Knitting

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I Don’t Quite Know What to Think of This

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sweater flashmobI 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.

Comments

  1. 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/

Have you read?

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.