I Don’t Quite Know What to Think of This

I just had a link to this video come across my Facebook feed courtesy of Caron International’s Facebook feed, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it.

The link is to a video on Vimeo about one Loes Veenstra, resident of Rotterdam, who has been knitting sweaters since 1955 and tucking them away in her home.

There are more than 500 of them.

No one had ever worn them until this video was made.

It’s part fashion show, part flash mob. There’s a whole marching band decked out in coordinating black and white sweaters. And a trio singing “So Happy Together” by the Turtles. And the knitter herself in a throne-like chair in the middle of the street, decked out not in a sweater but in a fleece poncho.

Give it a look and if you can make more sense of it than I have, let me know. I’m mostly just wondering what would possess someone to knit so many sweaters and never give them to anyone?

If you can read Dutch, there’s apparently a book about the sweaters coming out, which you can read more about here.

Next Pattern:

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.

Comments

Anna says
November 29, 2012 at 9:48 am
I’m a Dutch student living in the States and have seen the video show up on FB last week multiple times. Hope this helps:
For more information, please read this translation of the important parts of the NRC article:
Designer Christien Meindertsma stumbled upon the collection Loes Veenstra has been making. The production level was higher than the give-away-rate. The designer decided to take pictures of them and create a book.
She has made a wide array of different sweaters and they show the knitting culture as well as fashion sense through the last couple decades.
Loes didn’t know that this what happened in the video was going to happen. She just knew about the book and was very surprised as well as happy to see all her work together. It was a true flashmob.
The project is also part of a larger initiative to characterize living in the neighborhood in Rotterdam she lives in.
http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2012/11/24/kijken-de-500-zelfgebreide-truien-van-loes-veenstra/

Next Pattern:

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