Knitting

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KnitBits: Inmates Knitting, Expensive Yarn and Fun with Needles

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Prisoners loom knit garments for dogs and other knitting news I loved this story from the Idaho Statesman about inmates in the Acute Mental Health Unit at the Idaho Department of Correction loom knitting dog sweaters for the Inmate Dog Alliance, in which prisoners train shelter dogs to make them more adoptable. there is just so much greatness in this idea all around, and it helps the dogs and the people alike. The sense of accomplishment, connection to something bigger than themselves and ability to focus on something that is calming are all positive aspect of the program beyond just making sweaters. (The group also makes baby hats, blankets and other goods that are donated.)

This is an older piece from Elizabeth Kay Booth, a designer who worked in a yarn shop, but it came up in my news feed recently and I thought it was worth sharing. It explores answers to the question why is yarn so expensive when you buy it at a yarn store rather than a big-box craft retailer? There are a lot of reasons, of course, and I’ll let her tell you, but the higher quality, natural fibers and slower, small-batch processes that are often used on the yarns sold at yarn shops naturally make them more expensive. And probably better, too.

If you want to boost your knitting trivia knowledge before your next party, check out the 46 Interesting Facts about Knitting from Random Facts, and the history of 10 words related to knitting from Merriam-Webster. It’s so interesting to see how meanings have changed through the years.

I haven’t watched it yet, but I did see on PBS there’s an episode of Broad and High called “The Man Who Knits” available online. The guy the story is about sounds amazing — his first knitting project was an Aran sweater, and he gets his yarn by recycling thrift store garments. Definitely one to add to your watch list.

Have you ever used a 9-inch circular needle? These needles definitely have a learning curve, but they do make knitting the straight parts of a sock really quick and easy, and you have no ladders because there are no needles between which to get loose tension. VeryPink Knits has a great overview of the needles, including a review of some of the major brands and which ones turned out to be her favorite. Next week she’s also posting a piece on how to knit socks with the needles, so stay tuned for that.

 

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Comments

  1. Hi there, thanks so much for sharing my post! I’m glad you found it helpful. One small correction though – I’m a knitwear designer and I don’t own a shop. I worked in my local shop for 5+ years, and had a wonderful boss, who was the owner. 🙂

Have you read?

Book Review: Cable Knitting Stitch Dictionary

Stitch dictionaries are a fun way to learn new-to-you knitting stitch patterns or to take a deep dive into a particular technique. Debbie Tomkies offers 100 cable stitch designs and thoughts on how to incorporate them into projects in her Cable Knitting Stitch Dictionary.

Each stitch pattern is shown in a large swatch photo and with written and charted instructions. Any special stitches are included on the page. The stitches are rated on a difficulty scale of 1 to 3, and the pattern notes also indicate how many extra stitches you should add to a project if you’re going to work this cable (since cables pull the fabric closer together you need to compensate for that) as well as how many stitches and rows are in the repeat if you want to design a project yourself.

The cables are arranged into sections: classic cables, combinations, all-over panels, creative cables, motifs and panels and cabled edges and borders.

It’s fun to flip through the designs to think about projects you can add a single cable or two to or make with an allover cabled design. Or you could make swatches of different cables and sew them together into a pillow cover or a throw.

At the back of the book there’s a section on general cable knitting techniques, reading charts, working swatches and avoiding errors (though it mentions working the wrong number of rows between cable turns, it doesn’t share how to count rows between cables to avoid this mistake).

It also talks about how to design your own cables, combine cables in a project, choose the right yarn and needles and determine how many more stitches you need to cast on when working cables instead of stockinette stitch. There’s also a glossary of symbols and abbreviations you may find in cable knitting and other patterns.

The book provides a good overview of things you can do with cables, as well as some fun things you might not have tried like infinity cables and horizontal cables. It’s a great book for a designer who likes to work with cables or a knitter who wants to play with different stitches in their projects.

About the book: 176 pages, paperback, 100 stitch patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $26.99.