Knitting as Physical Therapy

I came across a story that I think is kind of funny but also says a lot about how great handcrafts are. When filmmaker and writer McCal Roberts was involved in a freak kitchen accident in which his hand was cut, he found that one of his fingers would not move after the wound healed.

His doctors recommended knitting or crochet as a way to get movement back, saying that the finger needed to be moved about 5,000 times a day to get motion back. He reports in the Royal Gazette that he learned knitting, and it took him about a month to pick up the craft.

He’s since knit scarves, hats and mittens and is thinking about donating his work to people in need once he gets a little better. He’s also at work on a knitting magazine and is considering a learn to knit DVD that would allow people to slow down the instructions so they can watch the movements as slowly as they need to.

[Photo via the Royal Gazette.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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