Knitting

In 1917, the West Seattle Branch of the Seattle Public Library had a Knitting Club, to help in the War effort. Girls would meet once per week, and while one of their members read out loud, they would knit socks and ambulance pillows out of sturdy wool. A Red Cross volunteer handed out the yarn, and shipped the finished articles to Europe for World War I soldiers.  If someone did not know how to ‘turn the heel’ of the sock, perhaps they had a book of instructions nearby, such as Longman’s Complete Course of Needlework, Knitting and Cutting-out by T. M. James, published in 1901. Ninety years later, sock knitting has become a much less common skill, but in the last 5 years, a renaissance in knitting has caused an explosion of new books, from instructional how-tos to fiction!
The socks those girls knitted for solders were probably black, but More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch is full of wildly colorful designs, practical tips for how to fit, and how to make them durable. The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook by Lynne Vogel includes chapters on how to spin, dye, and knit extraordinary socks. Perhaps you know someone who is looking for a skirt with a skull and crossbones? Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape by Jennifer Stafford, includes projects with a goth tinge. Don’t just knit a sweater for yourself—make a matching one for your dog. Men Who Knit and the Dogs Who Love Them by Annie Modesitt and Drew Emborsky covers all the basic techniques, and includes fun projects such as a pair of socks for you, and 2 very small pairs for Muffy. Knitting With Balls: A Hands On Guide to Knitting for the Modern Man by Michael del Vecchio teaches you to make a cozy for your latte cup, a cabled tote for your laptop, and a polishing cloth for your Harley. And why knit with yarn? Explore the frontiers in Knitting with Wire by Nancie Wiseman. She shows you how you can create stunning jewelry and accessories, using basic knitting techniques.
Sometimes appalling mistakes happen, like the time I made a pullover sweater that was long enough to be a dress. When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters by Marion Edmonds and Ahza Moore and Oops! Correcting Your Knitting Mistakes by Lori Sheffield show you how to deal with problems, including the dropped stitches, knitting that curls up like a tube instead of lying flat, and that dress-length sweater.
Knitting as meditation is another area that knitters are discovering. Knitters gather to create projects such as shawls, choosing colors to represent attributes, and knitting intentions into the work. Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen and Zen and the Art of Knitting by Bernadette Murphy explore these aspects of intentional knitting.
You don’t need to knit to enjoy knitting fiction such as The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, or The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, where the local yarn shop is a place of warmth and welcome. Chicks with Sticks: It’s a Purl Thing is the first of a knitting trilogy by Elizabeth Lenhard, in which four teen girls become friends after forming a knitting club. For tips on starting your own knitting club, check out The Teen Knitting Club: Chill Out and Knit by Jennifer Wenger. She provides clear instructions, a variety of easy projects for beginners, and information about charities that need knitted items.. There are also many online knitting communities, such as the Seattle Knitters Guild, and the tongue-in-cheek Mason-Dixon Knitting, formed by two friends who live in Nashville and Manhatten (“We’ll tawk, we’ll knit, we’ll have cawfee on Lawn Guyland”). I wonder if any of those girls in 1917 ever imagined that their great-granddaughters would still be knitting and creating communities of knitters? ~Karen