Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

How Knitting Helps with Digital Overload

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I found this article on Slate really interesting, about how the author has used knitting as a way to slow down, to calm her temptation to digitally multitask and to regain some of her joy of reading, albeit through Audiobooks instead of actual pages.

Katrina Gulliver says she learned to knit as a child but only recently picked it back up and found its calming properties allowed her to “engage more productively with digital media,” extending her attention span and making her podcast-listening and Netflix-watching time more productive.

She’s firmly a project knitter (rather than a process knitter, who cares more about the act of knitting than the thing being made), but still sees the benefit of time devoted to a project as a way of delaying gratification that’s rare in our society.

Does knitting do the same thing for you? Do you find yourself checking your devices less when you’re knitting? I’d love to hear what knitting does for you.

learn how to read your knitting and become a better knitter

Comments

  1. I took use knitting as a way to relax in the evening, though I do make specific items to sell on an auction site, such as baby clothes & Christmas stockings. It helps to ground me so that I don’t think about stressful stuff.

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.