By Debbie Bliss
Trafalgar Square Books, $24.95, 160 pages

 Knits to Giveis a beautiful, whimsical idea book for the aspiring or experienced knitter. The book opens with practical information like types of yarns and abbreviation explanations. Then the book is broken into five distinct sections-For Her, For Him, For Baby, For Kids and For the Home. Each project has detailed instructions and two pictures of the finished project – usually one close-up and one with a person wearing the item.  The 30 projects are not just your typical socks and scarves but instead unique items such as a ladybug backpack, a pot of pansies and a pencil holder, to name just a few. Debbie Bliss is an expert in the knitting world and the book lists suppliers of Debbie Bliss yarns worldwide. Knits to Give//offers cute, creative and stylish gifts to make and give and proves how beautiful handmade gifts can be.

Reviewed by Seniye Groff

Here’s some more pictures from last weekend’s Maryland Sheep and Wool festival.

This spinning wheel seems to have two drive wheels. I wish I’d gotten more details about it.

There was a demonstration of a great wheel going on.

And lots of other wheels too.

Of course, the usual fairground crowds and foods.

Silk cocoons to unwind and spin:

I was tempted by the natural dyes.

In a quiet moment, I spotted this little flower between the barns.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 at 12:38 and is filed under festivals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Like most small Irish girls in the 1980s, I learned to knit at an early age. At some stage in early childhood, a pair of plastic needles and some acrylic wool were thrust into my paws and I was told to knit a square, or a scarf, or something similarly basic and boring. As time went on, I progressed to knitting teddy bears (with square heads and rectangular limbs – I was still confined to shapes with right angles), but later I got more adventurous, and when I was about ten I decided to knit…a platypus. And I did.

However, this glorious achievement clearly took a lot out of me, because after knitting the platypus I stopped knitting altogether and didn’t take up a pair of needles for about fifteen years.

But in my early twenties, I found myself yearning to give it another go. Not because I was hankering after another woolen platypus, but because of Bust Magazine.  Bust, for those who don’t know, is a gorgeous glossy feminist magazine co-founded by a passionate knitter called Debbie Stoller.  Stoller often advocated knitting in the pages of Bust, and it was this, combined with hip feminist craft webzines like Get Crafty, that made me want to give it a go. So I went to the wool shop that was then situated at the top of Dawson Street (it’s now a ridiculous touristy whiskey shop) and got, for reasons I can’t explain, some sparkly lurex wool, with which I was determined to fashion a scarf.

Well, I never did finish that scarf, possibly because sparkly lurex wool, while it looks quite fun, feels horrible when you’re knitting with it. But I did get hooked. First it was scarves, then it was simple finger-less gloves. Then a hat. Then complicated lace scarves. Then jumpers. Then socks. Then more jumpers. I just couldn’t stop.

Because the thing about knitting is that if you like it, it’s addictive. And unlike most addictions, it won’t seriously damage your heath (well, you might get RSI if you spend too long at it). It’s also soothing. By giving you something to do with your hands, knitting forces you to slow down and focus, taking one step at a time. Knitting is, as a friend of mine, a bit like meditation, except that at the end of it you get a jumper. And also, you can do it during Coronation Street.

A lot has been written about the knitting revival of the last decade, a revival which was, to some extent, kicked off by Stoller when her 2003 book Stitch ‘n’ Bitch became an international hit and brought her love of knitting to a much wider readership. It’s sometimes presented as a faddy thing. But the fact that in the depths of a recession, Dublin’s best yarn shop This Is Knit is not only thriving but has gone from strength to strength shows that there are loads of people who love creating clothes and not just consuming them, and who love the comforting feeling of needles clicking between their fingers as they sit back on the bus or watch TV or hang out with their family or have a drink down the pub (yes, you can knit and drink. Thought I wouldn’t dare try anything complicated after a pint).

So what about you? Have you joined the knitting cult? Are you tempted to give it a go? Or did you have your fill of it back at school?

Tags: bust magazine, knitting, magazines, meditation, platypus, teddy

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As a novice in knitting, you’re probably curious about the basics in knitting prior to you’re taking lessons. Knitting provides a christian louboutin shoes hobby that’s fun, calls for self-discipline and steadfastness, and allows you to really feel a sensation of achievement when your knitting project is total.

Knitting Defined

Knitting is actually a craft through which two needles in addition to thread or yarn are utilised to make fabric items or garments by making loops within the yarn. Knitting could be utilised to make several types of fabric, from framed knitting artwork to sweaters, afghan quilts, throws, blankets, mittens, or even bedroom slippers.

The really simple type of knitting is referred to as the knit stitch. Using the knit stitch, you’ll slip the needle through the loop from entrance to again. Then, loop the yarn about the needle and put the stitch by means of onto the second needle. An additional widespread kind of knitting could be the purl stitch, that is dealt with in an opposite way as opposed to knit stitch. When understanding how to knit through christian louboutin shoes compensated or cost-free knitting lessons for beginners, you’ll discover these fundamentals very first.

A completed fabric that has been knitted is characterised by rows of stitches that resemble loops and flat rows alternated.

Why Understand How you can Knit

Knitting continues to be about for thousands of many years, and possibly usually is going to be. So, why knit by hand when you can easily buy finished materials inside the market place There are numerous causes to understand how to knit and to also teach your daughter to knit.

One, knitting provides you a sensation of accomplishment. If you total a lovely knitted piece that can be framed like a property decor piece, you’ll be very pleased to hang it in your wall. When you full a beautiful, warm sweater produced together with your own palms, you can proudly put on it and clarify christian louboutin shoes which you knitted it your self.

Two, learning how to knit demands self-discipline and steadfastness. You must perform on it consistently to total a venture. Your youngster may also learn to set goals, stick to some thing till the end, and accomplish one thing specific through knitting.

Three, knitted products make exceptional presents. When your friend or loved one gets to be an expectant mom, you can immediately start knitting a blanket for the baby. Or, knit slippers for the family members as Christmas gifts. Providing something you knitted along with your personal fingers makes a really unique gift from the coronary heart.

Where to Discover

Learning how to knit is simple nowadays with numerous on-line assets. You will find on the web paid or free of charge knitting lessons for beginners as well as advanced knitting instructions. It is possible to choose to understand from a person christian louboutin shoes regionally, but this will cost fairly a little of time and income. Finding out how you can knit online allows you to find out from your personal residence during your spare time. It’s also quite cost-effective.

Some items you will discover by way of on-line knitting lessons consist of what resources and provides are needed, how you can forged on, the way to know knits from purls, how you can generate designs and designs, the way to block and sew your perform collectively, the best way to treatment for knitted garments, along with other important knitting abilities.

With free of charge knitting lessons for beginners or sophisticated knitting instructions, you might also advantage and christian louboutin shoes save funds with the totally free knitting styles supplied at some knitting sites. Studying the best way to knit will offer you a skill that will be enjoyed for a lifetime.

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