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

April 21, 2015 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

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.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

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.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply