Knitting in the News: Tech, Art and Business

November 3, 2015 by Sarah White

It’s been a while since I’ve done a roundup of knitting news, so there’s a good amount today.

If you think about it, a knitting machine may just be the original 3-D printer. And a business in London called Unmade is connecting current technologies with old-school knitting machines to allow customers to create (or print, if you will) one-of-a kind garments. This story also talks about Wool and the Gang, a British company that sells both ready-to-wear knits and knitting kits, which recently did a round of fundraising to bring production to the United States.

Of course we know knitting is artistic, and at times it is actually art, too. Learn more about how large-scale fiber artist Jacqui Fink got started knitting giant blankets out of unspun merino roving (her Instagram account is amazing, too), and though you may have seen it before, go ahead and look again at Carol Milne’s gorgeous knit glass sculptures. Awesome.

You’ll also want to check out the delicious looking knit food by British artist Jessica Dance (via the Jealous Curator). Or just knit yourself a boyfriend. (Another olide but a goodie that popped back up recently.)

British wool prices are incredibly low, but some are working hard to promote finer British wools (many are only good for carpets) by producing British rare-breed knitting yarn.

Apparently knitting and other handcrafts are big in Indonesian cities right now.

And finally, don’t miss the story of Blind Girl Knitting, aka Sarah Wilkinson, a 21-year-old from Illinois who has a genetic disorder that causes tumors to develop throughout her body, including her eyes, which has caused almost total vision loss. She’s learned how to do things without being able to see and now runs and handcraft business. She and her business partner hope their business sends the message that vision-impaired people can do anything (other than drive a car).

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.