Knitting as Protest and a Show of Love

$fracking protesters stage knit ins$ 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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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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