Why does no one knit scarves any more?

The Saltaire Summer Shawlouise Tilbrook Designs

As someone who once wrote a blog post entitled Death by Scarf, I could be accused of being ever so slightly hypocritical with this post - but please hear me out.

Whilst I am not, and never would advocate for knitting a 6-foot garter stitch shawl (unless you were going for the full on Tom Bake as Doctor Who cosplay) I do wonder where the strong preponderance for shawls over scarves/stoles came from in recent years.

If you can use Ravelry a quick look through their Accessories/Neck/Torso section is quite illuminating. There are nearly 70,000 shawl patterns listed but only 45,000 scarf patterns - that’s quite a disparity. Especially when you consider that scarves (or stoles - I’m never quite sure of the distinction) to the untrained eye especially might appear to be more forgiving than shawls where shaping is required.

Recently, whilst playing around with a swatch idea for a shawl I got a little carried away and accidentally knit about 10 inches of a scarf. Please tell me I’m not the only one who can lose myself in a meditative piece of knitting and reruns of New Amsterdam on Netflix.

I was having so much fun and the pattern was slowing so beautifully that I decided to just carry on and lo - the Saltaire Summer Stole was born.

Seriously though - the humble scarf does have a lot to recommend it in my opinion. For example:

1. It’s a lot easier to tell when it’s long enough - just stopping knitting and hold it up.

2. It makes estimating yarn usage a breeze as each row repeat uses the same amount of yarn.

3. No pesky shaping to throw off your stitch count.

4. There’s no risk of a 400-stitch bind off.

5. Easily customisable - want a wider scarf (or even a blanket) - just add repeats.

What’s not to love?

If you are a member of my paid Substack community you can access a free copy of the Saltaire Summer Stole over there - and if you aren’t, please just tap the link above to check out my Substack and take advantage of a 7-day free trial.

Something old...something new KAL

The Fuss Free Festival Shawl - skip to the end for the sale information

I’ve always been fascinated by my ability to be distracted by new shiny things, much to the detriment of older, less shiny projects. Projects that still need finishing but that my brain seems resolutely determined to ignore. There is a sound scientific basis for this apparently which is good to know

It turns out that seeing or experiencing completely novel images or situations helps our brains to develop and continue to grow, even into later life.

It helps me to feel a little better when I overlook the 100s of knitting patterns I already own in search of something new I saw just that day. But in my heart I know that those older patterns still have tons of value.

Just because I first bought and downloaded something five years ago doesn’t mean it’s any less of a valuable pattern. I still like the item and would ideally like to own it and wear it. But it’s so tempting to overlook it in pursuit of something brand new (to my eyes).

Something old, Something new craft-along

With this in mind I thought a ‘something old, something new’ craft along might be fun this summer - to go along with the Summer of Books and Yarn.

We could cast on something new alongside something that we’ve had in our pattern store for a long time. Scratching our novelty itch (as it were) alongside the pleasing thriftiness that comes with using something that we already have.

Or alternatively, you could pair a new pattern with an old yarn from your stash (or vica versa).

What do you think? We could start on July 22nd to coincide with the start of the Summer of Books and Yarn, using the hashtag #NewAndOldKAL on Instagram - there will also be posts on the Everyday Knitter Facebook Group and in my Substack community

Pattern Sale!

To go along with the KAL I thought I’d have a 20% sale on my patterns - by way of brightening up our rather dull and cold summer (so far). Until the official start of the KAL and readalong on Jul 22nd you can get 20% off all of my patterns on my website or on Ravelry.

Use code NewAndOld for the 20% discount to be applied at checkout

Never knit with green yarn...and other knitting superstitions

This article was first published on my Everyday Knitter Substack on 19 June 2024. If you’d like to find out more about my Everyday Knitter community there and join in the conversation please tap here to find out more: See what’s on Substack.

My Nana who taught me to knit was a font of all knitting knowledge but was also raised from a strong Irish Catholic background - and as such she had some deep rooted and ‘interesting’ superstitions that she wasn’t shy about sharing with us.

She was scandalised for example when I wore my fabulous new pair of red shoes on my graduation day - as red shoes were a well known sign of a fallen women, apparently. When my Dad took photos she insisted that he crop my feet out of shot.

Showing a similar colour bias she would also refuse to knit with green yarn on the grounds that it was unlucky. After doing a bit of reading around this it does seem to be a widely held belief, especially in Ireland that green is a colour worn by faries - and for humans to do so is considered ill luck, especially when knitting for babies.

She did make an exception for my bottle-green school cardigans however, presumably on the grounds that, that particular shade of bottle-green was so ugly that no self respecting fairy would want to wear it.

Green Gable Socks - probably my Nana’s knitting nemesis

There are other superstitions which she held which I think are more widely known among knitters in general.

Never to stab your needles through your ball of yarn is quite a common one - as it’s said to cause bad luck. Similarly she would never hand knitting needles to me directly, she would always put them on the table in front of me and have me pick them up. And if she dropped a pair of scissors on the ground she would always cross herself.

After reading various online knitting forums over the years I’ve also come across a number of other knitting superstitions, some of which include:

• Knitting a strand of your hair into a garment for a loved one will tie them to you.

• Never knit socks for a loved one or they will walk away from you - I think after years of knitting socks for my husband I can safely debunk that one.

• It’s bad luck to start a knitting project on a Friday

• Every knitting project should have a deliberate mistake to keep you safe from the fairies

• The boyfriend sweater curse is well known too - although I have never tried this out in practice.

Have you ever come across any knitting superstitions in your crafty endeavours?

I don’t particularly hold any myself although I do refuse to knit with black or navy yarn.

Though this is less to do with long-held superstitious beliefs and much more to do with declining eyesight.

Tips for success with circular needles

I have to be honest here and say that it’s been so long since I used straight needles for anything that they feel distinctly odd and alien to me. Despite the fact that I grew up learning to use straight needles - knitting flat now, for me, always involves circular needles.

I find them to be much more comfortable as they spread the load of the knitting more evenly. As well as that they are much more portable - easily tucked away inside a project bag.

Knitting on public transport can be a little cramped at the best of times and no one needs long straight needles further antagonising the ‘armrest wars’.

That being said, there are a lot of people for whom knitting is synonymous with straight needles and when they do try to change the habits of a lifetime it can feel uncomfortable to say the least. I often see comments on forum posts where people are trying out circular needles for the first time. They try once or twice and then give up as they find it too difficult.

Changing any kind of established movement or habit is hard work. Our brains are hard wired to prefer the comfort of familiar routines, they take less thought and we can almost do them without thinking about it.

If you are in any doubt about the power of muscle memory try folding your arms the ‘wrong way’ and see how alien it feels to you, how hard you have to concentrate on the movements. And that’s just a simple thing like crossing your arms. Imagine how many more neurons and muscles have to be recruited when you try to hold knitting needles in a different way. You literally need to rewire your brain - and that takes time.

The good news is that by developing new neural pathways like this you are developing your neuroplasticity - something which is linked to staving off age-related changes in the brain such as dementia. SO it’s well worth persevering with. If it helps here are a few things that I have found worked for me and those I teach.

How to get to grips with circular needles:

1. Choose a good quality brand - the best you can afford. Look for needles with a smooth join between the cable and the needle portion. Cheaper, plastic needles often have a rough join which will just catch and snag on your stitches. Tugging the stitches over a rough patch won’t help your enjoyment of the knitting.

2. Cast on for a simple project first, something like a hat where you can just focus on the process.

3. You don’t have to knit in the round at first if you don’t want to. Just practice using the circular needle to knit flat, knitting back and forth as you would normally.

4. When you do decide to knit in the round knit flat for a few rows first before joining. This helps you to avoid accidentally twisting your stitches and you can stitch up the little gap at the end with the tail of your working yarn.

5. When knitting in the round try to use the tips of your fingers more than your palms. When using straight needles much of the weight (and control) rests through your palms/wrists - this is the reason for many RSI-type injuries. With circular knitting most of the weight is distributed through the cable and you are just using your fingertips to manipulate the needles.

6. Practice daily. Aim for 5 to 10 minutes every day on your ‘in the round’ project. Try not to do more, especially if you are finding it frustrating. It will take time to develop your new skill but you will gradually find it easier and easier as you reprogramme all those little neurons.

Practice really is the key here - little and often - and in no time you will surprise yourself with how much you are managing to knit.

What aspects of circular knitting do you find challenging? Why not let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I can help.

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How to make your handknit socks last longer

A pair of handknit socks knit in yarn from The Yarny Octopus

A lot of time and effort goes into knitting a pair of handknit socks. By my conservative estimate I normally reckon on around 8 hours per sock, if it’s a plain vanilla sock with a short row heel. Larger socks for the men in my life or anything requiring a pattern or cable can be upwards of 10hrs - a total of 20hrs for a pair.

Whatever way you look at it - that’s a lot of time invested in two small woolly object. So naturally it makes sense to want them to last as long as possible, no one wants to have sock holes to deal with.

Socks in general have a hard life, unless you are knitting cashmere bed socks. Stuffed into boots and shoes, subject to a lot of friction, it’s no surprise that they can suffer from wear and tear. But there are a few simple things we can do to help them last longer.

1. Choose a choose wool/nylon mix. Ideally 80% wool/20% nylon or 75/25. Yes, I know that you can knit long lasting socks with just 100% wool but in my experience a little bit of nylon really does help.

2. Choose a yarn with multiple plies firmly twisted around each other.. Some brands sell a high twist yarn which is perfect for fabrics which will get a lot of friction and rubbing. Avoid anything that pills as this will inevitably lead to thinner areas developing on the sock - and holes forming.

3. Avoid putting handknit socks in the tumble dryer. The excess heat can damage the fibres and reduce the amount of stretch in the yarn.

4. Go down a needle size. The ideal sock fabric should be firm with no gaps between the stitches. I noticed an immediate difference in my socks longevity when I went down from a 2.5mm needle to a 2.25mm needle. The fabric is firmer, more even and definitely longer lasting.

5. For someone who is very hard on their socks consider adding in a re-inforcement thread at heels and/or toes. You can buy commercial thread for this purpose or you can add in a strand of thin mohair or silk. Both will have the advantage of adding strength and durability to any vulnerable areas and hopefully increasing the socks lifespan.

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How to knit a log cabin blanket

A basic log cabin blanket block knit with leftover DK weight yarn on 4mm needles.

One of the things I love most about log cabin blankets is that you really are free to knit them however you like. Once you have the basics of the construction sorted out you can freestyle to your hearts content. They can be used to stashbust and use up scraps or you can purchase to fit a particular design -  the choice is yours. This tutorial will show you how to knit a square log-cabin block which is the building block for most types of log cabin blanket construction.

To start with you need to knit a central patch - garter stitch is by far my preferred stitch for this as the squares lie flat and don't roll. I have seen spectacular log cabin blankets knit in seed stitch but that's a a level of commitment I'm really not prepared for.

BLOCK 1

Cast on 15 stitches and knit 30 rows and then cast off - you will have 15 garter ridges. If it helps, stick a bulb or safety pin into the right side to help you although technically at this stage but sides are the same. If you get into the habit of slipping the first stitch purlwise (with the yarn in front) this creates a neat slipped stitch edge and will make the job of picking up stitches later so much easier.

Starting block 2 - with stitches picked up along the side of block 1

BLOCK 2

With colour 2 (green, here) align block 1 with the right side up and the cast on edge towards you. Pick up and knit 15 stitches along the left hand side of block 1. Knit 29 rows - the pick up and knit row counts as 1 row - until you have 15 garter ridges. Cast off.

Starting block 3 - with stitches picked up along the side of block 2 and the cast on edge of block 1

BLOCK 3

With right side facing and colour 3 (light brown), pick up and knit 15 stitches along the left hand side of block 2 and then 15 stitches along the cast on edge of block 1 (30 stitches in total). Knit 29 rows - 15 garter ridges then cast off.

BLOCK 4

With right side facing and colour 4 (pale green), pick up and knit 15 stitches along the left hand side of block 3, and the other side of block 1. Knit 29 rows, Cast off. Spotting a pattern yet?

BLOCK 5

With colour 5 (gold), pick up and knit 15 stitches along the left hand side of block 4, 15 stitches along the cast off edge of block 1 and 15 stitches across the other side of block 2 (45 stitches in total). Knit 29 rows. Cast off.

This completes your first full block and you’ll see that block 1 is fully enclosed by the surrounding 4 blocks.

You can now continue in the same manner, always remembering to turn the work 90 degrees clockwise. You pick up stitches along the side of the block just worked and across to the end of the piece, adding more blocks as you go. You can keep going until the blanket is the desired size or you run out of yarn.

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