A Periodic Series on Wool As Craft
For a while, I’ve wanted to really dive into knitting as a craft and to think a little more deeply about knitting, knitting methods and methodologies, about yarn and fiber, and all things knitting related. I have had a running list of ideas that I’d like to take time to explore for well over a year at this point and, although this is mostly for my benefit, I hope this series will be crafted in a way that is useful to other knitters.
I cast-on my first stitches twenty-some years ago, around 2004, using Vickie Howel’s Stitch ’n Bitch borrowed (and re-borrowed at least twice before buying my own copy) from my local library, a pair of pink plastic US 8 knitting needles, and a skein of blue Red Heart super saver from the local A.C. Moore.
Since then I have knit many hats, scarves, socks, and sweaters along with miscellaneous household goods (there may have been a felted wool tote bag phase sometime in the late aughts). I’m at a point where I’d like to slow down and think about how I craft and why, sixteen years later, knitting is a daily part of my life.
Hand knitting is an incredibly versatile fiber craft – at its most fundamental, knitting is simply the practice of creating connecting loops but the way those loops interact create endless opportunity. And it’s this versatility and simplicity that helped knitting develop over hundreds of years into a craft used worldwide in hundreds of countries and cultures. And that is the inspiration behind this series of writings I’m planning to call “Wool Theory”. I want to explore and learn about everything there is to know about knitting.
I’ve decided to use the title “Wool Theory” as this isn’t a how-to-knit overview or introduction to knitting. There isn’t going to be a post on the basics of casting on and how to knit and purl (at least, that’s not the plan at this point). This is meant to be a bit more exploratory and conceptual. I’m using it as a time to explore knitting (and similar arts and crafts) more fully and thoughtfully than I have been able to.
I hope that this is helpful to you in your knitting. And I welcome feedback – comments, suggestions, etc are more than welcome. And if there’s a facet of knitting, you’ve been interested in or would like to chat, send a message – I’d love to collaborate with other knitters on exploring knitting as craft.
~Happy Knitting,
Kara
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