Netflix Socks and Knitting in the Loo

A couple of knitting related stories have crossed my screen in the past few days that I wanted to share.

You can now combine your love of Netflix and your love of knitting with some cool technology that will automatically pause your show when you fall asleep.

The company has released plans (that’s a PDF) for a device, using conductive thread, an accelerometer and other goodies, that you can put in a sock (handmade, of course!) and that can monitor your movement and pause your Netflix playback when you haven’t moved for a certain period of time, indicating you might be asleep.

Netflix has a variety of show-themed knitting patterns you can use (make mine House of Cards), or you can add the conductive thread to your favorite sock pattern. Sounds like the perfect project to work on while you watch your favorite show, though I need a sensor to pause the show when my hands stop moving, not my feet!

The second bit of knitting news I have to share isn’t nearly as much fun, but it is proof that knitting can get you through just about anything. A woman in England was locked in a bathroom for four days and survived by eating mints and kept herself entertained by knitting her granddaughter a scarf.

Gladys Phillips made a pit stop in a bathroom that wasn’t yet open to the public, and she doesn’t have a phone so no one knew she was missing. She kept warm by using the hand dryer, slept on her overcoat and said she was lucky she’d just stopped by the yarn shop and picked up some pink yarn, which will now be a Christmas gift. How’s that for making the best of a bad situation?

Looking for more knitted socks designs and patterns to keep you warm this winter? Check out these knitted sock patterns Etsy. And these Knitting Pattern books on Amazon.

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply