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

May 1, 2015 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

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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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.

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