Knitting News: Arm Knitting in GIFs, A Gorgeous Knit Dress and More

Probably the strangest knitting-related news of the week (and this is a week when someone was sentenced to knitting following a road rage incident) is the case of a woman accused of smuggling fake $100 into the United States in knitting spindles. I assume by that they mean spools that should have held yarn but instead held $85,000 each in fake bills. Alejandrina Elsa Quispe Ramirez was nabbed at Logan International Airport in Boston.

Faroe Islanders are used to doing things their own way, and when they decided they wanted Google street view, instead of waiting for a Google car to show up, they strapped cameras to five sheep so they can take pictures while they are grazing. The video is actually pretty awesome. OK, maybe that one is the strangest knitting-related story of the week.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywdqiyoQNgQ&w=560&h=315]

I’m sure you know all about those gigantic arm-knit blankets that sell for hundreds of dollars on etsy. For some reason Tech Insider decided to make a series of GIFs telling the story of the blankets and showing the process. They clearly don’t know much about fiber, but it’s still pretty cool.

In other amazing feats of knitting, check out Samantha’s wedding dress on the Natural Stitches blog. This dress overlay is knit with Berroco Folio in a lace pattern with a pink ribbon accent (and some pretty awesome sneakers to go with it). Spectacular!

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The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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