Learn How to Knit without Looking, Just Like Nicholas Hoult

Much to my geeky husband’s chagrin, I’m not at all interested in the new “Mad Max” movie, and I hadn’t been paying attention to any of the press surrounding it until I saw this story in which actor Nicholas Hoult declares his knitting prowess by saying he doesn’t even have to look when he knits any more.

Hoult told a German magazine that costar Charlize Theron taught him how to knit.

“There are even a few photos of me in leather pants and war paint, knitting. I’d get really mad if I lost my place,” he said. “These days, I don’t even have to look down anymore. By the end of the year I’d made some knitted Christmas presents. And: I was much better than Tom Hardy,” another star in the movie.

Apparently, he knit before, as this story from 2013 explains, but he says he gave it up though he was “obsessed” for a time. Welcome back, sir.

If you want to knit as well as Hoult, it’s not really that difficult to knit simple things without looking. Elizabeth Zimmermann put it better than I ever could in her book, Knitting Around, so I’ll let her explain:

What? You can’t knit in the dark?
Stuff and nonsense; anybody can. Shut your eyes. Knit one stitch. Open your eyes and look at the stitch; it’s all right. Shut your eyes and knit two stitches. Open them. Shut them. Knit three stitches. Falling off a log is no comparison.

And once you can knit without paying much attention, you can knit while watching TV and movies. Though maybe not “Mad Max.” I hear it’s pretty intense.

Do you look at what you’re doing when you knit? Have any tips for knitting without looking?

[Photo via Xpose.ie]

Looking for more Christmas themed Knitting patterns? Check out some of our favorite Knitting patterns on Etsy and

These Christmas Knitting Pattern Books on Amazon

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The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

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