Australian Knitting — October 2016

6 Australian Knitting

News Knitting snippets from around the globe

Keeping you in the loop with the latest knitting tips and inspiration,

we discuss how you can knit words to personalise your projects. Don’t

forget to mark your diary’s – there’s some fantastic craft markets

coming up soon! By Danielle Ryan

Not all knitters tend to consider knitting

words into their projects. Some may

think it’s more of an embroidery or cross

stitch exercise, but it doesn’t have to be

this way. There are endless possibilities

when it comes to knitting decorative

words. Perhaps you want to monogram a

blanket, pillow or washcloth with initials

to add a personal touch. You can even

make a sweater for that special someone

and label it as such. Here are some

quick tips to help you incorporate knitted

words into your next creation:

r $PMPVST 6TF UXP DPMPVST

 POF GPS UIF

body of your work and another for

the letters. This will allow the letters

to really stand out. Make sure you

pick solid coloured yarns so your

word pops.

r 1JDL ZPVS TUZMF *G ZPV EPOU XBOU UP

go too bold you can always opt for

a more subtle letter by varying the

UFYUVSF *G ZPVSF XPSLJOH PO B HBSUFS

stitch background switch to stockinette

or if the background is stockinette,

switch to reverse stockinette for the

letter. Pick the right font from you from

a chart of letters such as this one from

About.com (http://knitting.about.com/

od/knittingpatterns/ss/alphabet-charts.

htm)

r

$IBSUT
3FBE
ZPVS
DIBSU
TUBSUJOH
JO


the bottom right-hand corner. For flat

knitting, read the even rows starting

from the left side and the odd rows

GSPN
UIF
SJHIU
*G
ZPV
BSF
LOJUUJOH
JO


the round, read every row from right

to left.

The power of words

Knitting might seem like a female-

oriented pastime but this was

definitely not the case during the

Middle Ages! Knitting was in fact a

male only occupation. Men would

spend six years perfecting the craft

and in doing so, were allowed into

guilds of knitters only after passing

a rigorous exam. However, once the

knitting machine was invented knitting

became something men no longer

needed to do and more women took

up the craft as a hobby.

Did you know?

Shutterstock © Natalia Chistikova

Shutterstock © Joanna B