Knitting as Protest and a Show of Love

February 26, 2015 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

$fracking protesters stage knit ins$ This week’s knitting news spotlights how knitting can be so much more than “just” making things.

First there’s a group of knitters in Australia who have been protesting against coal seam gas mining (also known as fracking) in their communities by staging a knit in at Member for Dubbo Troy Grant’s office every week since December.

The knitters say they want to show that protest doesn’t have to be violent or radical. One of the knitters, Helen Jeffery of Narromine, got involved when she learned there was a CSG exploration license on the land she and her husband own.

(Of course this story reminded me of the woman in Vermont who got arrested during a knit in protest at a local gas company, but I looked and there doesn’t seem to be more news there.)

Knitting can be an act of protest, but it can also be an act of love, as Virginia knitter Anna Taylor has shown by reaching her goal of knitting 1,000 sweaters for needy kids.

She started working with Guideposts Knit for Kids program in 2006, and it took her almost exactly nine years to knit 1,000 sweaters for the charity, which distributes garments to people in poverty throughout the world.

Now 87 years old, Taylor says she’s sleeps better at night knowing that she’s done something to help little kids, but she’s ready to take a little break from her knitting. She plans to read some books and clean her house.

Have you seen knitting in the news? I’d love it if you’d share, either in the comments or send me gossip at the top of the page.

[Photo via the Daily Liberal.]

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Christmas Sock Knitting Patterns

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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