It’s important to say at the beginning that I do not knit. Like many other knitters, at a certain point during my childhood, my mother taught me how to knit. I can still recall the gentle sound of the plastic needles and the delight of a neat row of loops of wool in magenta (a shade I’d have preferred between the ages of five and 10).
Through knitting, the tradition of women sharing a craft that nurtures comfort and comfort is strong in a non-feminist manner – even when the information is forgotten and discovered by way of acquaintances, online tutorials, or social media.
It’s wonderful that knitting is a part of an online community that welcomes all participants and shares their information. Here, six knitters talk about their passion for knitting and some of their favorite projects.
I wear it out and am embarrassed by my children’s ages.’
Kim McInnes knitted this jumper in 1983 as part of her high school’s textile portfolio. “It took me two school terms,” says the grant and scholarship coordinator in Myrtleford, Victoria. “I would knit in front of the TV most nights and in-class time, and the common room and library at school.”
She used a simple pattern for her construction and then created the bird’s motif on her own after being inspired by Australian artist Jenny Kee. “I drew the picture of the parrot on plain paper then transferred it to graph paper so I could work out the stitches required per colour per row,” she explained.
The jumper was found in a cabinet at her mom’s house forty years later; she was delighted. “I wear it on weekends shopping and social occasions, much to the embarrassment of my adult children.”
McInnes started knitting again some time ago at the suggestion of a therapist who suggested that it could help her with arthritis that she suffers from in her hands. “I was really rusty and relied on YouTube videos to get me back in the swing of it.”
“I channel something I learned from my grandmother whenever I knit.’
The project took Melbourne journalist and editor Elena Gomez five months to master the art of stranded colorwork, a method she used to complete her most cherished knitting project.
She was required to knit two strands at a time to create the pattern in a colour. “This involved watching lots of videos and taking it very slowly until my fingers got the hang of it,” she says.
When she finally put on the knitted jumper, she felt a feeling of pride. “The thrill and satisfaction of that moment is something that has carried me through many hairy knitting projects,” she says.
Gomez’s mom tried to teach her how to knit at the age of seven. However, it wasn’t until after she became an adult that she learned to incorporate online videos with the assistance of a patient friend. The family bond is still strong. Her grandmother, whom she only had a brief encounter with, was an extremely skilled knitter from Nagpur, India. “Though I never really knew her, I feel as though I channel something from her when I knit.”
“My dog was chilly, and so I knitted her an appropriate jumper.’
Kirsty Nottle Kirsty Nottle, a Melbourne senior executive from the aged care services, loved the pattern of this knit so much that she adapted the design for her sister as well as her pet. “My dog was given a super short haircut by a groomer and she was freezing so I knitted her a matching one,” Nottle declares. “It was really a joke but she gets a lot of compliments.”
The sweaters were knitted using hand-dyed yarns of various weights. “I liked the marled colour effect you get when you change the colours you are holding together,” she declares.
Though the complexity of colorwork stimulates her skin, it is an enjoyable activity to do at home or as a way to connect with her friends.
“I knit once a week with friends over morning coffee [and] with a bigger group at the pub once a month, although I usually have to take simple projects for that.”
“I’d only want to complete one row every night.’
Like many knitters who are first-timers, Jacinta Den Besten’s debut project was a scarf knit in elementary school. “It never really ended and also varied in width as stitches mysteriously got created and lost,” she recalls.
The senior lecturer in physics is looking for new and exciting projects that will teach her new techniques that aren’t available in retail stores.
The reason for her tunic pattern was to colorwork and to try a two-color Brioche stitch or a fisherman’s stripe using an ombre yarn.
Den Besten designed the piece herself, drawing the inspiration from her home mat. The majority of colorwork patterns, according to her, are floral. “I wanted something more geometric.”
It took her months to finish the complex task. “With 800 stitches per row, often I would only get one row done a night,” she explains. “I also struggle to work on only one project at a time, but I find swapping between projects allows me time to think about each project and get inspired rather than bored.”
“It’s the softest, most comfy jumper I own.’
Michelle Sanger knitted her favorite green jumper while in the middle of lockdown in Melbourne.
It was impossible to walk to a shop to locate the perfect yarn color, so Sanger, a studio manager for an agency for creatives, needed to find a way. “I looked through my drawers for something I could unravel … [and] added a green mohair strand I had in my stash.”
The style resembled the broad neck of another clothing item she had in her closet. However, she was looking for something more fitted around the body. The pattern was modified to be top-down (where knitting starts at the very top of the sweater) and worked on the neck first before moving through the body and sleeves.
It took her six weeks of knitting each evening while watching the television. “It’s the snuggliest, most comfortable jumper I own,” she tells us. “The colour feels so energising.”
As Sanger was a young girl, her mother taught her knitting, but it was not introduced until Sanger was pregnant with her son. “I wanted to knit him jumpers to keep him warm, so I asked a keen knitting friend for lessons,” she says.
“All the years after, we are now knitting with a few other knitters once per month. It’s wonderful to see what people are creating or being inspired by, and share designs and even yarns. We have an WhatsApp group packed with ideas.”
I wear this cardigan every day.’
Stephanie Morrison knitted this cardigan twice. “The first time I knitted it very quickly from start to finish in six weeks,” she states. And then, “it sat in my wardrobe”.
Morrison, who is employed on a temporary basis as a receptionist for medical offices, did not wear her dress because the section of colorwork was uncomfortable around her shoulders.
Then she decided to take off the cardigan and then start over. In order to get the perfect fit, she increased two sizes and also used a bigger needle. This time around, the process took her about a month to finish.
She says now, “I wear this cardigan every day. It’s the most satisfying satisfaction … having the knowledge of that I put in the effort I put into it.”
Morrison knits whenever she has a free moment she can. “I would describe myself as someone obsessed by knitting,” she says.”It fills my mind every day.”