Who wears shawls anyway?

The PPS - Pattern Please Shawl

It’s a valid question to be fair. And one which, back in my non-knitting days I would have struggled to answer. It’s true that if you are thinking of shawls as something brown and rustic, worn over the shoulders, pointed end at the back and the fronts crossed over one’s bosoms (a la Clare Fraser in Outlander) then the answer is probably “very few”.

But as a knitter you’ll know that’s a very narrow definition of the word shawl and that there are far more imaginative shapes that can be conjured up with yarn and needles, to say nothing of the different ways to wear them.

In fact it’s a fair bet that at some point in the last week or two you have encountered someone in the street wearing a shawl - it just might not have looked like one.

My favourite way to wear a shawl is bandana style - holding the pointed end in front of me and wrapping the ends behind me - to hang down on either side of my neck. For this reason I tend to prefer elongated triangle shapes (where the ends or arms are longer). Asymmetric shawls are even better as they have far more wrappable potential. In the picture that accompanies this post I am wearing my kite-shaped shawl - The PPS - in just this way. This is the larger two-skein version, but in this link from Instagram I am demonstrating how I wrap the smaller version.

Worn like this, shawls are a brilliant addition to your autumn winter wardrobe. Neatly filling the gap at the top of your coat where untoward chills can creep in, they can add warmth without too much bulk. Not to mention the fact that they can add a welcome pop of colour to the dullest of ‘big coats’.

They also have the added advantage that you can keep them on inside, when you might feel obliged to shed your coat but want to stay with an additional layer of warmth in case of pesky air conditioned draughts. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been grateful for the warmth of a shawl while sitting through an interminable kids movie (although since Covid hit it’s been a very long time since I’ve done that).

In short, shawls are fun, colourful and an invaluable addition to your winter wardrobe. For the price of a single skein of sock yarn you can have the fun of knitting it, plus a whole season (and more) of draught-free warmth. Sounds like a win-win to me

Ways to support your LYS (without spending money)

It goes without saying, that you are welcome to support them with actual money as well :)

When I originally wrote this article times were tough for our local yarn shops (LYSs). Since then they have got worse. Much worse. Most weeks bring news of more LYSs closing or online stores either closing completely or reducing their range available.

Since I originally wrote this piece in 2020 we have lived through Covid and repeated lockdowns, the impact of Brexit (the economic equivalent of driving the country off a cliff) and now the cost of living crisis which sees businesses facing eye watering increases in their bills.

It’s hard to understate the impact this is having on business in general, and small businesses in particular. Large chain stores can absorb some of the impact, our LYSs - put simply - cannot.

Obviously times are hard for everyone and stocking up your yarn cupboard might not be top of your list but there are ways and means to continue to support our LYSs. The original article lists 5:

1. Leave a FB or social media review

2. Tag them on social media and share their posts

3. If they have a newsletter, share it with your pals

4. Offer to knit store samples or do a product review

5. Recommend them, often, rather than the ‘big box’ stores

To these suggestions I would also add the following:

6. Put them on your Christmas or birthday wish list

7. Ask for gift vouchers - or give these as birthday gifts to friends

8. Grow new knitters - chat to friends and see if anyone is keen to learn

9. Enquire about courses/classes

10. Don’t forget the power of local media - mention them on local FB groups or a letter to the local paper thanking them for good service etc.

To steal from a notorious large supermarket “every little helps”, but in this case it really does.

PIN FOR LATER

If you knit something set it free

Fuss Free festival Shawl

For todays #Blogtober post I am re-sharing an older post from the archives, prompted by a discussion that has been circulating on Twitter. A lady in her late 60s crocheted a blanket for a young man, only to be hurt when the gift was rejected.

There are many ‘hot takes’ on this and undoubtedly there are more gracious ways to deal with an unwanted gift but at the heart of this lies the central tenet that handcrafters tend to overemphasise the significance of handmade items, whereas for non crafters it tends to be the opposite and they underestimate their significance.

Anything handmade involves a significant investment of time and energy and it makes sense, upfront to determine what you are hoping to achieve with a handmade gift and to take the time to ensure that it is something the recipient will actually want and use.

The original post on this subject: If You Knit Something Set It Free was written in 2017 and apart from an outdated Ravelry reference it’s still just as relevant today as it was then.

Why am I a knitter?

Wishing and Hoping baby blanket

As today is #WorldMental HealthDay it seems a good time to ask the question why do I knit, or more specifically I guess “Why am I a knitter”.

Anyone can knit of course, it’s a learned skill using needles and yarn. But of those who are able to physically knit, a smaller subsection would define themselves as a knitter - a Knitter with a capital K, if you like. My husband can knit, and produce a passable garter stitch square but he would never say that he is a knitter.

“Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and slightly below-average intelligence. Of course superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage.”

— Elizabeth Zimmerman

I learned to knit as a child and dabbled with it off and on through my teenage years. I picked it up again in my 30s when I had young children and was in need of something to do, something for myself in odd moments of free time.

Knitting fulfilled the requirements of being something I could easily pick up and put down, and something that was portable and easily tidied away out of reach - something of a necessity when you have two active boys with only 11 months between them.

Knitting gave me something to do with my hands and my brain, and was also very clearly something for me. It demarcated my time and was a very clear signal to my boys that mummy was taking a break for a few minutes. Knitting would also sit and wait for me if I was interrupted by a toddler emergency - unlike that precious and elusive hot cup of coffee that I somehow managed to go all day without drinking.

In time I found the online knitting community (this was back when Ravelry was available by invitation only) and that was when I really became a Knitter. Finding a whole host of people online who thought and felt as I did about knitting was a revelation. Coming from a background where knitting patterns were found in Women’s Realm and the ‘wool stall’ on the market - paper booklets corralled in plastic wallets - only to be sold with the designated ‘wool’ from the shelves, finding Knitty online was a total joy and gave me a whole new way of thinking about my chosen hobby.

Community is why knitting really stuck with me. Over the years I’ve also done tapestry, embroidery and dabbled in sewing. But knitting has my heart and it’s because of the friends I’ve made online and in person over the years. I can’t imagine not being a knitter now.

There are always times when I don’t feel like picking up the needles, and I’d rather read or journal or bake something but I’ve come to see that these are all still acts of creativity and they all feed back to my central core of knitting by inspiring me or getting my brain into the kind of relaxed ‘flow state’ where new design ideas or new projects to try come flooding in.

My summer reading challenge, for example came about as a way to boost my own reading goal for the year and also as a way of encouraging those in my Everyday Knitter Facebook Group to join in with me and share their chosen reads - and it was a handy way to get new titles for my ‘to read’ list. On the surface it was nothing at all to do with knitting, but as a way of boosting connections and conversation between fellow knitters it was invaluable - and very enjoyable. So much so that I am planning a winter version to start soon.

What about you? What keeps you coming back to the needles? Is it the yarn, the people or the mental health benefits - or all 3 maybe?

And if you are looking for a drama-free Facebook Group full of knitters with a capital K, please do check out my Facebook Group at the link below. I’d love to see you there.

Have A Go Friday

It's OK, I just made that up but I thought it might be a nice change from FO Friday.

If there's one thing I could tell knitters (well, all crafter's really) it's just to have a go at something.

I often get comments from people saying they are fearful of trying a new technique or scared to experiment and that makes me so sad.

It's literally just sticks and string, if it doesn't work - and believe me this little square took a few goes - then just pull it out and you are back where you started.

For this square I tried out the tutorial by @germandercc for a solid (or semi solid) granny square and was pleasantly surprised at how quick and straightforward it was.

I'm planning to take part in her blanket CAL but I need to get a move on and make a decision about whether I'm going to do granny stripes or squares - and indeed whether I have enough DK yarn in my stash (I suspect I know the answer to this one).

What about you? Is there one thing that you are planning to have a go at this weekend? Is there one thing that you've always wanted to try and would like to? If so, why not take a step towards doing that one thing - even if it's just finding out more about it, or looking up a resource or two.

What's the worst that could happen?

What is magic loop knitting?

Hoar Frost socks

I used to teach a class on this, and the most common response after I had run through the basics and a short demo was “oh, is that all it is”.

It really is quite straightforward once you understand the principle, but like many things it sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is.

Essentially it is another way of knitting a tube in the round, along with DPNs and small circulars. It’s just another technique - with a slightly fancier name.

All you need is a circular needle with a long cable. For socks I like to use 2.5mm needles with an 80cm long cable.

It is important that the cable be long enough. 60cm is the bare minimum and personally I find the 100cm cables a bit too long - the extra loops always seem to get in my way.

The only other caveat I would add is that the cable itself needs to be reasonably flexible. Yes, you probably could use that grey plastic one that came free on the front of a magazine once but it is unlikely to be a pleasurable experience.

HOW TO MAGIC LOOP:

1. Cast on the required number of stitches - for socks for example - 64..

2. Work 2 rows of rib (not essential but it makes it easier to join.

3. Identify the halfway point - 32 sts - and slide stitches onto the cable portion.

4. Pull the cable through the halfway point to make a long loop. Stop when the two sets of stitches are resting on the needle tips.

5. Align the stitches with the cast on edge facing inwards and the tips facing away from you.

6. Hold working yarn in right hand and slide the stitches on the RH needle back down onto the cable.

7. Insert the now free RH needle tip into the first stitch on the LH needle and work in rib for 32 stitches.

8. Once you’ve worked these 32 stitches, you’ll have them on the RH needle, with the 2nd set of stitches still on the cable. Slide them back up to the LH needle.

9. With your right hand, pull the RH needle tip away from you allowing the stitches on the RH needle to slide back onto the cable.

10. This frees up with RH needle to work across the 2nd set of stitches.

Points to remember: Once you’ve worked across half the stitches always slide both sets of stitches back onto the needle tips. Then you can pull the RH needle out, sliding those stitches safely back onto the cable. This ensures that your stitches stay in two, neat manageable halves. All you are doing is working one half of the stitches, pulling the cable through and then working across the 2nd half.

You can use magic loop to knit anything that requires a tube to be knit in the round. It lends itself particularly well to socks especially if they have a pattern as one needle will hold the plain sole/back of leg stitches whilst all the pattern action happens on the other needle. Magic loop can also be used for mitts, hats - I often use it for baby hats when there aren’t enough stitches to stretch around my cable, or indeed sleeves.

The world is your (knitting) oyster.