Great Life Lessons from Knitting

Because it’s Thanksgiving in America, it makes sense to take a moment to reflect on why knitting is so important in our lives. For me, knitting is part of my career, of course, but I would still love to knit even if no one paid me for it. It is a calming influence in my life (most of the time), allows me to warm my child and other people with the work of my hands, is a way to be creative and is just fun.

After the recent Knitter’s Review retreat, where the gathered knitters had amassed a collective 1,000+ years of knitting experience, Clara Parkes compiled a list of 10 life lessons for knitters.

From “always buy the best yarn you can afford” to “good knitting needs to be worn and enjoyed,” these lessons are true and sweet and bear repeating over and over.

My favorite?

If you ever find yourself saying, “I’m too stressed out to knit,” reevaluate your life so it never happens again.

But do go check out the whole list and all the great pictures from the event. They’ll make you thankful to be a knitter. (Awww…)

[Photo via Knitter’s Review.]

Looking for more Thanksgiving patterns check these out on Etsy.

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I know that my posts can be read at different times of year and in different years by different people, but as I write this we’re on teh cusp of summer. And I know a lot of people don’t knit as much, and certainly don’t wear a lot of knits in the summer, but I want to encourage you to make and to wear your makes no matter the temperature.

To introduce you to the joys of summer garment knitting, I offer the Tied Vest from Lion Brand Yarn.

This easy project is great to make and wear throughout the year but it’s especially good for summer. It’s worked flat in one piece from the bottom up, mostly in stockinette stitch with a seed stitch edging. The I-cord ties are worked directly onto the garment so you don’t have to sew them on.

The project uses worsted weight yarn, and calls for a blend of cotton and hemp that’s great for warm weather.

There are eight size options, ranging from a finished chest measurement of 35 to 62.5 inches, or 89 to 159 cm. That makes it sound like it should be worn with at least a few inches of positive ease, but the pattern doesn’t specify.

The ties at the front give it a casual look and make it great to wear over a tank top or T-shirt when the weather is warm.

I also think this one would be good to knit in wool or a warmer fiber, too, to make a version you could wear more comfortably in the winter months, too. Though of course you could layer the summer version over a long-sleeved shirt and wear it throughout the year, too.

The tied vest is a free pattern available from Lion Brand. You can also purchase a kit that includes the yarn and optional needles and stitch markers if you need them.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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