You know how Oprah does her giveaways? “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!” and everyone goes nuts. Well I have learned how to finger knit and I’m walking around my house like a finger knitting Oprah on a giveaway bender. Looking over at long-neglected yarn, “I could knit that!”; the string we use to tie up recycling, “I could finger knit that!”; striped holiday twine, “I could finger knit that!”; a rope in a sad corner of the basement, “I could knit that!”; and even thin wire for jewelry-making, “I could KNIT that!”. Dude, I am knitting and the audience in my head is going wild and looking around at the world in a whole new way. I have the new book Knitting Without Needles by my friend Anne Weil* to thank for this madness. Did you even know you could knit WITHOUT needles? I had no idea! And, Anne’s book also includes projects for arm-knitting as well as finger knitting. Arm and finger knitting is crazy good. It totally changes things. For one, you can knit so much faster and for another the scale is shifted…projects become big, chunky and modern. I love it!
On top of the benefits of learning this new skill, the book is just flipping gorgeous. Beautiful, inspiring and artistic all in one craft book. I mean, look at that floor poof up there! That’s next on my project list. And the basket on top of the stool, that is another project! See what I mean, for real, I want to knit everything!
And, it was in this knitting-happy mindset that I took a second look at my leftover knit jersey scraps and started making knit jersey fabric yarn…and knitting and knitting and knitting it. Eventually, I had a long, long string of finger knitting and was able to transform it into a fabulously, stretchy infinity scarf. A completely spontaneous project made entirely of fabric I had no use for.
It’s just so much fun. And, especially satisfying for me because I had given up on learning to knit. I’ve tried a few times and always ended up with such tight, completely uneven stitches. Every single time. I eventually gave up deciding that knitting was not my medium. But Anne insisted that finger knitting would work for me and she was right! Her book is really straightforward and simple to learn from. I picked it up right away, which is saying a lot for a failed knitter! I’ve even started teaching J how to finger knit!
I’m looking forward to making a bunch of the things in this book, they are perfect for cozying, beautifying and warming up our new house.
Isn’t it all stunning! I’m really hoping for some time in front of the fireplace with yarn (or twine or wire!) this Thanksgiving and am already trying to figure out who needs this book as a Christmas gift. I’ve already given a copy to a friend.
Photos from the book courtesy Anne Weil.
Note: Affiliate links are included in this post. Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it. I was given this book as a gift from Anne and enjoyed reviewing it but wasn’t asked to. As always, my opinions are my own.
Leave a Reply