KNITTING CORNER↓
Knit in Public Day (Photo – en.wikipedia.org).
Remember when Paris Whatshername had a chihuahua tucked under her arm or in an expensive bag with it’s head poking out? You don’t see that very often these days, do you? What you do see, however, are people knitting, crocheting, even spinning…in PUBLIC!
By Robin Southworth
I was on the bus the other day, knitting…as you do…and noticed that there was another person on the bus crocheting granny squares. That got me thinking. How often do you go out in public and see people crafting? I see it more and more. People aren’t embarrassed or shy about their craft. More people seem to be more embarrassed to ASK about the craft someone is doing in public than doing the craft itself.
What makes a public project?
Knitted socks (Photo – Jenn, flickr).
Aside from the easy to think of hats, scarves, and gloves/mittens, there are also socks. Socks are easy to pop in a purse or bag. You can be working on one sock. You could also be working on two socks at once. I have friends who do this all the time. They use a circular needle to knit both socks at the same time. I have not used the technique.; it makes me a little queasy and dizzy. I need to knit more regular socks first.
Knitted Granny Squares (Photo – Pinterest, Julie Wright).
Lots of people enjoy making granny squares. They are small, quick, and, can be, colorful. All you really need is a crochet hook and some yarn.
Knitted bikini (Photo – vimeo.com).
For the perfect fit, for your body AND your bag, a bikini can be knit, usually in a cotton for easier washing. If you are knitting a bikini to look fabulous in, try a silk, linen, or hemp.
Knitting for dolls (Photo – thepeachpeddler, flickr).
People with small humans in their lives enjoy making doll clothes. My paternal grandmother did this all the time. She would knit tiny sweaters and dresses and sew clothing for her grand-daughter’s Barbie dolls. Sadly, over the course of my life and many moves, both the doll clothes and Barbies have vanished.
Size
Don’t let size limit you. I have been known to take a sweater I was knitting in a plastic grocery bag to the dog park and knit while my dog romped.
Knitting in pubic doesn’t require a large bag full of yarn, notions, multiple needles, and a case of crochet hooks (unless you simply MUST have those things with you). All I have on me is the project, the needles I’m currently using, 1 crochet hook to fix slipped stitches, and, occasionally (towards the end of the project), a pair of scissors.
What was I knitting in public the other day?
Knitting a small bag (Photo -Robin Southworth).
A small bag. A friend cleaned out her stash and gave me some GORGEOUS alpaca/silk lace-weight yarn. After swatching it, I decided to make up (aka design) a pattern for a small bag, mostly to get used to the tiny yarn. You can see in the photo how tiny the yarn is (using no. 2 needles) when compared to a penny. The yarn, the knitting, needles, and crochet hook all fit inside my bag, making it a breeze to carry along to my job interview, without taking too much room for other things.
As I have said in the past, I knit (in public) so I don’t kill people…as you do. So get out there and knit in public. Make people wonder what you’re doing.
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