Meet the Needles of the Future!

Meet the Needles of the Future!

Need a bigger needle? Why not try your arms!  Arm knitting is all the rage at the moment, and why not?  This fascinating craft allows you to make an entire blanket (yes, a blanket) in just one hour once you're experienced.

You'll find plenty of tutorials online if you're looking to get started so we won't reinvent the wheel, but here's a bit of a taste:

•     even non-knitters and children as young as 7 can master it: most patterns only need mastery of cast-on, knit stitch and cast-off
•     chunky yarns are the key to success: the stitches are BIG as you're using your arm instead of a needle!
•     arm knitting is most commonly used for infinity scarves (ones joined together in a circle), cowls, or blankets
•     you only need to work a few stitches per row as the yarn's so thick - that means less work!
•     most patterns use strands from 2 up to 6 or more balls of yarn to fill out the weave (although a single ball of chunky or even aran weight yarn can be used for a less bulky, between-seasons scarf or cowl)
•     although you're working from up to 6 balls of yarn, you won't need most of it to finish your arm knitting project (unless it's a blanket); so you're going to have lots of leftover oddments.  If you're not planning to craft other arm knitting projects from the same yarn, consider crafting a striped garment, small accessory or other stash-busting project in between your arm knitting projects, to avoid being overwhelmed by bits & pieces in your stash.
•     arm knitting projects are best completed in one sitting. Remember, you are the needles! Yes, you can offload your project onto a stick or even a length of yarn, but this can be fiddly and you risk tangling your stitches when you start up again.

Arm knitting is a new take on an old art, and could be just what you were looking for to re-ignite your passion for hand crafting. After all when you arm knit, you're literally handcuffed to your handiwork - what better way to get wrapped up in what you're doing?!!