Knitting News: Knitting More than Your Bit, Knitting for Pets and More

With the celebration of ANZAC Day, the Southland Times uncovered the story of Janet Bowie, a knitter who completed 736 pairs of socks for men fighting in Gallipoli and throughout Europe during World War I. In 1919 she was awarded a Member of the British Empire for her feat, which was considered a record for New Zealand and, perhaps, the world. She arrived in New Zealand in 1876 and lived there until her death in 1926. Her medal can be found in the Otago Early Settlers’ Museum.

To support the Australian wool industry and local knitters, a company in New South Wales has formed to sell woollen jumpers around the world. Wool With Love was founded by Annabel Scott, a sheep farmer who was frustrated at the lack of good quality wool clothes for her children. She enlisted the help of about 20 local women to knit sweaters, and the knitters say they love the social aspect as well as the knitting itself.

And finally I’ve got to say I’m a little disappointed I didn’t receive a review copy of Cats in Hats: 30 Knit and Crochet Projects for Your Kitty by Sara Thomas. I like humiliating my cat as much as the next person, and apparently, the book has really taken off, whether among knitters or lovers of cat humor it’s hard to say. Thomas never really set out to become a famous creator of feline chapeaus, but one year she sold 300 on her etsy shop. She says she hopes the success of the book will allow her time to create other things. If you don’t feel the need for a full book of cat hats, check out her Happy Birthday cat hat on her blog.

[Photo by Skye Manson via ABC.net.]

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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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