Knitter Stitching a Line to the Sea

Bellingham knitter and artist Christen Mattix says the idea to knit a stream to the sea came to her years ago and she toyed with it for a couple of years before it began to form in reality. She would sit on a bench with a view of the sea six blocks away, and since 2012 she’s been sitting on that same bench daily for at least an hour during her knitting season, which runs from May through November.

The strand runs across a street, so it’s length is hard to judge because it gets stretched and twisted by passing cars. It’s worked in a dark blue acrylic yarn that stands up to the wear and tear and is just the same color as the sea on its best days, Mattix says.

She says the project has brought her out of her shell because she talks to people about it as they see her knitting. It has also taught her patience and the fact that things take the amount of time they take. She says she’d like to make it all the way to the sea in another season, but it’s as much about the “process and poetry of it” as anything else.

What do you think about this project? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo via Whatcom Talk.]

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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