Stitching in the Storm and More Ways to Help

I’m loving this story I found on the Washington Post website about using downtime from the storm better known as Sandy to knit. It’s also about color, Kaffe Fassett and how knitting from someone else’s pattern can and should be a creative act.

I love it in part because I can relate when author Anne Midgette says hurricane knitting is “comfort knitting,” the same stitch repeated over and over, something that can be worked by candlelight. I had this same experience about four years ago when a much smaller storm robbed my house of power for three days (I was knitting a garter stitch sweater which Istill haven’t finished, but I’ve been thinking about pulling it out again).

I know a lot of yarn companies and individual designers and yarn crafters have been affected by the storm, and I wish you all speedier recoveries than a lot of people have gotten so far. I told a friend in Brooklyn that it’s ridiculously normal in the rest of the country right now, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel guilty about it. My heart is with you all as I stitch through the storm, too.

The other day I told you about one way knitters near and far can help with relief efforts: buying the Hurricane Socks pattern. Some other designers are donating money from pattern sales to the Red Cross; there’s a good list going at Metaphor Yarns’ Facebook page. If you know of more feel free to add them here.

[Photo: Sweetheart by Pauline Gallagher, via Ravelry]

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?