Knitting News: A Survivor Sweater, Inmates Knit for Charity and a Legacy of Knitting

The Oklahoma City bombing happened 20 years ago on Sunday, and one woman who was injured by the blast has knit a special sweater that holds the memories of those who were lost and what has happened since.

Priscilla Salyers fell five stories and was trapped in rubble by the bomb, and though recovery workers found her yarn basket, she didn’t knit again until during Timothy McVeigh’s trial. The large cardigan she created includes a depiction of the memorial and the Survivor’s tree, a fence design on the back complete with charms, a teddy bear for the children who died and a heart for each person who died, including two of her co-workers.

The sweater has been touring around the country with a former police chaplain, but Salyers says she has some more details she’d like to add.

Female prison inmates in Maine are learning to knit and using donated yarn to make blankets and teddy bears. The projects are then given to Bikers Against Child Abuse, where they can help kids who need comfort. Women in the program, which is new to the Alfred facility, say they like being able to create things and share with others even while behind bars.

And finally, the New York Times has a piece about a woman encouraged to take up knitting by a friend while she was undergoing treatment for cancer. The author, Christina Baker Kline, resists the idea and is reminded of her mother, who taught her to knit and also is the reason she no longer does so. It’s an interesting read about legacy and what becomes important and why. You should check it out.

Looking for more Knitting patterns for Teddy Bears? Check it out here.

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If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.

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