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.]

It’s kind of coincidental that I recently posted about patchwork blanket knitting patterns right before reviewing a book that makes a patchwork blanket, but this one would also be a great choice if you’re looking to bust some stash and learn a lot about colorwork knitting at the same time.

Knit an Heirloom Blanket by Annah O’Leary includes charted designs for 50 colorwork blocks worked flat that can be combined to make a blanket or used in other projects. The book calls for worsted weight yarn but also offers suggestions for using fingering, DK or even bulky yarn, which will give you blocks of different sizes.

It opens with a section on materials and tips for choosing colors and maintaining contrast among blocks across a large project. There’s also information on how to read charts and colorwork basics such as maintaining tension, measuring gauge, catching floats, holding yarn and yarn dominance, among other things.

There are 196 squares (14 by 14) in the blanket shown on the cover, which, including the edging, makes for a blanket that’s about 79 inches, or 200 cm square knit in worsted weight yarn. You can adjust the size as needed by working more or fewer blocks, especially if using a different weight of yarn.

The sample was worked in Cascade 220 and the book includes the amounts of yarn used in each color so you can knit a blanket exactly as shown. Or use stash and leftovers from other projects to make a possibly less harmonious but more meaningful project.

Colorwork patterns are arranged into 10 themes: flowers, tiles, diamonds, stripes, peaks, woven, sky, leaves, lovestruck and architecture. They’re also rated by skill level on a range of 1 to 3 balls of yarn. If you’re newer to knitting or colorwork in particular, you can start with the easier squares and move up as you build more skills.

Each pattern is shown as a large black and white chart with three or four possible color variations, though or course you can also go your own way on the colors. There’s also a knit sample of each block pictured at the beginning of each pattern section.

There’s also a section to help you finish your blanket, including tips for weaving in ends, blocking, joining squares and adding a border. She also suggests different project sizes and color palettes for smaller scale projects.

In addition to the big blanket there are five other project ideas including a baby blanket made of 6 by 8 squares, a hot water bottle cover, a couple of pillows and a wall hanging. These are sure to give you ideas of different ways to use the blocks in other projects.

Knit an Heirloom Blanket includes lots of fun colorwork blocks and ideas for using them that are sure to appeal to those new to colorwork as well as those with more experience. Even if you never knit a full blanket with them, you can add these motifs to your collection to work in other projects.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 50 charts and 6 patterns. Published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $25.99.

Have you read?