky Season by Jocelyn Tunney (also on Ravelry) uses fingering weight yarn in two colors to make a design with crescent moons and eyes. There are two circumferences and two heights available so you can make it a neck hugger or a slightly bigger project if you like. 

Make more moons with the Broom Riding Cowl from Vanessa Ewing Knits. This two color pattern looks extra fun with a multicolored yarn for the colorwork, but you can use a solid as well. It calls for DK weight yarn but there is also a fingering weight version if you have some yarn in your stash you want to use. 

Jinx Made has another fun Halloween cowl, this time covered in skulls. South Philly Skulls uses DK weight yarn and comes in two lengths, and there’s also a matching hat pattern, both of which can be found on Ravelry. 

The Ghost Stories cowl from Melissa Knit Wear is a two-color cowl with ghosts of different sizes on the body. It uses DK weight yarn, and average sized skeins will allow you to get two cowls out of two skeins. It also calls for stitch markers to help you keep your place in the chart. 

Or stitch up a cowl with a giant bat on it. The Nightling Cowl from Jen Immer uses DK weight yarn in two colors and has moons and a large bat on it. This pattern can be found on Ravelry. 

How about spooky trees? The Weirwood Cowl from Andrea Krüß-Anders is inspired by the weirwood trees in the Game of Thrones books, and is worked in two colors of fingering weight yarn. You can find this free pattern on Ravelry. 

If a bandana cowl is more your thing, try Cowloween from Tellybean Knits (on Ravelry). This colorful design is worked from the top down and features pumpkins, ghosts and candy colored stripes, and is worked in a light fingering weight yarn. There are kid and adult sizes available.